Glasgow City Council have approved the masterplans for the development of Maryhill Locks and Spiers Locks on the Forth and Clyde canal in the city.

The executive committee considered the implications of both masterplans, the impact of a public consultation process on the masterplans and how the Glasgow Canal Regeneration Partnership will work with various organisations to deliver regeneration at Maryhill and Spiers Wharf.

Key to the committee's considerations was the recognition that the ongoing regeneration of the canal corridor is key to the transformation of the north of the city.

The Council local development strategy for the area requires that masterplans be prepared for key regeneration opportunities within the canal corridor, and the first two areas chosen were Maryhill Locks and Spiers Locks.

One feature of the masterplans that should be highlighted is the very high standard of sustainable design - so high that the Scottish Government is considering including the plans in its Sustainable Communities Initiative.

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The briefs for and outcomes of the masterplans were prepared by the Canal Regeneration Partnership (a Joint Venture Partnership between Glasgow City Council and ISIS Waterside Regeneration, supported by British Waterways Scotland) working with local residents and stakeholders. The aim of the consultation was to build a consensus around the regeneration of both areas through the engagement of local residents and stakeholders.

The Maryhill Locks Masterplan aims to deliver significant levels (700 homes) of new high quality social rented housing and housing for sale in area of around 18 hectares, half of which is vacant or derelict land. It also aims to deliver an area of high environmental quality, with shops, cafés, community uses and business space. Implementation of this plan is expected before Spiers Wharf because much of the land is owned by the public sector. The Canal Regeneration Partnership will work closely with the GHA to deliver the first phase of the masterplan, 40 social rented houses.

The Spiers Lock Masterplan differs from that for Maryhill as it has very different land use - predominantly business and industrial. The main aim for this masterplan is to reconfigure the area into a mixed-use location (two million square feet of floorspace) offering increased levels of employment and services, an attractive residential environment and improved public realm, with the canal as the focus of the neighbourhood.

Councillor George Ryan, Executive Member for Development and Regeneration at Glasgow City Council, said: "These exciting plans for the Forth & Clyde Canal offer an opportunity to raise the profile of Glasgow as a vibrant city where people choose to live and visit and where businesses choose to invest."

(GK/JM)