by DomInSale » Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:49 pm
Rosebery Park, the former home of Shawfield Juniors was featured in Mike Floate's Football Grounds Frenzy book some years back. In it he explains how he sneaked in through a gap in a fence next to the nearby factories and took his photos. There were signs up then to say it was out of use because it was contaminated!
This contamination was caused because significant areas of Rutherglen and Cambuslang having been in-filled by chromite ore processing residue (COPR), arising from a former local chromium works in operation from approximately 1830 - 1968, which gave football clubs industrial waste to make their football ground terraces from!!
Contaminated spectator terracing constructed from chromium-ore reprocessing waste was also found at Southcroft Park, the former home of Rutherglen Glencairn. This is the reason why they were recently forced to move out.
These areas are heavily contaminated with Chromium, a known carcinogen, with heavy concentrations in the soil and groundwater. The local company was taken over by a US company, who have been left with a possible, estimated £150 Million clean up bill!!!
The proposed solution is to actually bury the whole area, including the 2 former football grounds, under the M74 extension; whilst uncontaminated areas are redeveloped in the Oatlands Scheme. The Oatlands Scheme has also destroyed the former Scottish Football League ground of Thistle FC, Braehead Park, which lay to the north of the junction of Rutherglen and Polmadie Roads, in the park next to the River Clyde.
DomInSale
DomLovesFootball