Your views on planned George Square revamp

Jul 18 2012 By Joe McGuire

PLANS for a £15million revamp of George Square provoked a big response from Glaswegian readers.

We were inundated with messages – and visited the square on Monday to find out what the citizens of Glasgow want for the heart of the city.

John Bannon contacted us via Twitter to say: “We want a Square we can be proud of – start by removing that awful red stone and ban parking around the Square.”

Olwyn Burns, 23, of Dennistoun, said: “It’s quite bare most of the time, though the flowers coming in at summer are nice. It could do with more park area and greenery.”

Mum Kinga Pierzynska, 29, also wants more trees and more flowers but feels the Square could do with a nationalist twist.

The Garthamlock resident said: “It needs a distinctly Scottish feel, at the minute it doesn’t feel Scottish.

“When you go to Edinburgh it feels like you’re in Scotland. Even if it’s just a Scottish shop on the square, it’d be good to have something distinctly Scottish here.

“Maybe they should have a bandstand or something and encourage bagpipers to play.”

Former Scottish Socialist MSP Rosie Kane echoed calls for more greenery.

Responding to the overwhelming calls for more grass and trees, she tweeted: “Yes … just what we said when they took the grass away in the first place.”

Ian Skewis emailed to say the square could benefit from a greater choice of things to do and places to sit.

He said: “I remember when George Square was revamped 14 years ago and I hated it.

“What was once a nice green place to sit and watch the world go by was concreted over in a brick red colour which didn’t match the surroundings and turned the place into a featureless void.

“I recently visited Manchester and was amazed at how cosmopolitan it was. It has several squares like ours but the one at Spinningfields was the most impressive. It had a huge permanent screen where you could watch film and television for free and deck chairs to recline on as well as a plethora of bars and restaurants in the vicinity.”

Retiree Michael Deighan, 66, said: “Like me, George Square is a wee bit tired. But it’s still a nice place to come, there’s usually something going on. I don’t know about changing it – it’s quite a historical place.

“I’d definitely want to keep the statues, I hate the thought of all that history getting wiped out because it’s not cool. It does need cleaned up though, all the monuments given a good scrub, and the gardens could be bigger and better.”

But Michael, whose grandson has spina bifida, admitted he’s not sure that spending that much is justified, and thinks the money would be better spent on disability services.

And J Docherty emailed to say he thought the revamp was “one big joke”.

The St George’s Primary parent council chairman said: “I have being asking the council for a couple of years now to give us an all weather football pitch at the school as we have a red ash pitch which is overgrown with weeds.

“They keep telling us there is no money available, the council seem to find money whenever it suits them.”