Plook on the Plinth Award

Airdrie town centre (North Lanarkshire)

The town centre is depressing, run down and totally underwhelming. Nominated by: Jim Dobbie

Ayr (Ayrshire)

Loss of the B-listed Ayr Station Hotel shows our planning system is failing. Image by SAVE Britain's Heritage

Glasgow city centre (Glasgow)

I was born in Glasgow and apart from ten years in the London area I have lived and worked here all my life. The state of the city centre is a disgrace. I know a lot of towns and cities have suffered since the pandemic but we are now at least three years on from that and Glasgow continues to decline.

I have long since given up writing to councillors or politicians about real life, every day issues as it only ever ends in disappointment and always makes you question what these public servants actually do to improve the lives and surroundings of the citizens who vote for them. Glasgow had a renaissance back in the eighties and was always looked upon by the likes of Aberdeen, Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester as an example of a successful and aspirational city. People used to come here from all over Scotland and northern England to shop and enjoy what the city had to offer. I can’t imagine anyone thinking that would be a good idea now and I know footfall is way down post pandemic.

The question of course is “what is the city council doing about it?” the answer, to anyone walking through the disgusting central streets is surely “absolutely nothing”. Buildings like the old BHS store have been lying derelict for many years. Does no one in the City Chambers have any pride or even interest in what their home looks like? The internet has changed the retail environment dramatically in the past few years and it is obviously never going to return to the heady levels that our high streets saw ten years ago.

Equally there is a housing shortage, so surely it is blindingly obvious that derelict retail space should be converted into domestic housing? Whether for sale or rent, I would imagine there would be a high demand for city centre flats. Cutting retail square footage and breathing new life into the city by creating thousands of new homes would be a multi-positive. More people living and working in the city would boost local businesses and public transport use (no need for a car). New taxes would be gathered from residents where none is currently being taken from the thousands of empty, crumbling shops.

Brian Wilson