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Decade-long Glasgow city centre regeneration strategy launched

August 29 2016

Decade-long Glasgow city centre regeneration strategy launched
Glasgow City Council has launched the latest phase of a 10-year city centre regeneration strategy in partnership with MVRDV and Austin-Smith:Lord.

This will see regeneration efforts focus on nine ‘districts’ named as; Anderston, Broomielaw, Centre, Cowcaddens, Merchant City and High Street, Sauchiehall, St Enoch, Townhead, University and Cathedral.

Initial consultations for the Sauchiehall district have already outlined the need for a new cycle and pedestrian bridge and urban park over part of the M8 near Charing Cross as part of efforts to enhance city living, improve connectivity and harness local identity.

Now attention will turn to Broomielaw, Blythswood, Central and St. Enoch with stakeholders invited to give their input on what physical changes they would like to see implemented on their patch, with Winy Mass of MVRDV and Graham Ross of Austin-Smith:Lord on hand to help realise these ideas.

12 Comments

Graeme Mccormick
#1 Posted by Graeme Mccormick on 29 Aug 2016 at 20:12 PM
Given it is an essential part of the Riverscape Tradeston should be part of the City Centre.
Fraser
#2 Posted by Fraser on 29 Aug 2016 at 22:09 PM
Graeme I believe they have just extended it recently to cover tradeston
Paul Sweeney
#3 Posted by Paul Sweeney on 30 Aug 2016 at 10:59 AM
Absolutely agreed on Tradeston. The current feral road system needs dramatically tamed and the grid there properly restored with existing architecture sensitively incorporated into a dense mixed use quarter. It could have the same potential as Merchant City.

The area outside the Royal Infirmary from Castle Street and Cathedral Street is a complete disaster of slip roads. A new urban square and rationalised road layout there please. More ways of breaking down the barrier of the M8 at Port Dundas and Townhead also need to be looked at as part of the Sigthill Masterplan - such as a new tunnel under the M8 on the Canal Street alignment. Townhead Interchange is a disaster that totally severs the north of Glasgow from the city centre.

Big positives for me at the proposals for Charing Cross and St George's Cross - particularly the reinstatement of the New City Road alignment between Great Western Road and Cowcaddens/Garnethill.
Sven
#4 Posted by Sven on 30 Aug 2016 at 14:32 PM
I have always wanted to bridge over the area outside of the Mitchell Library and form an attractive garden square. How much more connected will the library feel to the city with this one little act? Tradeston and Anderson have improved over the past 15 years: Anderson especially is not so run down, though has lots of vacant land and buildings. Focusing development there will really make the city: overall the plan does seem to not take the river into consideration. Knocking down the south side of St Enoch Square to the river would physically make the river more part of the city.
Fraser
#5 Posted by Fraser on 30 Aug 2016 at 15:53 PM
@3

I was at the recent Stallan Brand consultation for the development of 3 blocks running along the river from the central railway lines to the fstd bridge. They propose the removal of the road along the river, replacing it with a new public space, offices, restaurants, flats, commercial space etc with the retention of the B listed warehouse on CLyde place ( the one getting removed) They will have another one in the near future, so it would be applicable for you.
George
#6 Posted by George on 30 Aug 2016 at 17:21 PM
#4 - Either knocking it down or certainly redeveloping it. St Enoch's generally is not a pleasant area currently and the St Enochs Hotel contributes to that. If Glasgow is serious about being an international city then relocating this and making St Enoch's desirable for locals and visitors is crucial.
Billy
#7 Posted by Billy on 30 Aug 2016 at 18:25 PM
I long for the river down at Clyde st to be used more as other cities do. With restaurants and bars opening on to terraces and new street furniture and ornate lighting the area could be a social hub again. Pedestrianising Clyde st would help. Give people somewhere to sit in the hot days and the restaurants with river views would be cosy on other days. Pontoons may even work or more venues like the Renfrew ferry located right in the heart of the city. No other city seems to neglect its river right at the heart of the city. Encouraging footfall here would encourage people to visit the Briggait and also the Green. Just seems a missed oppurtunity. Oh and there are a few eyesores which need demolished.
Glen Ferguson
#8 Posted by Glen Ferguson on 30 Aug 2016 at 19:22 PM
Tradeston should definitely come under the city centre and badly needs a rethink and not just the roads. Central Quay needs invested those spaces between the Daily Record building and Brown Street is an absolute eyesore its one of the first things our tourists see coming into the city via the airport. and does not bode well with a beautiful view down the river clyde with sights like Secc, Hydro, Clyde Arc Bridge, and to the front of them a huge empty patch of land and to the right of them another huge empty patch of land. I think for a tunnel under the M8 you would only get away with it on certain sections and i think the ideal section would be between St Georges Cross and the start of the kingston bridge. By Extending Charing Cross. Castle street, John Knox Street Stirling Road needs a complete rethink Congestion in this area is getting far to business in the majority of the day and not just at peak times and 9/10 it's traffic waiting to join stirling road from Alexandra Parade / Baird St ect. John Knox street onto Castle Street can be a nightmare also. I think investment is badly needed in sauchiehall st from Charing Cross up to buchanan Galleries. its supposed to be a famous street and apart from nightlife during the day is looking grim with the empty shops ect. Union Street needs a complete overhaul its a disgrace.
Yaldy
#9 Posted by Yaldy on 31 Aug 2016 at 08:37 AM
I like this and there are plenty of good suggestions in the comments. I've always said that to properly reinvigorate parts of the city centre that are currently neglected, it would make sense for Glasgow Caledonian to be relocated (for example down on to the river, probably on the south side. This would take it away from its current "cut off" location and bring a huge amount of footfall to the targeted area. Given its recent redevelopment though, this isn't a possibility anytime soon.

One annoying thing is that this proposal is taking a full decade to implement. I hope this means that whatever goes ahead will continue to make sense and work in the long term.
Stephen
#10 Posted by Stephen on 31 Aug 2016 at 11:56 AM
Agree with many that the river needs to be much better integrated. If MVRDV and ASL can persuade the planners that the Clyde is not best used for 12 storey call centres and a dual carriageway then that'll be a huge step forward. Tradeston will inevitably get developed so I'm less concerned about it's current state - it's too good a location to remain as is.
As for genuine long-term investment in infrastructure the M8 (or at least the section North of the City centre) needs to go into a tunnel. If we were talking about London, Paris, Boston or Stockholm that wouldn't sound crazy...
Terra
#11 Posted by Terra on 1 Sep 2016 at 13:57 PM
Hopefully this includes cleaning up the beautiful but derelict historical buildings dotted about these areas too and brining them back into use any some way or another. There's a lot of gorgeous Georgian/Victorian tenement type buildings lying empty for years, really need some love and attention.
Paul Sweeney
#12 Posted by Paul Sweeney on 2 Sep 2016 at 15:52 PM
A good question is what planning and financial policies can local government introduce to promote the reuse of historic building stock? Rates relief, grant assistance etc? VAT is a harder nut to crack at a UK level.

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