A new wave for the Clyde

"Fantastic new developments are taking shape along the banks of the River Clyde. It’s an exciting and challenging time for a new generation of Clydesiders." - Sir Alex Ferguson, Manager Manchester United

When soccer supremo, Sir Alex Ferguson and international star, Billy Connolly were among the thousands who worked in the shipyards of the River Clyde the rattle of riveting, sparks and smoke from welding torches hung heavy in the air.

They were the orchestra of a mighty and prosperous industrial river famed the world over for its engineering prowess.
The River Clyde no longer echoes continuously to the ‘hammer’s ding dong’, immortalised in the 1950s anthem ‘The Song of the Clyde’. Instead a new dynamic 21st century song emanates from this vital artery of Scotland’s fortunes.
A surge of new energy, vitality and dynamism is flowing along the banks of the river at incredible pace, as one of Britain’s largest urban regeneration programmes delivers a world class location for business and people.
With a planned private and public investment of £5.6bn over the next 15 years, Clyde Waterfront (www.clydewaterfront.com) will create an environment in which innovation flourishes with the support of the public sector at local and national level.

A digital media village sits beside a futuristic science centre while a new 12,500 seat national arena is planned a short stroll from the highly successful, International Financial District.

Work has commenced on site for the new Riverside Museum, designed by internationally renowned architect Zaha Hadid, one of many new iconic buildings reshaping the Clyde’s skyline. The giant titan crane, which towered over the world famous John Brown Shipyard – birth place of the ’Queen’ liners – has been transformed into a visitor attraction.
The river itself has become the runway for the only European city centre seaplane service, operated by Loch Lomond Seaplanes, putting Glasgow on a par with Sydney, Seattle and Vancouver.

The pace of change will continue to accelerate as Glasgow races to gear up to host the Commonwealth Games in 2014, with new bars and restaurants, new homes, new communities, new public spaces and state-of-the-art business developments.

Clyde Waterfront, established to facilitate a cohesive approach to the 15 year programme, is a strategic partnership that comprises the Scottish Executive, Scottish Enterprise, Communities Scotland and the councils of Glasgow City, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire.

The programme is based on the sustainable development and renewal of more than 700,000 m sq of land. As the scale of the project grows, a constant flow of opportunities for future development emerge with demand for both residential and commercial property buoyant.

The project has the potential to create:
50,000 jobs
23,700 new homes
900,000m sq of office, retail, industrial and leisure space

The vision for the Clyde’s renaissance encompasses four strategic themes:
Economy - to create a globally attractive location, add competitive advantage, create jobs, increase output.
Place - to develop distinctive, quality places and a vibrant, dynamic waterfront with international appeal.
People - to stimulate the regeneration of nearby communities and widen access to jobs, investment and training.
Connectivity - to achieve high levels of accessibility and connectivity for people and businesses through all forms of transport

Delivery of Clyde Waterfront's strategy focuses on six key areas along the 13km river corridor, from Glasgow City Centre to the Erskine Bridge. These are:

Glasgow City Centre – new retail, commercial and leisure developments on the waterfront will breathe fresh life into the area. The highly successful International Financial Services District with investment to date of £750m has created 13,700 jobs while the planned £200m Custom House Quay development will transform the riverside with high-end retail outlets luxury flats, bars, restaurants and a promenade.

Pacific Quay & SECC – these areas will be enhanced with better transport links. Pacific Quay is home to a new digital media campus – including the BBC’s new Scottish HQ, Scottish Television and Channel 4. The SECC site will see the creation of a stunning £60m, 12,500 seat national arena. A £350m sustainable village offering 1,600 homes is being developed to the west of the site by Elphinstone.

Greater Govan & Glasgow Harbour – a £1.2bn investment programme is transforming 130 acres of former dockland into a world-class waterfront location. The first residential phase of this major project has been completed and phase two, GH20, is well underway.

Renfrew Riverside & Scotstoun – proposals aim to improve access to the area around the new Braehead shopping complex, already one of Scotland’s top shopping destinations. The Xscape leisure complex is a major new attraction while the spectacular Ferry Village project involving five developers and more than 2,000 homes is well on target to attract new residents to the area.

Clydebank – plans involve improving the town centre’s links to the riverfront, and attracting new businesses to the area. A new college has been created and 1,200 new homes are planned. The heritage of Clydebank’s shipbuilding has been harnessed to boost tourism with the transformation of the giant Titan Crane, a landmark of the yard which built the famous ‘Queen’ liners - into a visitor attraction.

Erskine & Old Kilpatrick – each community’s links with the River Clyde will be improved. This pleasant riverfront district has considerable potential for future development.

While each partner takes responsibility for the delivery of their own projects, Clyde Waterfront Strategic Partnership has a ‘cross-boundary’ remit to ensure consistency and unity in all the work taking place or planned along the development corridor.

A significant element Clyde Waterfront’s work includes research and co-ordination for proposed new integrated transport systems such as Fast Link, the new Glasgow airport rail link and the city’s Cross Rail Link. Practical issues of sewage, drainage and power supplies are also supported.

A key role is to ensure opportunities are linked to need, ensuring local people have the right skills to exploit them. Affordable new housing is also part of the mix to enable local residents to benefit fully from the physical transformation.
Importantly, the regeneration of the river has been accorded national priority status recognising its vital part in developing Scotland's internationally competitive economy.

The promotion of events along the riverside, bringing a joined-up approach to improving the environment and making it a safe and attractive place to live, work and play are essential elements of the Clyde Waterfront action plan.
While a modern, world class shipbuilding industry still exists the rhythm of the river has an upbeat 21st century tempo. The Clyde is composing a new song in the heart of its people.

If you would like further information about Clyde Waterfront and or wish to subscribe to our email newsletter, please visit: www.clydewaterfront.com