Concert Hall / Bus Station update

On 18th November, I submitted the following motion to the Scottish Parliament in order to raise other MSPs’ awareness of the damaging proposals to build on top of Buchanan Bus Station and scrap the Royal Concert Hall Steps.

S3M-05227 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and Buchanan Bus Station
That the Parliament notes that over a year has passed since Glasgow City Council granted outline planning permission for construction of a multistorey car park on top of Buchanan Bus Station, to expand the retail space at Buchanan Galleries by up to two thirds and to demolish the popular Royal Concert Hall steps and replace them with a shopping centre entrance; further notes the objections made to the planning application relating to the bus station by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Transport Scotland and the concerns expressed by the city’s major bus operators; shares their concerns that building on top of the bus station would diminish the attractiveness of the space and limit future flexibility and the development of bus services; acknowledges that improvements in accessibility to the Royal Concert Hall and better maintenance of the steps are desirable but rejects the idea that this requires the removal of the open, communal space of the steps and their replacement with another commercial facade; agrees that it is vital that public awareness of these plans is greatly increased, and calls on Glasgow City Council to assume responsibility for encouraging widespread public debate and engagement with the ongoing planning process for these major and contentious projects for Glasgow city centre.

So far, the motion has been signed by Dr Bill Wilson MSP, Bill Kidd MSP, Bob Doris MSP, Gil Paterson MSP and Robin Harper MSP. If you’d like to help the campaign, you could contact your MSPs who have not yet signed the motion and ask them to do so. Everyone in Scotland has a Constituency MSP who represents their local area and a number of Regional MSPs. You could also e-mail to your Glasgow councillors to seek their view about the proposals. You e-mail any of your political representatives direct from www.writetothem.com or find their full contact details at www.scottish.parliament.uk or www.glasgow.gov.uk

In other campaign news, I met recently with First Bus Director, Mark Savelli to discuss his concerns about serious and lengthy disruption to bus services and intensified traffic congestion that could result from construction at Buchanan Bus Station. I’ve also been in touch with bus companies Arriva and Stagecoach with a view to meeting up to discuss their similar concerns. I will also be meeting with SPT chair, Councillor Alistair Watson, to talk about the proposals.

Finally, my colleague Green Councillor Nina Baker – a stalwart opponent of the Buchanan proposals since they were first tabled – and some good friends spent a reasonably dry Saturday afternoon carrying out a straw poll of the public in the vicinity of Buchanan Bus Station and the Royal Concert Hall Steps. The results are presently being collated – watch this space!