It might well be the biggest cover-up in the history of Glasgow. Among a raft of projects suggested for the radical regeneration of the city centre, Councillor Frank McAveety, leader of Glasgow City Council, has announced proposals for the district around Sauchiehall Street and Garnethill that include a bridge and park to be built over the M8 at Charing Cross, and a park in front of the Mitchell Library. At last, it would seem that this spectacularly ugly and intrusive section of motorway will be hidden from sight. Short of rerouting it, what could be better?

The plans are still embryonic, but the prospect of parkland, grass and trees replacing the concrete maze around the M8 is little short of uplifting. Should it come to fruition, Mr McAveety will have helped to redress, at least partially, the devastation left by the construction of the city’s inner ring road. When built, it cut through Charing Cross and Anderston, bringing down elegant Victorian tenements, and destroying thriving communities. Its legacy has been almost as much mess, both physical and emotional, as when the bulldozers and cranes were at work.

If these visionary ideas go ahead, this part of the city will be transformed, turning what is currently a soulless no-man’s land into a leafy gateway to the West End and the avenue of Sauchiehall Street. Already Glasgow and its hinterland is beginning to rival the capital for tourism, with Strathclyde Park the most popular attraction in the country, outdoing even Edinburgh Castle. Those keen to enhance the city’s appeal have sometimes been too quick to focus on the provision of shopping, bars and restaurants. Yet as the popularity of many of Europe’s most beautiful cities show – places like Florence or Barcelona or Lisbon – a city’s architectural charms, and the quality of its urban space, are perhaps even more important.

Mr McAveety is to be applauded for his ambition and for the public acknowledgement that the appearance of Glasgow is of paramount importance, whether it be for the appreciation of locals or incomers. When the M8 disappears from view, it might rank as a political first: the day when burying bad news is a smart move.