A CAP over the M8 and a refurb of the People’s Palace and Winter Gardens are among Glasgow’s planned bids to the UK Government’s levelling up fund.
The city secured just over £13m under the first phase of the fund to turn the A-listed Pollok Park stables and courtyard into a tourist attraction, with Clydesdale horses set to return to the park.
Now, seven bids which go before councillors for approval next week are set to be submitted by a deadline of July 6.
These include plans to regenerate Easterhouse, Maryhill, Drumchapel and Possilpark as well as improving connectivity around the Clyde.
The People’s Palace and Winter Gardens bid, worth up to £50m, would “restore the building’s potential to play its pivotal role as a local amenity in one of Glasgow’s most deprived neighbourhoods”, a council report claimed.
“The restoration will ensure this invaluable heritage asset can be maintained and preserved for future generations, paving the way for its sustainable future.”
Plans for an M8 garden cap between Sauchiehall Street and Bath Street would “completely reconfigure the Charing Cross area” and reconnect the city centre with the West End. The council wants to create “a peaceful green space offering a new community asset to residents, visitors and local businesses”.
In Easterhouse, the proposal would improve the Lochs Shopping Centre, public realm and “key access points” including the car park and public entrances. There are also plans to improve the active travel network including links to the Seven Lochs Wetland Park.
The Maryhill town centre project aims to “unlock development through a green infrastructure strategy” and improve active travel links to the canal, including Stockingfield Junction. It would also involve a Canal water bus feasibility study.
At Possilpark (shown above), the council wants to deliver “a step change in regeneration” focused on Saracen, Stonyhurst and Allander Streets and brownfield sites. It could include the creation of a new urban park at Cowlairs. The report added the town centre provides “an accessible mix of shops and services and have significant potential for growth and place improvement”.
To regenerate Drumchapel town centre, the project would focus on the shopping centre and the surrounding environment. “The proposal will link to the community hub investment proposed for the area,” the report added.
The Clyde Connectivity scheme proposes providing a “people focus by removing the barriers of 60s style highway infrastructure and connecting the community with the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, SEC and city centre to the wider West of Scotland economic area”.
“This will include new active travel infrastructure, place-making measures, green infrastructure, development opportunities and parking controls in the G51 area that will unlock multiple sites for increased connectivity and investment.”
The number of bids per council is dependent on the number of Westminster constituencies in each area [seven in Glasgow] while each local authority can also submit one large-scale transport project [the M8 cap].
After Glasgow’s successful bid for Pollok Park funding [Glasgow South constituency], the council is now planning to submit six applications for the other city constituencies and one transport project to round two.
The Pollok Park stables project was the only application submitted by the council to the initial funding call.
In round one, constituency bids could have a maximum value of £20m, however, in the second phase, two constituency applications — and the transport project — can be worth £50m.
Bids will require at least 10% match funding which could be funded by the council and/or external sources.
