As we will all recall from the Commonwealth Games in 2014, Glasgow does look good in the spotlight, and we are sure the City will do well with its promotion in terms of investment, tourism and the wider economy. There is a lot of work still to be done though to have a riverfront that Glasgow deserves, and there is significant private sector investment on hold while this ongoing flooding discussion continues on a number of sites.
Glasgow made the Clyde, and the Clyde made Glasgow
10 Mar 21
Anyone who knows Glasgow realises that the river was fundamental to the growth of the City as engineers made the river more navigable and with it, commerce and industry flourished. As the heavy industry, huge docks and riverside activity slowed in the 20th century, the City slowly started to rediscover itself as a place not reliant on the Clyde. There have been notable successes with the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) on the site of the old Queen’s Dock emerging over the last 35 years; the Glasgow Science Centre and BBC Scotland Headquarters in Pacific Quay; and more recently the Barclays Campus development in Tradeston.
However, there are notable gaps in the riverfront that remain vacant and undeveloped. These include various sites in Yorkhill Quay, Lancefield Quay, Pacific Quay, Govan Graving Docks and other locations on the Broomielaw / Tradeston river frontage. A number of these sites are presently hampered by ongoing concerns about flooding. Whilst we would never attempt to comment on the nuances of flood modelling, we understand that this relates to the requirement for an updated model to be put in place for the river (the existing one dating from 2005). This has put a number of projects on hold as SEPA, Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Government and other key stakeholders finalise the acceptance of the new model.
Alongside this, Clyde Mission is a Scottish Government-led initiative that has selected 12 projects, with £11 million of funding for sites on the River Clyde. This is a really positive step and hopefully this initiative can be extended in the future. Climate change, which is clearly a factor in the updated Clyde modelling, will be front and centre in Glasgow when COP26 comes to the City this November. This event, which will primarily be taking place at the SEC (on the riverfront), is an unprecedented opportunity for the City to be the global focus as world leaders and the media descend on the City.
As we will all recall from the Commonwealth Games in 2014, Glasgow does look good in the spotlight, and we are sure the City will do well with its promotion in terms of investment, tourism and the wider economy. There is a lot of work still to be done though to have a riverfront that Glasgow deserves, and there is significant private sector investment on hold while this ongoing flooding discussion continues on a number of sites.
Clyde Mission are presently consulting on a “call for ideas” to take, “maximum advantage of the river and immediate surrounding land to make the Clyde an engine of sustainable and inclusive growth”. We will be engaging with this consultation on behalf of a number of clients and look forward to seeing the outcome of this continued focus on the River Clyde. We would be happy to discuss this further with anyone who is looking to engage with this process.
Ian Gallacher
Director,Planning