Dear Green Place is about to get even greener with new park
IT is known as the Dear Green Place from its origins in Gaelic, and is renowned for the amount of parks and recreation areas that feature across the city.
Now the first drawings of a proposed new park in Glasgow have been unveiled, following a public consultation event.
The 2.5 acre public green space – the first new park to be created in the city for years – will be at the heart of the planned final £95 million phase of the Collegelands Park multi-use development in the Calton area.
The proposed development will feature a community-led arts facility with event space, café and courtyard, a student residence offering 586 bedspaces and a build-to-rent block of 182 apartments on the five-acre site, which borders Duke Street and High Street.
Developers Glasgow Enlightenment tasked landscape architects Raeburn Farquhar Bowen with drawing up a range of ideas for the park, to inspire local people to get involved in the design process.
Initial designs feature a park with open green space, orchard and blossom trees, community growing areas, pockets of woodland and wetland, landscaped natural play areas for children and an active travel route for cyclists, walkers and runners.
Locals are being invited to have their say on the final look of the park and the elements they would like to see included during the consultation process for the final phase.
Those attending the first consultation event this week were given a “wish list” of elements for the perfect park, to inspire them to get thinking – ranging from outdoor exercise equipment to murals and bug hotels.
Final plans will be submitted to Glasgow City Council in June by Glasgow Enlightenment, a joint venture between Dawn Developments Ltd and Drum Property Group.
Developer Paul O’donnell of Glasgow Enlightenment said: “We worked closely with local people and our landscape architects to come up with some initial ideas for the new park, which will complete the area and transform unused land into a vibrant green space.
“However these plans are just a starting point, we are really keen to hear what people think of them and take on board their feedback.
“Lots of interesting, innovative ideas were discussed at the consultation and we will be incorporating some of them into the final plans.
“Our aspirations are for the park to provide a safe place for people to meet and exercise within a green space in the heart of the city.”
It is hoped that eventually local charity Dream Machine, who will be delivering the community lounge and arts centre on the development, will take over ownership of the park, in partnership with the local community.
Landscape architect Nick Bowen believes the park will form a key link to the wider urban wildlife network adjacent to railway lands and serve an area lacking in green space.
He said: “The nearest green space is the Necropolis, which is half a mile away. Green areas are vitally important in the urban landscape as they clean and cool the air.
“With climate change, we are starting to see temperatures rise in the summer months and shade has never been more vital, even in Scotland.
“In the hot months buildings become ‘heat islands’ in city centres and that can elevate temperatures considerably.
“Plants and shrubs provide a shading effect and become natural air conditioners.
“Green views also offer lots of psychological benefits, they help lower the heart rate and stress and having a place to exercise is a safety valve for many people.”
Along with the park, there will be semi private courtyard spaces for residents of the student blocks and rented apartments.
Graeme Bone of Glasgow Enlightenment said: “We are really keen that local people do have their say on the park – we want to know what would make them feel welcome and want to spend time there, what activities they would like to do when they are there and what plants and trees they would like to see.”
The Collegelands regeneration project was launched in 2004 in a bid to bring new homes and opportunities to the Calton area of the city.
Today, it is one of Scotland’s most successful mixed-use developments with a thriving community, a new
Moxy hotel, offices, homes and shops.
To find out more about the consultation process and submit ideas for the park go to collegelandspark. co.uk.
These plans are just a starting point, we are really keen to hear what people think