Torrance, East Dunbartonshire

Torrance is a village in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, located 15 minutes of Glasgow city centre and is home to 2,500 persons. Torrance used to mainly consist of farmland, but now is a growing town. The town was once famous as a resting place for workers on their way to the Campsie Fells 4 miles (6.4 km) north.

John Likes Robyn

Yes, he does.

Construction due to start

This section is for planned construction of buildings such as new leisure facilities or houses. Both of which are unwanted by the residents.

Politics

Torrance is on ward 5 and is known as Bishopbriggs North and Torrance. There are three local councillors. They are as follows Anne McNair from the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP), Billy Hendry from the Scottish Conservatives and Unionists and Una Walker fromm the Scottish Labour Party. The MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden is David Whitton.

Crime

Torrance is a relatively safe area. Little crime occurs. There are plans to place a CCTV development around the village including the park and the main street although a date has still not been set for when this may take place. The Police presence is relatively high but this again this is just a deterrent. There are several Neighbourhood Watch schemes in the area.

Torrance Initiative

Torrance Initiative is a group of committed volunteers aiming to provide new custom-built community facilities in the village. The current facilities are no longer fit for purpose and most people go outwith the village for activities.

This is a shame because Torrance has some lovely areas of countryside to explore. This countryside allows for a hugh and varied amount of wildlife to thrive. However, much of the greenery will be destroyed by Torrance Initiative if they are allowed to build on Green Belt land.

Hundreds of villagers have taken up the battle against this initiative and as such East Dunbartonshire Council has severed all links with the group.

History

The village of Torrance is situated in a local area known for centuries as 'The Eleven Ploughs of Balgrochan'. The Eleven Ploughs were part of the estate of the Grahams of Mugdock (Milngavie). They received their name in 1630 when Montrose, the great military leader of the Covenanting period, sought to raise money for his campaigns by feuing off part of the Mugdock lands. The 'Eleven Ploughlands' were feued off to local occupiers willing to pay a grassum (lump sum) on the understanding that their annual rate of duty would be held at a moderate level. Three of the Ploughlands were at Carlston, four at Easter Balgrochan and four at Wester Balgrochan. "The eleven ploughs o' Balgrochan were acquired at that time By eleven sturdy carles, as they ca'ed them lang syne" The feuars originally held their land in run-rigs, running down in long strips southwards to the River Kelvin. In 1735, however, each feuar received an enclosed piece of land, in line with the widespread drive towards land enclosure at that period. Coal and lime continued to be worked in common, but ironstone rights were allocated to individual ploughland proprietors.

Some time after the enclosures of 1735, the village of Torrance began to develop. Some of the earliest inhabitants were 'country weavers', weaving linens or woolens in association with local farming activity. Around this time, also, the extraction of limestone, coal and ironstone began to emerge as a local industry of some significance. During the late eighteenth century the improvement of local roads and the opening of the Forth & Clyde Canal, with a wharf at Hungryside, provided routes to market for local agricultural and mineral production. When the Eleven Ploughs were feued off by Montrose in 1630, the large meal mill at Balgrochan was at the same time feued to a Robert Ferrie. Three hundred years later the mill was still grinding corn and celebrating three centuries of Ferrie family ownership. In 1933, however, it was closed and sold to a Glasgow firm for the manufacture of talcum powder. The mill wheel at Balgrochan was said to be the second largest in Scotland. It was cut up for scrap in 1949.

The canal wharf at Hungryside remained for many years as Torrance's principal link with the outside world. In 1879, however, a station was opened at Torrance by the Kelvin Valley Railway Company and the village, somewhat belatedly, was linked to the national rail network. It might have been thought that Torrance would then have developed as a commuter dormitory for Glasgow, but the influx of new residents was slow in arriving. Indeed it was not until after the railway was closed to passengers in 1951 that commuting began in earnest. During the mid-1970s, for example, Henry Boot Homes built a considerable number of houses at Meadowbank and West Balgrochan.

Famous People

Torrance has its own famous golfer, Hugh Ross, that everyone is proud of because he got to the alternative Ryder cup 2008. Also a hero of a guy has made DVD's, including roadstories, which was a music video for a German bloke, and the waverley returns, which is a DVD. Hats off to DJ Col. Tommy Reilly from Torrance is in the finals of Orange Unsinged Acts

Torrance Primary School

Torrance contains a local school called Torrance Primary.The school contains over 250 pupils from around the catchment area in it.The school has recently buit an extension to be completed for Monday 27th 2008. This is a new sports hall and is nearly as big as the whole School!

Current events

Outline planning for the new community facilities was rejected by East Dunbartonshire council in May 2008. This included the residential development of 20–40 houses to fund for the community facilities on a 9.8 acre site held in trust for the community by the Torrance Community Initiative. Reasons for rejection were that the land is designated greenbelt and the council had not yet done a long overdue review of current facilities. The land owned by the community will therefore remain undeveloped and unmanaged for the foreseeable future. The council is currently conducting its review of Torrance facilities. Although the outcome cannot be pre-empted, it would be unrealistic in the present financial climate to expect that the council can make major changes to the current community buildings. In the event of greenbelt status in future being removed from the land, a former in-fill site, then approval from the majority of villagers is required before any change or development takes place.

Population

The 2001 census registered a population of 3457 and the 2001 census registered a population of around 2,500. The name comes from the Gaelic An Toran which means 'under the hills'.

Recent recording of population confirms over 4000 residents. - 2008

Local amenities

Torrance offers local amenities to its residents including two hairdressers, tennis courts, health centre, mechanics, garden centre (http://www.westcarlston.com/), bakery, a post office and newsagents not to mention the large and new Torrance Church of Scotland (www.torranceparishchurch.co.uk) at the foot of School Road and St. Dominic's Catholic Church at the top http://www.saintpatrickskilsyth.org.uk/saintdominics/index.htm . The local SPAR won Milk Retailer of the Year in 2005. Torrance has three pubs; the Wheatsheaf Inn, the Torrance Inn and the Village Inn with another bar in the bowling club. The surrounding East Dunbartonshire area is also an affluent area with many new leisure facilities. East Dunbartonshire was voted the 2nd best district in Scotland to reside in during 2007. Torrance does have a regular once an hour bus service into Glasgow however could benefit further from better transport links for the surrounding area. A good idea would be to organise a petition so if any Torrance resident reads this you should create a survey.

Properties

Acre Valley, and Wardend road are amongst Torrance's most desirable areas to live. Houses here were valued in summer 2007, many worth over one million pounds. These houses being Acre Valley house, six acres and farm-hill house.

There are also many 3-4 bedroom family style houses as well as single occupancy dwellings. There is currently a shortage of affordable housing and housing for the elderly. Torrance has over the past thirty years expanded from about 200 to almost 3000 people. Many residents feel that the village has met its capacity in terms of housing development as no accompanying leisure/sporting/employment infrastructure has been provided for the enlarged community.

External links

• http://www.torranceweb.info
• http://www.torrancecommunityinitiative.org.uk/