Flowing with opportunities

Regeneration is in full swing on the Clyde and the effect is growth across all its sectors. Clyde Waterfront Strategic Partnership provides an outline to the developments and initiatives that are allowing this region of Scotland to prosper

The scale and pace of the River Clyde’s regeneration from Glasgow, via Renfrew to Dumbarton, has continued despite the recession, bucking most economic trends. Since 2003, the private and public sectors have invested over £1.5bn across an impressive array of commercial, retail, leisure, housing and public amenity projects in the Clyde Waterfront area, creating many new opportunities to invest, locate and live!

With a further £2bn of public and private investment underway and committed by 2012 across an equally diverse range of projects, Clyde Waterfront Strategic Partnership (clydewaterfront.com/es) continues to facilitate and promote the Clyde’s economic, social and environmental renaissance along this world famous river, where over 17,000 new jobs, 2.8m sq ft of new commercial space and 6,000 new homes have been created in the Clyde Waterfront area to date.

Due to Clyde Waterfront’s scale (13 square miles), it is sub-divided into six key character areas. These are namely: Glasgow City Centre, SECC/ Pacific Quay, Greater Govan & Glasgow Harbour, Renfrewshire Riverside and Scotstoun, Clydebank and Erskine and Old Kilpatrick to Dumbarton. Within these areas are several centres of commercial excellence.

Finance
Scotland’s financial services are prospering in Glasgow’s multi award winning International Financial Services District (ifsdglasgow.co.uk) which has attracted over £1bn of investment and employers like JP Morgan, Barclays Wealth, Morgan Stanley, Resolution, National Australia Group, AXA, Norwich Union, Direct Line, esure, First Data and beCogent, creating 16,000 new jobs since 2001. Fresh impetus is being added all the time by new tenants moving in, the Tradeston “Squiggly” footbridge linking communities and Capella Group’s exciting plans for a £100m development at Atlantic Square.

Innovation
A variety of industries have found Clyde Waterfront a location to grow and develop. The digital media sector is thriving in Glasgow at Pacific Quay (pacificquaydmq.com) with the opening of the Clyde Arc “Squinty” bridge and the relocations of STV and BBC Scotland into state of the art broadcasting centres. They have helped attract over 50 digital media SMEs into new premises at Medius, the Hub and Film City Glasgow. On the north bank next to the SECC, a purpose built 12,500 capacity £125m national arena will open in 2012, bolstering the area’s reputation as one of the UK’s foremost entertainment and conferencing destinations. Pacific Quay and SECC are also home to the Glasgow River Festival in July attracting up to 90,000 people.

Shipbuilding continues to be important on the Clyde. BAE Systems Surface Fleet’s two yards in Govan and Scotstoun have recruited 100 apprentices to join the 3,500 strong workforce building six £650m Type 45 Destroyers and two new 65,000 ton aircraft carriers for the MoD, over the next six to eight years.

Medical science is also a growing industry in the area. Brookfield Europe recently won the contract to manage the £842m re-development of the Southern General Hospital, expanding its maternity hospital and building two new hospitals, to create one of Europe’s best medical campuses by 2015.

Leisure
Forthcoming new attractions such as the £74m Riverside Museum, designed by internationally acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid, hopes to attract over 750,000 visitors per annum when it opens Spring 2011. The Glasgow Science Centre, Xscape/Sno!Zone, Titan Crane and Loch Lomond Seaplanes have all become very popular since opening and these attractions will be complimented by new hotel developments such as the five star deluxe £125m Jumeriah Glasgow Hotel, close to the international financial service district.

Clyde Waterfront boasts some of the best retail destinations in the UK. Braehead’s 100 stores and restaurants, celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2009 with a weekend of Zapcat racing and reality TV star performances. Glasgow’s stylish and bustling Buchanan Street has been voted the best shopping street in Britain and nearby the St Enoch Centre’s £100m refurbishment, offering the first Hamley’s outside London, reopened recently.

Residential
Providing new homes and attractive environments are integral to Clyde Waterfront’s plans. Glasgow Harbour’s £1.2bn riverside apartments will expand further with new shops, restaurants and hotels being built in the near future, epitomising waterfront living. Further down the river at Renfrew, six developers are building whole new community of 2,000 homes besides the new public Clyde View park.

Heritage
An innovative educational website (clydewaterfronteducation.com) has been developed offering teachers 200 free lesson plans linking 12 Clyde themes with the Scottish curriculum as well as Clyde Marine Services’ “Classroom on the Clyde” school trips between SECC and Clydebank, to highlight new career opportunities along the river for young people and help them be enterprising.

A “Visit the Clyde” initiative was launched in 2009 comprising 50,000 Heritage Guides and website (clydewaterfrontheritage.com), a “There are Two Clydes to every story” advertising campaign on public transport to contrast the Clyde’s heritage with its regeneration and the promotion of Clyde river trips via Seaforce’s powerboats, Clyde Marine’s cruises and The Waverley Paddle Steamer.

The regeneration of Clyde Waterfront is making the most of its skilled workforce, excellent communications and new infrastructure to develop an international waterfront location that appeals to investors, businesses and the public alike.

For further details about developments call Tel: 0141 229 5423, write to: Clyde Waterfront, 4th Floor, Atrium Court, 50 Waterloo Street, Glasgow, G2 6HQ or visit: clydewaterfront.com