On the Waterfront
There are a number of exciting projects currently on-stream in Glasgow, which will restore the River Clyde - one of the world’s greatest waterways - to its rightful place at the very heart of the city’s entrepreneurial and creative energy.
Public sector agencies and the private sector are working to ensure that each project is being undertaken within a strategic, sustainable context, not only to reconnect the river to the city, but also to create a sense of place where people will want to live, work and play.
Glasgow Harbour
The largest single project is the Glasgow Harbour development, which will regenerate 130 acres of derelict Clyde waterfront between the Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre (SECC) and the Clyde Tunnel. www.glasgowharbour.com
It has been designed as a fully integrated development incorporating all aspects of contemporary living, working, and relaxation. Ultimately, up to 20,000 people will come to work there every day, in the offices of the commercial district, the shops of the retail quarter, or in the bars and restaurants within the leisure sector.
The £1.2 billion world-class project is expected to take ten years to complete and will form an integral part of the city’s vision for the regeneration of the River Clyde.
Architectural features from the huge site such as signage, cobblestones and maritime paraphernalia are being salvaged and will feature in the completed development – bringing the past into the future, and making The Clyde a source of pride once again.
Glasgow Harbour Ltd. is a private sector company, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Clydeport Ltd. The Glasgow Harbour project will be largely privately funded, and a substantial investment of over £50 million has already been made to date. In addition Glasgow Harbour has also received funding from the European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Key components of Glasgow Harbour include:
- Residential & Commercial Development
A first phase development of 600 homes is already on site with proposals for further residential development as well as more than one million sq ft (92,900 m²) of commercial development plus a retail/leisure scheme.
In summer 2003, a consortium comprising Bryant Homes, Cala Homes and Park Lane had a massively successful launch of 651 homes, in the first of six residential phases totalling 2500 homes. The house builders for Phase 2 will be Dandara, a company new to Scotland but with wide experience of urban regeneration projects, who will start work later this year.
- Riverside Walkway
The first section of the 450-metre long Riverside Walkway on the banks of the River Clyde was officially opened to the public in December 2004 marking a significant milestone in the life of the development and providing the general public with access to the waterfront at Glasgow Harbour for the first time in decades.
Four million recycled cobblestones dating back to Victorian Glasgow will be re-laid to form part of the Walkway and create a visual link with the dockside environment and the city’s shipbuilding past.
- Clyde Arc
The £20.3 million Clyde Arc – already known affectionately as the ‘Squinty Bridge’ opened earlier this year as the first new road bridge over the River Clyde since 1969.
Linking Finnieston Street - adjacent to the Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre -on the north bank of the river to the digital media campus at Pacific Quay on its south bank, the Clyde Arc’s tied arch design makes an iconic addition to the city’s waterfront.
- Riverside Museum
Glasgow's new £50 million Riverside Museum will be located at Glasgow Harbour where The Clyde meets with Glasgow’s other main river, The Kelvin.
This landmark museum will replace the existing Museum of Transport at Kelvin Hall and create a more accessible and environmentally stable home for Glasgow’s significant Transport and Technology collections.
The new facility will also allow the proper interpretation of the city’s important maritime history through the museum site, Glasgow Museums’ unique model ship collection and the S.V.Glenlee.
The Clyde-built Glenlee - a 110-year-old, three-masted barque - is currently the focus of The Tall Ship at Glasgow Harbour, which opened in August 1999 to provide a unique visitor attraction and conference facility.
The existing Museum of Transport attracts around 400,000 people on an annual basis and it is anticipated that the new attraction will attract up to 1 million visitors each year
The new facility will be funded primarily by Glasgow City Council with bids for external support being made to a number of agencies including the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) who have just awarded the project a grant of almost £16 million.
The museum architect will be Zaha Hadid and Event Communications have been selected to carry out the exhibition design work. Construction work is expected to begin in 2007, with the attraction opening to the public in 2009. www.glasgowmuseums.com
Pacific Quay and the SECC
There are several ‘big bang’ attractors in this area in the shape of Pacific Quay, Glasgow Science Centre and the SECC, which are at the very cutting edge of technology and innovation:
- Digital Media Campus - Pacific Quay
Progress is ongoing at Pacific Quay on the south bank of the Clyde, which will be home to the proposed ‘digital media campus, anchored by the BBC and Scottish TV.
- Glasgow Science Centre
The state-of-the art Glasgow Science Centre (GSC) includes Scotland's first IMAX cinema; Science Mall with its four floors of dynamic exhibits; the ScottishPower Space Theatre - one of the best equipped planetaria in the world - and the Virtual Science Theatre, which takes audiences on incredible journeys through molecules, around their own bodies, or into space.
Just launched this month (November 06) is GSC’s £1 million futuristic glass space known as ‘The Atrium’. With floor to ceiling glass, stretching three storeys, The Atrium is entered via a lit walkway over GSC’s moat and makes an excellent addition to the centre’s corporate events capability.
- All Aboard
The Waverley, the world’s last remaining ocean-going paddle steamer has recently returned to her home port of Anderston Quay in Glasgow following a £4 million refit. She has been restored to meet modern marine safety standards whilst retaining her original 1940s splendour and sails between Easter and October ‘doon the watter’ to the islands on the Firth of Clyde. www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk
An alternative way to see the river is by waterbus via the Pride O’ The Clyde, which departs daily from very heart of Glasgow at the Central Station bridge for Braehead Shopping Centre. This extremely comfortable vessel with its own refreshments bar, shows you the sights, ships and shipyards between Glasgow city centre and Braehead. www.clydewaterbusservices.co.uk
A high adrenalin option meanwhile is provided by Seaforce Power Boats who offer fast boat rides though the city centre or Clyde Estuary and its spectacular sea lochs. www.seaforce.co.uk
ENDS
Issued by and further information from:
Moira Dyer – Senior Manager, Public Relations
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau
( +44 (0) 141 566 0831
PR07/onthewaterfront/updateDec06