DEAR GREEN PLACE
Park vision to transform Charing Cross
THE first i mages of a proposed park built on top of the M8 have been revealed – before the scheme has been approved. Plans include roof top gardens covering the motorway at Charing Cross.
THE first images of a proposed park built on top of the M8 have been revealed – but the scheme is yet to be approved.
Plans include roof top gardens covering the motorway at Charing Cross, with feasibility work starting in the spring.
The M8 idea, initially revealed in 2015, was floated as part of a wider vision to transform the area around Sauchiehall Street and Garnethill by making it more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly.
But in the year since, the council has committed to procuring the feasibility work in late spring, with work including traffic modelling, engineering and site investigations, as well as economic analysis, getting underway in the autumn.
The final decision on whether or not to improve the project will not take place until next year.
Design company Keppie has held discussions with local authority officials on the M8 concept, with the firm believing it could have a transformative effect in Glasgow similar to Manchester’s regeneration or the impact of the 1988 Garden Festival.
David Ross is design director at Keppie, which recently worked with the firm behind the High Line, whole areas of New York transformed with parks and gardens built on disused rail tracks.
He said that on the back of work on commercial and civic buildings in Glasgow, the firm became aware its ideas for the city’s future public spaces struck a chord with many in the local authority.
Mr Ross said: “The vision in, say Manchester, is predicated on a vibrant mix of people-focused inner city connections and public spaces where transport infrastructure isn’t developed at the cost of its urban realm.
“That took us to the Mitchell Library, and the disconnect of the city grid created by the wound of the M8. As part of the bigger vision, we had some ideas about how this wound could be healed, but without losing the necessary accessibility that the city needs in order to function.
“We feel really strongly about such a coherent vision.”
Council leader Frank McAveety said: ”This is a truly inspiring project but also one that is complex as it is ambitious. We must get the groundwork right and take time to create something that benefits the city.
“Coupled with the other projects coming forward as part of the Sauchiehall and Garnethill regeneration project will ensure that we make this a prominent place in the city’s life.”