A COMMUNITY group issued a fresh plea for a memorial site set up ­after the Stockline ­plastics factory tragedy to be given to local ­people in time for the 10th anniversary.

After nearly a year of talks over who should maintain and develop the memorial garden and surrounding area in Grovepark Street, Firhill, Glasgow, campaigners say they are no further forward.

Nine people died and several others suffered injuries when an explosion caused the four-storey factory in Hopehill Road, to collapse, on May 11, 2004.

The memorial garden was set up three years after the blast by ICL Plastics Ltd, which owned the factory.

The site is currently on a long-term lease from City Property, an arms-length organisation of the council, to ICL Plastics Ltd pension fund.

This year marks a decade since the disaster happened - and it was hoped the memorial would be in the hands of a community trust so that they could upgrade the site before the anniversary.

As the Evening Times reported in April, concerns were raised over the upkeep of the site, which is near to a rundown car park and ­broken fencing.

Community members came up with the idea to set up a trust which would look after the space and ask for input from families of the victims of the disaster as well as survivors and residents of Maryhill.

They hoped to plant trees, add benches and clean up uneven stones.

But local councillor Martin McElroy said after negotiations, the group felt "frustrated" at the lack of movement.

He said: "I've been told since I first got involved in discussions that there's going to be big plans for the site but nothing has happened.

"We were hoping that by taking it into the hands of an independent group it would really help to get things moving.

"The lethargic nature of the company has made it very difficult."

Mr McElroy said they hoped that the lease for the land could be transferred to the trust so that they could apply for funding and make the memorial part of a community garden.

He added: "Although the tragedy happened 10 years ago there is still a lot of sensitivity surrounding it for everyone.

"Nothing has happened with the layout or the features of the garden and the space around it and it's very frustrating to see.

"The idea is to make it somewhere for the whole community."

Gary Gentles, development services manager of Maryhill Community Central Halls, was one of the people who helped to support families after the disaster happened.

He has been liaising with representatives of some of the victims' families, people who survived the blast and other local people, to discuss the future of the memorial site.

Mr Gentles said: "It is not about taking the land away from the company. It's not to say: 'This is our land.'

"But the land is being left to wrack and ruin and we want it for the folk of Maryhill.

"My intention is not to bad mouth anyone - we just want to move the garden on."

A spokeswoman from ICL Plastics said the communication was ongoing and that no decisions had been made.

She said: "The ICL Hopehill Trust Fund continues to maintain the memorial garden and we are currently improving access for families and visitors until such time as property transfer arrangements are concluded."

Margaret Brownlie, ­Annette Doyle, Peter Ferguson, Thomas McAulay, Stewart McColl, Tracey McErlane, Kenneth Murray, Tim Smith and Ann Trench lost their lives in the tragedy.

The explosion was blamed on a faulty gas pipe. A public inquiry found the blast was "avoidable".

rachel.loxton@eveningtimes.co.uk