Nicola Sturgeon unveils £13million Glasgow development on site of former Gorbals high-rise blocks

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon MSP today (Friday) heralded a new era for the Gorbals after completion of a £13million transformation to breathe life into the site of demolished 23-storey high-rise blocks.

Ms Sturgeon hailed the state-of-the art Hutchesontown development as the final piece of an internationally acclaimed regeneration venture – the culmination of two decades’ work by New Gorbals Housing Association (NGHA) which has invested more than £70million in the improvement of accommodation and the environment within the Gorbals.

Funded by Glasgow City Council in partnership with the Scottish Government, the development – designed by PagePark and JM Architects – will mark the 700th new build for the Association.

It will provide 104 of the highest quality socially rented homes in Glasgow, featuring a seven-storey tower, 13 family maisonettes and four specially-designed flats for wheelchair users with a low running cost for tenants, low carbon footprint, and a semi-circular shared courtyard. The Oregon Street development will also house a local shop and a new base for the Gorbals’ Credit Union.

The Association has been recognised for its instrumental role in the regeneration of the area, winning six Saltire Awards for its Crown Street development and a Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) award for Best New Neighbourhood (2005) for the Hutchensontown regeneration in association with Glasgow City Council.

Nicola Sturgeon MSP said: “The Scottish Government is investing record funding to ensure we can deliver much needed affordable housing all the while safeguarding jobs, supporting the construction industry and keeping the economy moving.

“This new development in the Gorbals is a shining example of how high quality, affordable housing can enrich a community.”

Bill Sharkey, Chair of New Gorbals Housing Association, is a lifelong Gorbals resident who moved from the old tenements into the ‘Hutchie E Dampies’ which were demolished in 1982, only 14 years after they were built. He said: “It is a pleasure to welcome Nicola Sturgeon to open this new development which will link together the key areas of regeneration which we have been working on for the past twenty years.

“Past regeneration efforts have been immense failures but having local people in control has led to getting it right this time. All this would not have been possible without the generous support of Glasgow City Council and we are immensely proud to have made such a significant contribution towards making the Gorbals one of the most attractive areas to live in Glasgow.”

David Page, partner at PagePark Architects, added: “Redeveloping the sight was an exciting challenge for us as it sits in between high-rise flats, 1960s maisonettes, new developments and a listed Victorian library building.

“Our aim was to create a place with a clear layout which links these areas together, reinforcing a real sense of community with green space inside for the new residents to share in a secure environment.”

Councillor Elaine McDougall, Executive Member for Housing, said: “This New Gorbals Housing Association project is an excellent example of the type of high quality affordable housing development that the Council wants to see being built in our city.

“We are also delighted to see that one of the council’s key aims to ensure good access to housing for everyone is being promoted in this development. With houses earmarked for wheelchair users along with mainstream housing serving the specific needs of local people, I’m sure that these new homes and amenities will prove very popular.”

New Gorbals Housing Association was originally established to provide 250 rented homes within the Crown Street Regeneration project, but it has now become a leading organisation in the Gorbals regeneration with over 1300 new builds or fully refurbished homes now completed.

In 1994, NGHA commissioned a masterplan to guide the redevelopment of the north east area of Hutchesontown. The plan that emerged – known as the Gorbals East Renewal Project - contained a number of key design principles which have guided the Association’s regeneration work for more than 15 years since.

The plan also proposed the creation focal points, enhancement of the safety and visual amenity of the area, and the reinstatement of traditional streets, with the overarching ambition to create a sense of place with visual variety.