Streets ahead
Festivals and markets part of million pound plan for community
Street markets and festivals could form part of a community hub in Cambuslang, if the local community council gets its way.
Cambuslang Community Council’s hard work has resulted in it receiving more than £1 million in funding for a variety of projects that it has campaigned for.
Now the group is developing its most ambitious proposals yet.
The projects include the new BankHub, which opened last Tuesday, and an ongoing programme of improvements to resurface the town’s Main Street.
Other grants the community group has claimed and won include funds for the Clyde Cycle Park project, cash that will boost local shops through the Scotland Loves Local promotion and a series of micro-grants awarded to smaller local groups.
However, the volunteers who make up the group are now keen to establish a community hub on the struggling Main Street, something they believe would help regenerate the town.
It forms an integral part of the community council’s town centre regeneration strategy, approved at the end of 2019.
Chairman John Bachtler said: “We are now developing plans for a £1.5m community hub at the centre of the Main Street to provide a focus for street markets and festivals.
“We want to raise funding to improve the streetscape along the total length of the Main Street on both sides. Ultimately we would like to completely to redesign the layout, getting rid of the railings and creating a much more welcoming and green town centre that is more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists as well as cars.
“By creating a more attractive town centre, we want to attract a wider range of businesses and get more people shopping locally.”
Mr Bachtler’s words came as the community council celebrated hitting the million pound mark. He told the Reformer that the areas of funding the group pursued were linked to what residents had told them was needed in the area, such as improving bank facilities and repairing cracked pavements.
He added: “I’m incredibly proud of what we’re achieving.
“For a community group of volunteers, generating well over a million pounds is tremendous, especially after a decade of austerity. This has only been possible because of a huge amount of work and commitment by members.
“We spend long hours writing bids for funding, lobbying South Lanarkshire Council and other organisations and working with out elected members to represent Cambuslang and make our voices heard.
“Our community council is a fantastic group of dedicated people, and it’s so rewarding and enjoyable working together to improve the quality of life in our town. A lot of the work is not just about bidding for big projects.
“It’s also the day-to-day activity doing things to help local people, whether it’s getting rid of fly-tipped waste, maintaining the plants on the Main Street, removing litter from the parks or reporting problems with anti-social behaviour.”
Anyone interested in the work of the community council should visit cambuslangcommunitycouncil.com for more details.