Response to Inner East Strategic Development Framework Consultation

A PDF version of this consultation response is available here.

Vision and Principles

DCC welcomes the vision identified by the draft Inner East Strategic Development Framework (SDF):

That the Inner East will become a series of interconnected walkable and liveable neighbourhoods, creating a vibrant, inclusive, liveable and well-connected people friendly place.
That the Inner East will be a city district that is; climate resilient; fosters creativity and opportunity; promotes social cohesion, health and wellbeing and economic prosperity.
A transformation of Glasgow’s Inner East that focuses on people, place and planet to meet the demands of climate change.
To increase the East End’s appeal and attractiveness to future residents, investors, workers and visitors.

Priorities and Actions

The fundamental design approach of ‘refine and enhance’, ‘repair’, ‘reconnect and reconfigure’ appears sound.

However, some of the actions listed in Appendix A are quite broad in scope, and have loosely-defined timescales, which does not offer reassurance of projects being tangibly delivered. The priorities identified in Appendix B are appropriate, but insufficient. More detail is required.

There is also the risk that, unless the required substantial financial resources are secured alongside the necessary political will being committed, the aims and objectives of the potential identified by this framework will be undermined and remain unrealised.

Issues and opportunities identified within the DCC area include, but are not limited to the following:

Significant Amenities in and Around Dennistoun with Uncertain Futures

Dennistoun Library must be returned to full opening, with investment ensuring future service provision.
Whitehill Swimming Pool and Gym must be refurbished, with investment ensuring future provision of service.
St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art must be returned to full opening, and invested in to ensure future provision of service.
The People’s Palace and Winter Gardens must be refurbished and returned to full opening, and invested in to ensure future provision of service.
The Alexandra Park Golf Course facility should be retained, with potential commercial opportunities explored and implemented to ensure future provision.
Dedicated banking facilities beyond Post Office counter options have been lost from Dennistoun.
The Forge Retail Park in its current configuration significantly inhibits the vision of the Inner East as a series of interconnected walkable and liveable neighbourhoods, creating a vibrant, inclusive, liveable and well-connected people friendly place.

Better, Higher Quality Open and Green Spaces

Refurbishment and improvement of play areas to be implemented as per the pre-election commitment made in early 2020.
Improvements to the green space areas along the Firpark Street/Ark lane eastern periphery of Necropolis/Tennents/Wellpark.
A more proactive approach to tackling litter and fly-tipping that doesn’t rely so heavily on repeated public reporting.
No public toilet facilities within Alexandra Park.
Poor/no provision of benches and resting points throughout the area.
Incidental play introduced into locations where space permits, particularly in areas identified as having deficient access to open space and where more formal play facilities are not practicable.
Scope for skate park or skate facilities in Alexandra Park or similar.
Flexible low-maintenance outdoor performance or event area at Alexandra Park.
Hogarth Park maintenance and improvement.

Halt of Decline and Dereliction. Protection and Preservation of Heritage.

Haghill ex-School.
Golfhill ex-School.
Duke Street ex-district hospital.
Saracen Fountain.
Recreation area between Whitevale Street and Bluevale Street at Inglis Street.
Numerous long-term vacant sites are throughout the area and contribute to fractured sense of place and stunt community growth. Very few are being actively developed already or are covered by planning applications.
Consideration as to whether an expansion of the Conservation Area to protect the many historic features throughout Dennistoun would be a beneficial and/or desirable action.

Safer, Better Streets that Prioritise People over Motorised Vehicles

All large on-street bins (i.e. commercial, public recycling, and shared domestic, but not standard litter or grit bins) to be located within carriageway if placement on pavements would narrow the pavement to less than 2.5 m width, or by default where the existing pavement is less than 2.5 m).
Effective enforcement of all existing parking regulations.
Effective enforcement of the legislated pavement parking ban.
Removal of obstructive advertising sections of bus stop shelters.
Proper maintenance/protection of space around cycle parking stands.
Full review of signage to remove or replace signs which are redundant, are in the desire line of pedestrian travel, or are otherwise contributing to pavement clutter.
Policy and enforcement for standardised positioning or licensing of A-boards in public pavement spaces.
Policy on installation of electric car charging points ensuring that their introduction does not cause a reduction in pavement provision.
There is scope for a considerable improvement in tactile paving provision.
Substantial reductions in wait times for pedestrian crossing green lights.
New signalised pedestrian crossings, such that they are no more than 250 m apart on all distributor roads.
Maintenance funding set at a level which allows for the backlog of resurfacing, drainage and overhanging vegetation issues to be dealt with.

Joined-up Journeys

Fully accessible railway stations are long overdue throughout Dennistoun and Glasgow Inner East. Bellgrove and Alexandra Parade do not have step-free access. The same is true for the nearby High Street and Bridgeton stations. Step-free provision at Duke Street exists; but access via the eastern entry to/from the westbound line is very poor, and the western entry point to from the northbound line does not link with key desire lines of travel (new signalised pedestrian crossing required).
A new railway station at Parkhead would embed the principle of connected neighbourhoods less reliant on travel by car. The lack of a railway station between Bellgrove and Carntyne, considering the stated ambition for this area, must be addressed.
Duke Street Avenue to continue eastward, providing a high quality pedestrian route, with cycle connections to/from Parkhead and the City Centre.
Alexandra Parade to be reconfigured and be inclusive of a high quality pedestrian route, with cycle connections to/from surrounding routes.
Cumbernauld Road, Millerston Street, Todd Street, and Bellgrove Street are all routes that would benefit from better road space use.
Accessible step-free access along Ark Lane.
Accessible step-free access over the railway bridge between Bellfield Street and Gallowgate.
Every single aspect of an East End Regeneration Route project should absolutely prioritise high quality active and sustainable travel first and foremost. The EERR so far, despite the nominal inclusion of some active travel elements, has prioritised provision for private motor vehicles.
Expansion of the cycle parking locker scheme.
Enhanced NextBike provision: more bikes (including e-bikes and an introduction of cargo bikes) at more locations.
Reliable live service updates at bus stops as an absolute minimum, although the broader issue of bus service provision requires to be addressed also.
Co-wheels pool-hire vehicles to be better promoted, with more of them, located closer to the population centres.

Traffic Control and Management

School car-free zones.
No short-cut through connections between distributor roads, with properly designed unambiguous ‘no-entry’ points and modal filters where applicable.
20 mph limits on all non-distributor roads.
Contra-flow cycling to be permitted on 20 mph one-way roads.
Raised tables on residential roads at junctions with distributor roads (some dilapidated examples exist adjoining Alexandra Parade and Cumbernauld Road, but they require renewal, and there are none adjoining Duke Street).
The above measures should be applicable throughout the full DCC area, taking into account broader local traffic measures and connections with surrounding areas, to provide better safer streets for all as part of a thriving sustainable future for Dennistoun. Improvements must come by supplying the conditions for encouraging positive choices. Enabling those choices by introducing infrastructure that will enhance existing conditions is critical to seeing the greatest possible range and diversity of uses among the people of Dennistoun.

Subscribe! To get DCC updates delivered to your inbox, enter your email address into the box in the menu section of this site and click Subscribe Now! (To the left of the screen in desktop view, or via the menu button at the top of the screen in mobile view). Easy to unsubscribe from at any time.