Delivery
The Council will continue to work with its partners to deliver regeneration in Glasgow. The design, location, scale and nature of new development will help to create a City of successful, sustainable places and will result in an improved quality of life for those living, investing and working in, and visiting the City.
This will be done by:
- maintaining an up-to-date development plan framework;
- preparing more detailed planning frameworks to inform the development of specific sites or locations (including Local Development Strategies, Masterplans, etc);
- using the development management function to determine and enforce development decisions in support of City Plan 2 aims and to deliver developer contributions where required;
- exploring and utilising imaginative and innovative means of unlocking regeneration opportunities and funding sources; and
- giving consideration, where appropriate, to the use of Compulsory Purchase Powers to facilitate development.
Local Economic Development
In 1986, Glasgow began evolving the most extensive area based economic development network of any city in Europe, offering tailored, innovative local solutions to local problems. Over the following fourteen years, Local Development Companies (LDCs) were created throughout the city, beginning with Govan Initiative (established 1986), Drumchapel Opportunities (1988), Glasgow North Ltd. (1988), Castlemilk Economic Development Agency (1990), Gorbals Initiative (1991), Greater Easterhouse Development Company (1991), East End Partnership (1993) and Equip (formerly Greater Pollok Development Company) (2000). Together, the LDCs delivered substantial economic development programmes on behalf of the Council and Scottish Enterprise Glasgow within Glasgow’s most disadvantaged areas, collectively covering approximately 40% of the city.
In 2007, the Local Development Companies were re-named as Local Regeneration Agencies (LRAs) and re-configured in order to reflect the changes that had taken place through the establishment of the Community Health and Care Partnership (CHCP) and Community Planning Partnership (CPP) boundaries. These changes divided the city into 5 CHCP areas, each containing 2 CPPs.
Since 2007, 5 LRAs have operated across the whole of Glasgow, sharing boundaries with the CHCP areas. These are Glasgow Southwest Regeneration Agency, Glasgow Southeast Regeneration Agency, Glasgow East Regeneration Agency, Glasgow North Regeneration Agency and Glasgow West Regeneration Agency. The five LRAs are independent companies, limited by guarantee with charitable status. Each provides a ‘one-door’ access route to an integrated range of economic development services within their own part of the city.
Vacant and Derelict Land
In 2008, there were 1325.76 ha (920 sites) of vacant and derelict land in Glasgow (7.52 % of the City). This represents an increase of 58 ha (4.57%) from the 2007 position and the first significant increase in vacant and derelict land in the City since data collection began. This results largely from the rationalisation of public buildings, including schools, but is also likely to be an indicator of the current slowdown in the development industry. In 2004, following the Cities Review, The Scottish Executive (now Scottish Government), recognising the extent of Glasgow’s vacant land problem, allocated £10 million to Glasgow, for the reclamation of vacant and derelict land for the period 2004-2006. A subsequent allocation of £10m was made for the period 2006-2008. Programmes of projects were devised and implemented in partnership with Scottish Enterprise Glasgow and Communities Scotland, with approximately 180 ha of sites being treated and/or investigated. A further allocation of £13 million has been made for the period 2009-2011. This will focus upon delivering sites for the Commonwealth Games and supporting the Council’s key regeneration priorities. Vacant and derelict land will also continue to be addressed through other regeneration programmes and by working in partnership with the private sector, in particular assisting the continuation of delivery of development in the City during the economic downturn.
The River Clyde
The River’s physical characteristics and location present a unique opportunity to secure new investment and innovative design. Clyde Waterfront (a strategic partnership chaired by the leader of Glasgow City Council) brings together the public and private sectors to rejuvenate a 20km (13 miles) stretch of land along the river from Glasgow Green to Dumbarton. Clyde Waterfront is one of Scotland's most significant urban renewal projects with around £5-6 billion of public and private sector investment.
The City Plan recognises the regeneration potential of the River Corridor by establishing key planning objectives and an agenda for change for all areas within the City. In the last few years, the River Corridor has been the focus of high profile developments. This includes:
- Glasgow Harbour - Outline planning permission was granted in 2001 for a £1 billion mixed residential, commercial, leisure and tourism development from Yorkhill Quay to the Clyde Tunnel. The first phase residential development including, Glasgow Harbour park and Clyde Walkway, was completed on schedule in 2006, as work started on the now award winning Phase 2 residential development, designed by Murray and Dunlop and developed by Manchester based Dandara. Zaha Hadid’s plans for the New Riverside Museum were approved in September 2007. The contract, valued at £74m, went on site in October 2007 and the contractors have substantially completed the substructure and frame. Site work is to be completed in August 2010 with the New Riverside Museum opening to the public in 2011. Infrastructure work associated with lowering the Clydeside Expressway and improving pedestrian access was completed in March 2008
- Pacific Quay is Glasgow’s new digital media village. It incorporates offices for companies (including BBC Scotland and Scottish TV studios), the refurbished Govan Town Hall (as a media and production base), X FM, the Science Centre and Millennium Tower and a pedestrian bridge. The Clyde Arc, the first new road bridge across the Clyde since 1969, opened in 2006, to connect the area to the City Centre
- A total makeover of Scotland’s national venue, the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, is underway and will see the refurbishment of the SECC’s facilities and the creation of a 12,500 seated indoor arena which can host national and world trade conferences, events and concerts. The new £120 million arena will be the centre piece of the plan to create a new public square on the Clyde Corridor. The masterplan proposal also includes proposals to develop a sustainable urban village and leisure facilities
- The International Financial Services District (IFSD) has created a highly attractive environment for indigenous and overseas firms in finance and related sectors. As a pre-equipped business area, it is designed to allow fast track occupancy by financial firms seeking a new UK location for their operations. Covering around one square kilometre between St Vincent Street and the River Clyde, the IFSD is a ten year project which aims to deliver over 2 million sq.ft of new office space, 20,000 new jobs, a £50 million investment in the broadband network and a highly trained, flexible workforce through skills initiatives. Since the launch of the IFSD, over 15,000 jobs have moved in to the district through new investment, expansion and diversified development
- The Council-led Regeneration of Oatlands involves the construction of approximately 1,290 houses, significant road diversions, a range of community facilities and £2 million worth of improvements to Richmond Park, all being provided in accordance with a detailed Action Plan and Design Guide. Site works started in April 2005 and construction is well advanced with 332 houses completed (119 private and 213 social-rented) and another 32 private dwellings under construction. The first phase of the Rutherglen Road diversion (The Boulevard and New Rutherglen Road) was opened to traffic in December 2006, while completion of the whole road is scheduled for April 2010. By that time, work on relocating allotment gardens and the formation of a new ‘Oatlands Square’ are expected to be complete, while the upgrading of Richmond Park is likely to have commenced. The Glasgow Building Preservation Trust has completed a feasibility study on converting a B-listed former church into a high-quality community facility for Oatlands and sources of funding are being finalised. The Oatlands scheme has received several Planning Awards
Much has already been done to improve the environment of the River Clyde, including the:
- acquisition of a clean-up boat, the St Mungo, in 2003 with two additional small clean-up boats acquired in 2005
- lighting of a series of bridges from Glasgow Weir westwards to Anderston Quay including the embankment to Clyde Place in the Central Conservation Area
- improvement of 7km of Clyde Walkway and the creation of an additional stretch of the Walkway since 2003
- installation of CCTV cameras from Finnieston Street to Glasgow Green
- construction of new pontoons at Broomielaw, the SECC and Plantation Quay with a further pontoon planned for Pacific Quay
Continued investment in the environment of the Clyde will be promoted through the following:
- Clyde Waterfront Green Network Strategy 2006
- Water Use and Water Access Plan 2006
- River Clyde Flood Management Strategy
- proposed Regional Transport Plan
Forth and Clyde Canal