Council outlines plans for development of canal in Glasgow

Glasgow City Council's Regeneration and the Economy Committee today (15 November) considered a report on the Canal Hamiltonhill Development Framework, which will form the basis for the ongoing redevelopment of the stretch of the canal corridor between Applecross Basin and Firhill Basin in Glasgow.

This framework was produced byUrban Design consultants LUC on behalf of the Glasgow Canal Regeneration Partnership - comprising Glasgow City Council, Scottish Canals, and BIGG Regeneration - and builds on the vision developed by stakeholders and members of local communities at a planning charrette held in February 2015.

The vision was given the title: 'Glasgow's Inner City Village: Tranquil Heart, Vibrant Fringe', and has six main themes:

·         Providing an accessible and meaningful linear park along the Canal Corridor and the former Claypits that achieves a balance between ecological sensitivities and its current semi-wild character, and the promotion of activity and providing new facilities.

·         Creating an active travel network, including new canal crossings, to provide better pedestrian and cycling connections between communities and their respective services and facilities (e.g. Saracen Street and Woodside Health Centre), as well as providing access to the Claypits greenspace and the canal corridor.

·         The provision of sustainable homes and neighbourhoods, offering a variety of house and tenure types, integrated with local green spaces, green corridors and green/blue infrastructure e.g. Sustainable Urban Drainage.

·         Enabling appropriate and well-designed development to ensure greenspaces and key pedestrian and cycling routes are overlooked where practical to make them feel safe.

·         Celebrating the unique heritage and culture of the area through respecting archaeological and historic structures, buildings, whilst integrating new art and cultural elements.

·         Promoting an active and involved community; physically through the delivery of a strong pedestrian and cycling network, and the provision of improved accessible green spaces and facilities for play and recreation. Encouraging social involvement through community engagement and participation in the regeneration of the area. 

The framework provides a long-term strategy for the sustainable development and regeneration of the area, to tackle issues such as vacant and derelict land, surface water management, connectivity and sustainable housing development.

In addition, a number of opportunities have been identified for this part of the canal, in terms of: development opportunities; greenspace and environmental opportunities; access and connectivity; community focal points; and art opportunities.

In future, the framework will be used as to guide future development activities in the area, and some of these include the restoration of historic canal-side buildings at Applecross Basin; a new canal bridge and access improvements linking Garscube Road with the Claypits Local Nature Reserve; and masterplanning for housing-led regeneration at Hamiltonhill.

Councillor George Redmond, Executive Member for Jobs, Business and Investment at Glasgow City Council, said: "The regeneration of this part of the canal corridor, including Hamiltonhill and parts of Woodside and Firhill, is key to the wider development of the area.  This framework will help deliver this very exciting transformation, unlocking the potential of a district of Glasgow that will be home to new housing, businesses and visitor attractions."

The charrette and framework were delivered by Urban Design consultants LUC and have been shortlisted for a Landscape Institute award - in the Local Landscape Planning category - find more detail at: https://www.landscapeinstitute.org/awards/2016-li-awards/.