Street labelled a ‘dump’ as revamp takes its toll
QUESTIONS have been raised over the cleanliness of one of the city’s busiest streets after it was labelled a “dump” by local residents.
Redevelopment work and a backlog of refuse collections are being blamed for the appearance of waste, graffiti and litter on Sauchiehall Street in recent weeks.
Since the beginning of the year, Glasgow City Council’s Environmental Task Force has received a string of reports for graffiti and rubbish for Sauchiehall Street. Several related to flytipping, with black bags next to bins and even household furniture left on the pavement.
The once popular shopping street, which formed part of the city’s ‘Golden Z’ , has seen its appeal deteriorate due to the closure of several retailers including BHS, Dunnes stores, Greaves Sports and New Look.
Restaurants and bars have also closed, including Five 2 Zero, Tipsy, Pommes Frites, Food Fillas, Rebel Lounge and Chequers.
Pedestrians are now faced with abandoned units, rubbish and litter, cracked pavements and boarded up or smashed windows.
As previously reported by the Evening Times, funds for improvements in the area stalled after the Buchanan Galleries extension project came to a halt. However, the Avenue project has signalled a new chapter.
A new commercial waste scheme, which means no trade waste containers are allowed to be stored on pavements, street or lanes out- with designated uplift windows, also aims to change the appearance of the area.
Donald MacLeod, owner of The Garage nightclub, said the street should be “an entertainment showcase, not a slum”. “At the moment, it looks awful, there is a problem with graffiti, but once all the roadworks and machinery is away I hope it will look a lot better. The new commercial waste programme, as far as I know, was a success.
“There was some difficulty with some businesses that are open late at night and obviously empty their bins during that time, but the council have been working with us and private contractors to make it a bit easier.
“Everyone needs to work together to get it looking the way it should.”
Francis McKee, director of the Centre for Contemporary Arts, hopes the street will soon be over its “ugly phase”.
He said: “It’s a bit like looking at a body in the middle of open heart surgery.
“The streets have been ripped up and there’s a lot of empty shops but we’re hop- ing by the end of the development the problems will sort themselves out.”
He added: “One of the problems is there is no provision for rubbish – only one side of the street has a back lane so there’s nowhere for businesses to store rubbish away from the public eye.
“There is still rubbish scattered around but, by the fact the road is ripped up, it’s clear to see something is being done and the council has been really positive about it.”
A council spokeswoman said: “There is a lot of regeneration work going on along Sauchiehall Street, some of which mean residents have to place their rubbish at the front of properties for collection. As a result we are going three times a day instead of three times a week to remove this rubbish.”