4000 have say on a car-free George Square
GLASGOW’S residents are determined to share their views on plans to pedestrianise George Square.
Council bosses said the response so far has been almost unprecedented with more than 4000 views received within days.
During the European Championships George Square was closed to vehicles to allow the space to hold a festival of culture.
And council officials decided to use the event as a dry run to test public appetite for making the closure a permanent move.
Since the opening of a public consultation, the council has been swamped with responses.
Council Leader Susan Aitken said: “We all know how important George Square is to people so it’s no surprise this is one of our most popular consultation exercise.
“The council has put in place a city charter which commits us to consult with people at an early stage and in return asks them to give us their views.
“This is a great example of how that new relationship between the council and the city can work.
“There’s still plenty of time to make your views known so please go onto the council website and tell us what you think.”
A council insider also revealed that, if plans to pedestrianise the square do go ahead, it will not be redesigned.
George Square would be left as it is to give residents and visitors the chance to get used to the area. He said: “After an initial period we would consult again on how people want the Square to look.
“We think it would be easier for people to describe what they want if they can see what a car-free square is really like, rather than if they have to imagine what it’d be like.”
George Square was closed to traffic on three sides – east, west and south.
To complete the survey see: www. smartsurvey.co.uk/s/ GS2018/
Any final proposal would be subject to a further, statutory, consultation.