A CAP over the M8 is among seven Glasgow bids to the UK Government’s levelling up fund.
The projects bidding for the second round also include the People’s Palace and Winter Gardens as well as regeneration projects in Drumchapel, Easterhouse, Maryhill and Possilpark; and the Clyde Connectivity scheme at Govan.
If a bid was successful each of these projects could be delivered before the end of 2025.
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The fund has £800million available for three rounds of projects in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales under three themes and bids will be submitted to the UK Government on July 6.
The city secured just over £13m under the first phase of the fund to turn the A-listed Pollok Park stables and courtyard into a tourist attraction, with Clydesdale horses set to return to the park.
Glasgow City Council can submit up to seven bids to the LUF, one per constituency, with a maximum value of £20m per application. There is also provision for the council to submit one large scale transportation bid with a value of between £20 - £50m.
Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “The ambitious new bids to be submitted to the Levelling Up Fund offer the opportunity to bring a range of real economic, environmental and social benefits to either local communities or the wider city. There is a very strong case being made for these bids, any and all of which would make a difference to Glasgow.”
The People’s Palace and Winter Gardens bid, worth up to £50m, would “restore the building’s potential to play its pivotal role as a local amenity in one of Glasgow’s most deprived neighbourhoods”, a council report said.
The buildings, which date from 1898, were closed in 2018. The People's Palace reopened its doors, but the Winter Gardens remain closed.
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The report added: “The restoration will ensure this invaluable heritage asset can be maintained and preserved for future generations, paving the way for its sustainable future.”
Plans for an M8 garden cap between Sauchiehall Street and Bath Street would completely reconfigure the Charing Cross area and reconnect the city centre with the West End. The council wants to create a peaceful green space offering a new community asset to residents, visitors and local businesses.
In Easterhouse, the proposal would improve the Lochs Shopping Centre, public realm and key access points including the car park and public entrances. There are also plans to improve the active travel network including links to the Seven Lochs Wetland Park.
The Maryhill town centre project aims to unlock development through a green infrastructure strategy and improve active travel links to the canal, including Stockingfield Junction. It would also involve a Canal water bus feasibility study.
At Possilpark, the council wants to deliver a step change in regeneration focused on Saracen, Stonyhurst and Allander Streets and brownfield sites. It could include the creation of a new urban park at Cowlairs. The report added the town centre provides “an accessible mix of shops and services and have significant potential for growth and place improvement”.
To regenerate Drumchapel town centre, the project would focus on the shopping centre and the surrounding environment. “The proposal will link to the community hub investment proposed for the area,” according to a report.
The Clyde Connectivity scheme proposes providing a “people focus by removing the barriers of 60s style highway infrastructure and connecting the community with the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, SEC and city centre to the wider West of Scotland economic area.
“This will include new active travel infrastructure, place making measures, green infrastructure, development opportunities and parking controls in the G51 area that will unlock multiple sites for increased connectivity and investment.” Bids will require at least 10 per cent match funding which could be funded by the council or external sources.
As part of a £13m restoration project through funds secured in the first round of bids, Clydesdale horses could return to Pollok Country Park.
The A-listed stables and sawmill will be transformed into a state-of-the-art heritage centre. Following the redevelopment of the stables and courtyard, horses that had to be stabled elsewhere will be able to return.
The development will also include a cafe, flexible event spaces for community groups and schools, and provide training and employment opportunities for local people.
Decisions on the Glasgow bids for the second LUF call are expected to be made by the UK Government in the Autumn.
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