Anger as Garrowhill Bowling Club hit by major flooding issues

The committee at Garrowhill claim water is pouring into the foundations of their clubhouse every time there is a heavy downpour since the construction of tennis courts and two playparks nearby - and are now calling on the local council and Glasgow Life to step in and find out why.

William Key, treasurer at the Douglas Drive club, says it took members two days to clear water almost a foot deep from the green using a specialist pump and fear if the problems are not fixed it could sink their upcoming season.

Flooding at Garrowhill Bowling Club (Image: Supplied)

The 75-year-old told the Glasgow Times: “The club has been here since 1937 and it is only recently we've had this issue with all of these floods.

“The council agreed to install a trench filled with pea gravel at the playpark to try and halt water running down the hill and into our grounds, but this has proved to be ineffective. There's now flooding under the clubhouse, which is obviously concerning, and we are starting to see more and more cracks appearing in the flooring.

“We held meetings with Glasgow Life and Glasgow City Council’s parks department who said they would discuss the issue and come back to us.

“That was months ago and we’ve and not heard anything since, despite repeated attempts to get in touch with them to see what they plan to do. Our club, which we all work very hard to protect, is being left to, quite literally, drown. Frankly it’s unacceptable and something needs to be done because we just can’t go into the new season with this hanging over us.

“It could badly impact on our plans, open days and our commitment to hosting other clubs.”

Records show that the bowling club is situated at the lowest point of the local water catchment area and the location is marked on SEPA records as prone to surface flooding, but officials say they operated for decades without any issue.

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William claims the adjacent car park is also regularly under up to ten inches of water after the recent construction of a second small playpark nearby.

William Key and Andy Davies (Image: Gordon Terris, Newsquest)

The committee is keen to get the issue resolved before the new outdoor bowling season begins in April. Members have now taken the matter to local councillors and say they are concerned about the financial impact the flooding could have on the club in the short and long term.

William, who has been at the club since 2000, added: “The fear is the longer this drags on, the more repairs we could be facing. It’s impossible to properly see underneath the clubhouse so we’ve no idea how much damage the water is causing, but with the amount of it the worry is that it could be serious.

"We don’t want to reach a stage where it starts to cost us or our 340 members find that they can’t play outdoors because the green is regularly submerged.

Flooding near the club (Image: Supplied)

“Once the season starts, we also host other clubs for tournaments and if there’s heavy rain and the place is left like this, that just won’t be possible. Every time there’s a significant downpour, we know it’s going to impact us.

“We operated for decades with no problems so I’m not willing to accept that the building works and the arrival of the flooding is just a coincidence. We just really need to get back to how things used to be and that means someone taking steps to fix the drainage problems we are experiencing."

William Key next to the playpark (Image: Gordon Terris, Newsquest)

A spokesman for the council said: “We understand the concerns the bowling club has over recent flooding events and it is a situation that is being addressed.

“But we are unaware of any document that indicates the new tennis courts opened in 2022 have contributed to flooding at the bowling club.

“This view does not accord with the opinion of the council’s drainage experts, who consider that other factors are more likely to be responsible. The bowling club is situated at the lowest point of the local water catchment area and the location is clearly marked on SEPA records as prone to surface flooding.

“A number of new driveways have also been installed locally which will also affect the permeability of local ground.

“We will continue to liaise with Glasgow Life and the bowling club to address the concerns about surface flooding and consider any appropriate remedial action.”