Frameworks for Govan-Partick and the Clyde driving significant development there

Published: 5 March 2024

An update on action taken through the Strategic Development Frameworks (SDFs) for both Govan-Partick and the River Clyde was given to a Glasgow City Council committee today (5 March). These areas and the river have seen significant development activity in recent years.

These SDFs are two of six for the city (the others are for the City Centre, Easterhouse, the Inner East and North Glasgow) and were adopted as supplementary guidance for the City Development Plan in 2020. Each SDF - which sets out a spatial vision for the areas and directs investment and development - has an action programme delivered by council officers working in partnership with stakeholders to align phasing, financing and infrastructure investment to realise the framework's vision.

The officers involved also deliver regeneration programmes on the river and in Govan-Partick: the Glasgow City Region City Deal Waterfront & West End Innovation Quarter, the Central Govan Action Plan (CGAP) and Govan Cross Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI).

The vision for the Govan-Partick SDF was that, by 2030, the area will be recognised as an urban district of well-connected but distinct neighbourhoods, which provide a very high quality of life, creating a context for nationally significant economic development and for a narrowing of social inequalities. The area will become recognised as a leading Innovation District, where technical excellence contributes to inclusive growth and the building of a liveable place.

The River Clyde SDF's vision is for the river corridor to become a vibrant, inclusive, liveable and well-connected place. It will be a world-class destination at the heart of the city, with an accessible waterfront and attractive spaces where people want to spend time. It will be climate-resilient and support a mix of uses, with new houses and flats linked to existing neighbourhoods. The historic character will be protected and enhanced, while innovative design will help create a distinct identity. The river corridor will form part of a wider network of urban waterways, support walking and cycling routes, and be celebrated as the city's largest continuous open space.

To help move towards the delivery of these visions, the following are just some of the actions that have taken place since 2020:

• Phase 1 of the Water Row development - now nearing completion - will provide 92 new homes and six ground floor commercial units
• The development of the Govan Old Campus is ongoing - this will become a new cultural destination showcasing the Govan Stones with high-quality office space and new jobs created. Work to convert the church's vacant lower ground floor is now complete, and installation of the river-sourced heat pump (reducing future carbon reliance / emissions) will take place this year.
• The Govan-Partick Bridge will reinstate the historic crossing between these communities when it opens in the Autumn of 2024.
• Works on the first phase of the Byres Road public realm improvement programme - Partick Cross to University Avenue - are ongoing and expected to complete in Summer 2024, with work on the second phase scheduled to begin in early 2025.
• The Govan Graving Docks is being considered for a regeneration project which will bring new homes, jobs and community-owned space to this area which has lain vacant for 36 years. Planning applications for the reactivation of Dock 1 as a working dry dock for ship repair and refurbishment, and for the development of over 300 new homes along the southern edges of the site, are currently being considered.
• The £3.9million repurposing of the A listed Elder Park Library into a Community Hub and Learning Centre is almost complete.
• The River Activation Programme has delivered funding to projects which have brought new life to vacant, derelict and underused spaces on the banks of the river. Projects which have benefited from this programme include Clydeside Gardens at Glasgow Harbour, Halo Garden at Yoker, the Yoker Spring Festival, the Riverside Mural Project at Glasgow Harbour, the Great Big Govan Gala at Pacific Quay, and Community Greenspace at Canting Way.
• The Govan Cross Townscape Heritage Initiative brought £4.3million of investment between 2016-23, and now that this project is complete, work to secure a further five-year area-based heritage investment programme called Govan Heritage is underway.
• Clyde Mission funding of £5million has already been attracted for a programme of shopfront improvements at Govan Town Centre, advance ground works at Water Row, the creation of accessible greenspace At SWG3, fabric repairs to the Finnieston Crane and a renewable energy scheme at Govan Old. Lead responsibility for Clyde Mission has been transferred to the Glasgow City Region and Argyll and Bute local authorities, with the Scottish Government providing £1.5million to development of a masterplan to stimulate growth in the Clyde Mission area and wider city-region.
• The first phase of the Clyde Waterfront Innovation Campus is a Health Innovation Hub - at Linthouse Road in Govan - is currently under construction and will open in the Summer of 2025, with the creation of up to 450 jobs in commercial businesses as well as the University of Glasgow-led Living Laboratory for Precision Medicine. Council officers are working with colleagues at the University to prepare a masterplan to support the future phases of development within the campus.

Councillor Kenny McLean, Convener for Development and Land Use at Glasgow City Council, said: "The regeneration of the Clyde corridor, Govan and Partick in recent years has been remarkable, and we can look forward to more development in the short and medium-term as projects complete and continue. All of these areas have great potential to contribute to the city's economic and social life, and the frameworks in place will continue to guide and deliver their development."