Rear lanes and related features are part of the established City Centre character, notably within the Victorian grid-iron street pattern (including within the Principal Office Area, Principal Retail Area, Sauchiehall Street and Merchant City). They were constructed and designed to a high standard, utilising stone-built boundary walls to define curtilage, and mainly granite setts for surfacing. The quality and character of back lanes is being eroded by the demolition of boundary walls, removal of Victorian granite setts and replacement with poorer quality surfacing materials. Their use for parking and prevention of effective access also diminishes their character. Back lanes and related features provide the opportunity to extend pedestrian thoroughfares within the Central Area and their environment should be upgraded. This policy provides the guidance to improve these features within the scope of new development proposals.

The quality of back lanes and the areas within which they are situated should be protected and upgraded. New development proposals affecting back lanes, wynds and courtyards will require to have regard to the following criteria:

1. The cobbled surface to back lanes, wynds and courtyards in the City Centre shall be retained and, where appropriate, upgraded and reinstated;

2. The use of high design standards and good quality materials will be employed within back lanes, wynds and courtyards, commensurate with the standards of other City Centre public realm works;

3. Rear lanes are public thoroughfares which shall be available for servicing, access and pedestrian use alike. The breadth of traditional lanes shall be retained generally, especially in the Central Conservation Area. New development proposals shall respect traditional building lines and building footprints generally, especially in the Central Conservation Area. Exceptions will require to be justified in urban design terms and a statement of justification provided as part of any development application (see policy DES 4: Design Statement);

4. The original Merchant City Wynds and their routes should be retained and reinstated. Where this would not prove practical, an alternative route should be provided. Such wynds (including change of use of 54-72 Queen Street/Virginian public house in Miller Street) will require to incorporate a 3 metre-wide pedestrian way, which is to be made available for public access during daytime hours;

5. Where appropriate, developers will be encouraged to incorporate a suitable element of open space or pedestrian access, including pends in new developments; and

6. The use of lanes to provide improved permeability for pedestrian movement will be encouraged.