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Collegelands/Bellgrove Redevelopment
I've been watching the new developments at the High street end of Duke Street with excitement. Just wondering if anyone knows what is happening at the Bellgrove end? I feel like this is the missing piece of the jigsaw for our part of town and hope the developers are going to do something imaginative. In particular I would like to see the old cast iron structure (which I believe is listed) turned into a market.
E77 - 3/07/2010 5:41:52 PM
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The Council in their last press release have said under the current plan it will take approx eight years before work reaches the Bellgrove end. That's an extension on the initial five years from when the abotoir was demolished.
zigzag - 4/07/2010 4:26:20 PM
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It seems a waste to have that land sitting there unused for so long but I've seen a few birds of prey hunting there. Seems its turned into a wildlife haven. GCC better hurry up or they'll find they can't do anything because something extremely rare has moved in!
Jemma - 6/07/2010 10:49:33 PM
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It would be good if they could turn it into a temporary park for 8 years. Its such a waste of good open space. Why not turn it into somewhere we can go until its developed
E77 - 8/07/2010 12:44:30 AM
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I'd like to see it left as is. There are too many buildings in the area as it is.
The Mentalist - 8/07/2010 12:45:32 AM
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A lot of information including many maps, photos, illustrations, visualisations and other images (past, present and future) relating to the development of the whole Collegelands site can be found in a thread on the Skyscr'apercity forum (don't be alarmed by the name!) at www.skyscr'apercity.com/showthread.php?t=365862
The thread was started 4 years ago, runs to 11+ pages, and is ongoing, so it'll give you a fairly comprehensive account of what has been happening and what's to come.
It pulls together all manner of info on planning submissions, press releases, newspaper reports, personal photo surveys, threads disuccing the site on other forums etc etc. Also, plenty of fascinating stuff of historical interest regarding Molendinar Burn and so on...
As far as I can tell, quite a few 'in the know' people post updates there before things are reported more widely to the general public.
Also, here's a webcam of the area closer to the High Street end: www.collegelands-glasgow.co.uk/webcam.htm
[Editor - Please delete ' from skyscr'apercity. Our abuse filter thinks there is a swear word in there!]
anonymoose - 8/07/2010 5:55:15 PM
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anonymoose - thanks that website is great!
Mentalist. I'm afraid I disagree with you on this. I think that more density would be better for the area. Its an eyesore now and if they pull off the development properly then it could really transform the area. It will have a knock on effect on Duke Street pushing up the quality of retailers and amenities as there are more people living and working.
E77 - 8/07/2010 9:51:52 PM
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E77, have to disagree with you. The area could be developed into a park area and, if properly policed, could be a great leisure area. More houses, more density, more people, more traffic - no thanks.
The Mentalist - 9/07/2010 3:52:58 PM
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A park that would be too dangerous to venture into. Great idea! How could it be policed with all the coming cutbacks?
Nivster - 9/07/2010 6:59:44 PM
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Nivster, perhaps I'm being a little optimistic. But honestly, Dennistoun is built up enough as it is. Soon, there will be no green space at all. There will be more buildings venturing into Alexandra Park over the coming years. This end of Dennistoun needs some green space.
The Mentalist - 9/07/2010 11:14:23 PM
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I think a mixture of both would be good to be honest. I would like the area to be more dense - if you want somewhere quiet then I would move to the suburbs or countryside. But given that Dennistoun is almost in the city centre, my own preference would be for it to have the buzz of other built up areas (I'm thinking of some of the good neighbourhoods in London when I say this). If there is more development in wasteland and brownfield sites then the area will be more attractive and more demand for local leisure and business facilities.
You must admit, anything that brings some life to Duke street at night (in a positive way) is to be encouraged. I think more people would make it safer.
I still think if it was a park there would be no safety issues. If you go in a park after dark you are bringing trouble on yourself to be honest.
anon - 10/07/2010 12:54:47 PM
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I'm with E77 and anon on this - it's important to continue the redevelopment of the area and the best way of doing this is by creating jobs and investing in the infra-structure. I'd like to see some good quality housing, retail spaces and leisure facilities.
Tread - 11/07/2010 11:51:50 PM
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If you 'google' "Evening Times Collegelands", there is an interesting article today about the impact that large scale redevelopment can have in an area such as this.
The claims made in the article about the creation of approximately 3,000 jobs are likely to be slightly overstated but certainly give a clear indication about why it is important to attract new investment to the East End.
Mo - 14/07/2010 6:09:09 PM
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I should probably mention the official line the council took when I made an enquiry about their latest plans for the development opf the city as a whole (known as the Glasgow City Plan).
A fairly recent review of the City Plan removed the plans for a report on how the Duke Street/Sword Street/Bellgrove Street 'urban centre' might be developed and improved. The reason for the removal of a formal review of this area from the council's City Plan was attributed to the imminent Collegelands redevelopment.
It was deemed that Duke Street/Sword Street/Bellgrove Street businesses wouldn't require any specifically targetted resources to promote regeneration (compared to other 'centres' of Glasgow) because they will receive a substantial boost from the various residents and workers that developments just up the road will bring in.
Here's hoping that they're right, and that the local Duke Street area receives a decent boost from what pops up over the coming months.
I agree that a green park would be a really nice thing to have, but a park and nothing else would be an indulgence rather than a realistic hope on a site like that. Especially when Glasgow Green is just around the corner, and there are other green/open, low density non-business/non-residential facilities in the area (such as Alexandra Park and the EEHLC). The best we can hope for is that the landscaping and site planning of what gets built is sensible, inviting, and of a quality that is beffitting of the prime piece of real estate that that it occupies.
Personally, I have two main hopes:
1) a quality footpaths/cycle route between Bellgrove station and High Street/Merchant City, that offers an alternative to the busy/dirty Duke Street roadside footpath, and
2) for whatever gets built on the corner of Bellgrove St & Duke St (diagonally opposite Annfield Place) to be of a quality that really makes something of what deserves to be a real bustling focal point of a crossroads and a 'gateway' to Dennistoun's section of Duke Street. Think: something along the lines of the junction at the bottom of Byers Road.
anonymoose - 16/07/2010 12:16:24 PM
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Thanks for the detail annonymoose. I'm a bit concerned that the council are 'half-heartedly' rolling the development out east. I think the development at collegelands is great but simply 'hoping' things will ripple out to the bellgrove/sword street area is careless. If they don't want to commit masses of money then they could at least come up with some kind of structured plan or scheme for the area that can be followed. Unless it is properly coordinated then the area may not reap the full benefits of the extra footfall.
My two main hopes are exactly the same as yours. In addition, I would to see the area become a destination in its own right where people from the east-end and beyond come to shop, eat and socialise (like a Byres road in the East kind of thing). With the new canal they are building and the good transport links there is no reason why this couldn't happen
E77 - 21/07/2010 10:31:10 AM
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I have a rough idea what is to happen with the collegelands development. Unfortunately I am not at liberty to discuss.
However, I can say the East End was and still is slowly annexing itself from the rest of the city - hence this mass 'surge' in the regeneration of the area and the arrival of the Commonwealth Games.
Which at present is way behind schedule. The subway and train extensions to the East End are way behind schedule - with no sign of the funding in place to start the project
Apologies if I have ****tered any forumer's dream of Dennistoun becoming the West End/South Side.
@Mo I wouldn't trust the Evening Times with regards to anything to do with the Council.
MG42 - 22/07/2010 9:13:56 AM
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MG42, I think you will find that the east end is being "annexed" rather than annexing itself. Perhaps we should break away and become a new town/city. We could go back to the days that Shettleston, Tollcross, Parkhead, etc were all villages in their own right.
With regard to becoming the westend of the east, so to speak, why would the east end want to lose its own identity and become a clone of Byres Road? We have some great historical buildings in the east (example being the tenement buildings in Parkhead) that are being left to rack and ruin by a council that would rather spend money lighting up the city chambers.
I do, however, agree with you about the Evening Times. I've lost amount of the times it has had screaming headlines about hunderds of jobs coming to Glasgow or huge building projects that never come to fruition. It should stick to reporting news rather than being a GCC mouthpiece.
The Mentalist - 22/07/2010 9:41:53 AM
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I don't understand why people get so uptight when people say they would like the east end to be more like the west-end/south-side. It is not an attack on the east end and doesn't mean I want to live in the west end. It simply means (for me) that the place makes the most of itself and overcomes some of its problems. I'd rather see my own area improve rather than moving elsewhere.
I don't see the point in romanticising about an area when its clear things could be better. There are good things about the west and south we don't have yet.
1. Our main streets are dead after 5pm
2. Few decent pubs/cafes (with some notable exception)
3. Shops not dominated by tanning salons, charity shops or bookies.
4. No derelict gap sites.
I've said it before, Dennistoun has one of the largest young populations in Glasgow but no facilities to take advantage of the potential economic benefits - its almost like a suburb! If there was some momentum a cluster could form for new businesses in the area - the rent is cheap and there are lots of people. Until this is supported however, this money leaves Dennistoun and gets spent elsewhere. From experience in other cities, some kind of commerce body to represent the street to arrange upgrading of the streetscape and signage, stimulate new business and coordinate retailers would do the trick.
Also, what is this famous 'east-end' character everyone is clinging on to? I think it is seriously unprogressive and I don't hear anyone making any positive suggestions about how to improve the area.
Nothing will come of harking back to the glory days - Dennistoun must adapt if it wants to attract investment and fund improvements - this doesn't mean it has to lose its soul.
E77 - 22/07/2010 7:31:36 PM
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"this famous 'east-end' character"
Better than that south side character where racial gang fights are never reported in the local news. Wonder why it's kept quiet?
Glory days? Is that when the Parkhead Forge and Provan Gas works were spewing out filth and fog into the atmosphere?
The east end is the east end and the west and south are the the west and south. Totally different. Trying to turn Dennistoun and surrounding areas into clones of those places won't work. Different mind set and different people. Not worse or better - different.
The Mentalist - 23/07/2010 10:18:03 PM
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I couldn't agree more with E77.
Preserving the 'character' of Dennistoun may be important, but when it comes at the expense of moving forward then surely we are fighting a lost cause?
The fact that it's being debated on the forum suggests that people do care though.
Tread - 24/07/2010 9:32:08 AM
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This is where I think the confusion lies - I am not suggesting we become a clone of other areas. I would still like some of facilities they have though but done to suit our area. This unfortunately seems to be a sacrilegious thing to wish for judging by the response of some people I speak to.
My point is that Dennistoun's glory days - and by this I mean a buzzing high street and civic spirit are long gone - the supermarkets have put paid to this (not just Dennistoun - most areas). The only time you see a queue on the high street anymore is outside boots for methadone in the morning. I think we need a different approach to retail and leisure to bring life back. Look at Tibo for instance - they took a big risk opening the kind of place they have in the location they did. Judging by how busy it is when I walk past it, I would say they have struck on a particular demand. However, people won't come or stay for the afternoon/evening in Dennistoun for 1 or 2 places though - there needs to be a few other high quality places to make it somewhere worth coming.
And I would still like to know what this nebulous idea of east-end character is? A wee wummin from Parkhead is probably the same as a wee wummin from Govan or Possil. I actually think the idea of 'east end character' is quite patronising and condescending
E77 - 24/07/2010 12:47:39 PM
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I'm onside with everything E77 is saying here.
Particularly this bit: "I am not suggesting we become a clone of other areas. I would still like some of facilities they have though but done to suit our area. This unfortunately seems to be a sacrilegious thing to wish for judging by the response of some people I speak to."
Also, the Pubs/Byers Road/Tibo debate has popped up regularly on here, and it seems that each time someone feels the need to proclaim that the mere mention of another one or two establishments in the mould of Tibo would inevitably lead to Dennistoun turning into some kind of West End wannabe. As if Dennistoun could in no way be improved without being to the detriment of the good things we already have.
I really like Dennistoun, but I can see where it might be improved to the benefit of all. Some people, however, seem to be hamstrung by their pride in a nebulous imagining of something that doesn't seem to exist, and probably never did.
anonymoose - 24/07/2010 3:40:13 PM
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