Scottish Cities Alliance

As the dark and gloomy days of winter give way to spring, new and fresh initiatives are getting ready to bloom in Scotland’s cities.

In Glasgow, work is about to start on the Holland Street Avenue project, which will help change the way people live, work and travel in the city centre.

It’s part of the wider £115m Avenues programme, which will be a network of new routes in the city centre that are designed for people, not vehicles. And the project is designed to appeal to everyone – from residents and workers to tourists and investors.

Holland Street Avenue will feature more trees and green spaces, more cycle lanes and wider pavements in a move to get people moving and leave their cars at home.

And the really good news is that it’s due to be completed by next summer.

Politicians have welcomed the new project. Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of the Glasgow City Region Cabinet, said: “The work on the Holland Street Avenue will improve the streets here, creating a more attractive environment and making it easier for people to get around, so encouraging active travel. The soon to begin construction of this Avenue complements the significant changes taking place in this part of the city centre, including the building of hundreds of new homes.”

Scottish Government Business Minister Ivan McKee said: “The Avenues programme is redesigning the city’s streets, including Holland Street Avenue, to make them more inviting for people while prioritising space for cyclists, pedestrians and public transport. I welcome this progress as part of the Glasgow City Region City Deal.”

And UK Government Minister for Scotland, Malcolm Offord, added: “It’s great news that work on Holland Street Avenue is set to begin. This will provide businesses and residents with eco-friendly active travel and transport routes, while soft landscaping and rain gardens will improve drainage and help the city to adapt to climate change.”

And if it’s bright ideas you’re after, then look no further than Dundee where the city centre could be in line for a £200,000 project that would light up city buildings in a bid to boost the early evening economy.

The project, called City Nights and City Lights, is part of the City Centre Strategic Investment Plan (CCSIP), and aims to illuminate landmarks and buildings and inspire businesses to trade beyond their core opening hours and attract more visitors to the centre of town. Improvements to external lighting at the the McManus Art Gallery & Museum is already underway as part of this programme.

Further proposals to be discussed by Dundee’s City Development Committee include temporary decorations on the city’s Union Street, making use of the wires used for Christmas lights, as well as new temporary tartan themed banners along Murraygate and in High Street in recognition of the upcoming Tartan exhibition at V&A Dundee starting in April. Future banners would reflect the city’s ever-changing cultural offering and local stakeholders including UNESCO Dundee are heavily involved the project.

Mark Flynn, convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee, said:

When we consulted on the CCSIP, people told us that there was a real need to create a vibrant city centre with unique destinations, as well as taking specific action around the evening economy.

Meanwhile in Inverness, businesses are expected to be drawn to the £12.5m Union Court development, which is tipped to boost the city centre economy. Union Court, which has just been launched, includes space for high-end retail, restaurants, cafes and offices.

The project, begun in 2020, has involved sympathetic restoration and preservation of a listed Victorian building, one of Scotland’s earliest steel-framed buildings. The transformation of the building has served as an opportunity to showcase the work of skilled local tradespeople, and the ambition is that the project will serve as a catalyst for further regeneration in one of the busiest areas of Inverness city centre.

Kenny McKenzie, from the project’s letting agency Graham & Sibbald, is positive that this new project will bring increased footfall to Inverness:

Bringing new businesses with the right product to Union Court will bring people into the centre. It looks great and it has been fitted out really well so it is a great offering for Inverness.