Draft Sauchiehall District master plan goals published
November 9 2015
This includes a series of three interventions at Charing Cross, namely removal of existing slip roads to free up space, decking over the motorway to provide new parkland and construction of a pedestrian footbridge connecting the Mitchell Library to Charing Cross Station.
Further north an ‘underline’ pedestrian link is envisaged tracing the route of Great Western Road through Cowcaddens with public realm enhancements and art installations alongside a rationalisation of the existing road network.
In a Glasgow City Council committee document the master planners note: “The principal challenge here relates to the feasibility and cost aspects of capping over the M8 in cutting. There should be no problems in terms of providing sufficient headroom for M8 traffic, so long as the depth of the structure does not exceed that of the Sauchiehall Street and Bath Street bridges to north and south.
“There will be a need to provide adequate ventilation, but this should not be an insurmountable object. The cost of the new deck will relate to the weight it is expected to bear, but there need be no requirement for any vehicle access; and the nature of the landscaping scheme can be determined with this in mind.”
Sauchiehall Street itself would see improvements made to footways and cycle facilities whilst Cowcaddens Station, Port Dundas Junction and Cowcaddens Road would also be upgraded.
Full draft proposals for the works programme will be published on 20 November.
Sauchiehall Street will be transformed into a tree-lined avenue
When fully realised the ambition is to fully reconnect the west end to the city centre
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12 Comments
#2 Posted by stef3d on 9 Nov 2015 at 12:30 PM
Would be great to see the dilapidated Chinatown area being upgraded as part of the "Underline" route. If Glasgow had a proper Chinatown to rival the likes of Manchester it would really add some much-needed colour and life to the M8 area around Cowcaddens and strengthen the new links through to Spiers Lock etc. to the North. I wonder if there's anything in the pipeline?
#3 Posted by Yaldy on 9 Nov 2015 at 13:00 PM
Have a look through that 100 page document in the hyperlink. Good stuff
#4 Posted by D to the R on 9 Nov 2015 at 13:42 PM
A masterplan in the truest sense .... Hallelujah
#5 Posted by R C on 9 Nov 2015 at 13:51 PM
Look, can you not just repair the potholes and replaced the pavements in Glasgow? There are some places you can't walk because slabs are so loose. Maintain what you have before gallivanting about causing hassle. For example, this road is one of the main car entrances into the city - how are they going to access their places of work or leisure?
#6 Posted by Ella h on 9 Nov 2015 at 13:53 PM
Good to see some ambition from Glasgow at last!
Only criticism is that the plans do not address St Georges X. The route from Garnethill to here is truly awful.
Only criticism is that the plans do not address St Georges X. The route from Garnethill to here is truly awful.
#7 Posted by Stephen on 9 Nov 2015 at 14:14 PM
Great ambition, worryingly bad renders. With Gehl on board the strategy should be sound but lets hope the right designers are in place to implement the detail.
Great to see bikes given a proper foothold as well.
Great to see bikes given a proper foothold as well.
#8 Posted by Rankbadyin on 9 Nov 2015 at 16:35 PM
A bold exciting plan, however the lack of passing places around bus stops like in the image above usually creates a rolling road block the length of the street. A couple of busy bus stops in a row and everything grinds to a halt. It's an easy problem to resolve though.
#9 Posted by KAY on 9 Nov 2015 at 19:22 PM
As a disabled person unable to walk, ride a bike or use public transport, how will these plans affect me? Since Commonwealth games reorganisation, have felt excluded from the city where I have lived for my entire life.
#10 Posted by Shepd on 10 Nov 2015 at 07:20 AM
Fantastic, however it would be great if GCC focused on preventing the collapse of the quay wall next to their new tradestone bridge. Yes, I mean the wall preventing the Clyde from flooding Glasgow! Where GCC over night created a public path, which the public enjoyed for a short period, but at the first sight of damage GCC ran away pursuing flat owners nearby to fit the bill.
#11 Posted by E=mc2 on 10 Nov 2015 at 13:45 PM
The trouble with building over the M8 at the Mitchell Library is that the train line below ground is quite shallow as it leaves Charing Cross station and heads down Kent Road. If you look a the M8 motorway, you can see exactly where this occurs and leaving enough headroom for lorries etc would put any new pavement level well above the existing pavement levels on North Street
#12 Posted by Studio Barc on 11 Nov 2015 at 12:41 PM
This is something that was looked at back in 1999 with the City of Architecture exhibition at The Lighthouse called 'Working City' - there was a team that proposed making a park space in front of the Mitchell Library.
The connection to Spiers Locks via the Flowers Underpass should be included in the masterplan. It would also be nice to see the space below the M8 enhanced - it could be astunning space with good imaginative lighting and interventions to make it more people friendly.
The connection to Spiers Locks via the Flowers Underpass should be included in the masterplan. It would also be nice to see the space below the M8 enhanced - it could be astunning space with good imaginative lighting and interventions to make it more people friendly.
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A serious bunch of proposals which just might work given adequate budgets and a political willingness from Glasgow City Council.
All looks very feasible and should be encouraged to start / complete at the earliest opportunity.
As long as 'parklets' are not sneaking under the radar...