01 Getting Ahead of Change City Centre Strategy and Action Plan 2013–18 www.glasgow.gov.uk Consultative Draft 02 CONTENTS 04 Foreword 06 The transformation of Glasgow City Centre 16 Where are we now? 18 The value of Glasgow City Centre 20 Getting ahead of change 22 A vision for Glasgow City Centre 24 Objectives & Enablers 34 City Centre Districts Strategy Glasgow has a very defined boundary, created by the M8 Motorway and all its associated infrastructure. The motorway, combined with the Clyde, creates the impression of a “walled city” and in some ways creates a barrier which separates elements of the city centre which were never designed to be separated. The eastern edge of the city centre is less clearly defined and is the historic heart of the city, however while fragments of its historic roots remain its new identity is yet to be fully formed. The River Clyde acts as a barrier in its current condition with a lack of activity on both sides creating an inhospitable environment, and the Clyde is not yet a destination in its own right. While the City Centre Strategy will be based on the Development Plan boundary, it will also include areas that lie on the edge which are strategically important despite falling outwith the official boundary. This will ensure that areas like the cultural regeneration of the Clyde, the emerging North Quarter, and activity on the East End and in Tradeston can be incorporated into the strategic planning for the city centre. www.glasgow.gov.uk Getting Ahead of Change: Glasgow City Centre Strategy 2013–18 03 Sighthill Cowcaddens Kelvingrove Garnethill Townhead Blythswood Glasgow Anderston City Centre Merchant City Broomielaw St Enoch The Barras Districts Strategy • Districts Nine new Districts will have discrete area strategies developed around their current and future attraction, amenity and speciality. Their individual boundaries have been identified by a collective assessment of the area’s strategic context and function. • Quarters The term Quarter is one term to describe an individual area that has sufficient unique character or specialism in which its own identity can subsequently capitalised upon with for example marketing and branding. Quarters may overlap Districts, and will be larger than Identity Areas. • Identity areas Defined by the city’s Development Plan, these historic boundaries relate to areas with their own distinctive form, often identified by a collective assessment of the area’s different streets, spaces and buildings. These have not been reviewed since the early 2000s. Glasgow’s City Centre as defined in the City Plan 04 Foreword Getting Ahead of Change: Glasgow City Centre Strategy 2013–18 05 Glasgow City Centre remains the heart of the city’s economy and life. It is the second retail centre outside of London, it provides jobs for nearly [140,000 TO BE CONFIRMED BY JL] people, it is a centre of higher and further education, and it provides citizens and visitors to the city with a mix of cultural, leisure and entertainment experiences that only a big city can offer. The importance of the city centre to Glasgow was centre set in a world renowned Victorian core. We also recognised by Glasgow City Council and its partners with have wonderful opportunities arising from new and the development of a City Centre Action Plan in 2006. emerging markets, and being the host of the 2014 This outlined an ambitious set of actions aimed to improve Commonwealth Games. the way the City Centre was run and managed, to build its assets, to market and promote it to visitors and residents, Recently both Future Glasgow, the long term vision and to encourage new commercial, retail and residential for the city, and the Glasgow Economic Commission development. identified the city centre’s great importance in the continued transformation of Glasgow. Glasgow City Despite facing some of the toughest economic conditions Council and its partners in the city are determined to in modern times the majority of the actions in that plan maintain and grow the role of the City Centre at the have been delivered successfully. Around £700m of heart of Glasgow’s economy. investment has been made in the city centre during the lifetime of the previous City Centre Action Plan. The This strategy builds on the good work of the earlier plan success of areas such as the International Financial and outlines our long-term vision and priorities for the Service District and the Merchant City have been next five years for the City Centre. It has been developed highlights, while initiatives such as the Glasgow Safer City in collaboration with public sector leaders and the Centre and Clean Glasgow have had dramatic impacts business community. It is ambitious and aspirational and on the cleanliness and perceptions of the city centre. aims to ensure that Glasgow City Centre remains one There have also been major advances in how the city looks of the top City Centres in the UK and Europe: remaining through public realm improvements. Through projects the second most important retail centre in the UK after such as Glasgow: Scotland with Style, The Style Mile, London’s West End; maintaining its crucial role as the key and an exciting events programme, the city centre has jobs generator in Scotland; and a focus for investment been promoted widely to residents and visitors alike as an and well positioned as a leading centre of education and vibrant and attractive destination. innovation. However it is also important that the City Centre remains a place where visitors and all residents No city can afford to stand still. Glasgow city centre like of Glasgow can come to enjoy themselves in a quality others in the UK and Europe faces major challenges. The environment with distinctive districts that are attractive, economy has still not recovered from the severe blows welcoming and safe. of the last few years yet competition between cities and regions for investment continues to intensify. City Centre Working with all of our partners in the city we can retail faces significant competition from out of town achieve this and more in the next five years. shopping centres, rapid growth in online shopping and changes to consumer behaviour. Office and residential patterns face similar challenges through changes to the workplace and how we work, and social and demographic Councillor Gordon Matheson changes which affect where people choose to live. Leader of Glasgow City Council 1 Relates to development completions and those under construction, but excludes consented development yet to start: City Centre Action Plan 2006–11, Final Report June 2012) However, while there are challenges we have considerable assets to exploit in terms of the unique mix in the city 06 The transformation of Glasgow City Centre The transformation of Glasgow City Centre Glasgow City Council and its partners in the public and private sectors have a proven track record in leading investments and initiatives to develop the city centre. Over recent years taking an active and collaborative approach has become more important as competition from other cities and out of town developments has intensified. That approach was adopted in 2006 when Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and Scottish Enterprise joined together in a five year action plan for the City Centre. The plan was ambitious and aimed to continue the transformation of the City Centre into one of the best in the UK and Europe. Despite the deepest recession of the post-war period most of the actions were delivered. Some of the highlights are outlined below. Delivery of 'key regenerator projects' IFSD £1bn+ 2m www.glasgow.gov.uk INVESTED SINCE sq ft 2000 GRADE A 15k OFFICE JOBS SPACE COMPLETED CREATED Getting Ahead of Change: Glasgow City Centre Strategy 2013–18 07 EXPECTED TO CONTRIBUTE SECC Hydro Arena £131m TO THE SCOTTISH EXPECTED TO ECONOMY ATTRACT 1m £ VISITORS 12k 125m ANNUALLY INVESTMENT SEAT VENUE COMMITTED 08 The transformation of Glasgow City Centre City Science 700 NEW SUPPORTING RESEARCH JOBS 850 CREATED EXISTING £89m JOBS TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION CENTRE Getting Ahead of Change: Glasgow City Centre Strategy 2013–18 09 Collegelands EXPECTED TO CONTRIBUTE £110m TO THE SCOTTISH ECONOMY TO GENERATE 3,000 (GROSS) ADDITIONAL £200m JOBS INVESTMENT PLAN 10 The transformation of Glasgow City Centre Strengthening of the city centre’s Higher and Further Education offer through campus development plans in universities, colleges and specialist learning centres T R A F O L O Y OF GLA O IT S C GO H W C C O S £ L L W E G O 50m E G S DEVELOPMENT A L (APPROVED 2011) G £200m NEW CAMPUS (APPROVED 2011) £ T H 350m E INVESTMENT U N I V OVER 10 YRS E R (APPROVED 2007) S I T Y O F S T R AT H C LY D E Getting Ahead of Change: Glasgow City Centre Strategy 2013–18 11 Transforming the appearance of the city centre km CITY OF 162 OF WHITE LIGHT STRATEGY STREET HIGH QUALITY LIGHTING 100 PUBLIC REALM PROJECTS PROGRAMMES e.g. Gordon St, Buchanan St, Merchant City RADIANCE LIGHT 2 FESTIVALS 12 The transformation of Glasgow City Centre Glasgow Safer city centre initiative RETAIL & HOTEL DIGITAL ENGAGING RADIO SYSTEMS 200+ BUSINESSES IN CRIME & (SINCE 2002) DISORDER REDUCTION NiteZone PROJECTS Getting Ahead of Change: Glasgow City Centre Strategy 2013–18 13 Clean Glasgow COMMERCIAL WASTE ENFORCEMENT AND... REMOVAL OF COMMERCIAL BINS FROM RETAIL STREETS OUTWITH REFUSE COLLECTION PERIODS 14 The transformation of Glasgow City Centre Glasgow Scotland with Style promoting the City Centre as a visitor destination Style Mile – a programme