BLUEPRINT FOR CALTON: LOCALS LOOK FORWARD Why did it take so long?
One of Glasgow’s most deprived areas has been targeted with a 15-year redevelopment plan.
But for the people of Calton, the question is why has it taken so long to happen?
A line in a Glasgow City Council report summarises the views of locals claiming: “Calton feels like a forgotten unloved relation”.
But it’s an outlook which community activists and councillors plan to change after the framework for the area’s redevelopment was unveiled by council.
revealed in last night’s evening Times, the blueprint spells out the efforts needed to regenerate an area which was an industrial powerhouse when weavers were king.
Today the deprivation is self-evident and all the more stark when Calton is compared to its affluent neighbour, Merchant City.
Many look to the east of Glasgow to Bridgeton and Dalmarnock, which have enjoyed millions of pounds of investment through Clyde Gateway Urban regeneration Company and the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
‘Why wasn’t Calton included i n the Clyde Gateway boundary’ is repeatedly asked by locals and some politicians.
But today councillors and the community are working together to transform the area.
like many others, SnP councillor Alison Thewliss has spent the last few years working on the blueprint.
She said: “i’m pleased. it’s an accumulation of a lot of hard work and i understand there should be some money coming from the council.”
Councillor Thewliss said locals look at the major improvements made to Merchant City, as well as Bridgeton and Dalmarnock, and want investment in their area.
She believes the targets set are achievable and even clean-ups by the council have improved community life.
She added: “People are proud to say they come from Calton and i would like to
People are up for change and they don’t want to be ignored any more
see new housing and new businesses moving in.
“A Morrison’s supermarket opened recently and it’s made a big difference. We need more investment.”
labour councillor Yvonne Kucuk, recently elected to the city council, said: “The Calton has been forgotten and i know because i was born and bred there.
“But the Calton is the gateway to the east end. everything to the back of it has been spruced up and everything to the front has undergone major improvements.
“We’re stuck in the middle but how much does it take to clean up the streets, fix the lights and put seats on the pavements?
“local people are more than willing to role up their sleeves and i’m sure they can deliver.”
The masterplan envisages the Barras market trading seven days a week rather than just weekends.
Councillor Kucuk added: “The Barras should be on the heritage trail. Open top buses should be bringing tourists to the market. But the Calton is not simply about the Barras.”
She will chair new group Action Barras Calton – ABC – which will bring together the community and stakeholders to drive forward the blueprint. She said: “it is a real opportunity to bring some much needed investment to the area.”
Councillor Kucuk says the community is willing to get behind the plan to help forge a bright future.
She says: “There’s a tidal wave coming. You can sense it. People won’t stand by any longer. People are up for change and they don’t want to be ignored any more.”
The catalyst for change was Betty Cosgrove and her fellow activists at the Calton Area Association.
For three years they pleaded their case for change but were hampered by the fact there is an electoral area known as Calton Ward 9, which includes Dalmarnock, Bridgeton and Parkhead – places getting much of the investment.
Mrs Cosgrove said: “We had to make the Calton visible. it had been forgotten about for too long.”
She went on: “We have no schools, no halls, no meeting place for youth clubs.
“i’m Calton born and bred and want a better quality of life for people – the same as other areas have. i’ m delighted we have got to this