Parts of East Renfrewshire are already synonymous with Glasgow. Leafy residential quarters, like Newton Mearns, Clarkston and Giffnock, exude a sense of comfortable
city living.
Yet even these suburban boltholes for urban workers – with their own well-defined local identities – are expected to benefit from their local authority’s work as a component of the Glasgow City Deal.
Gillian McNamara, Economic Development and Regeneration Manager at East Renfrewshire Council, agrees that this proximity can be exploited further.
"They are often perceived as the commuter belt of Glasgow, however those particular areas’ high streets have really suffered as a result of out of town shopping and the trend towards internet shopping," she admits.
"Communities traditionally revolve around the local retail hub. So what we’re trying to do with City Deal and other initiatives, like Business Improvement Districts [in which a group of businesses work collectively in improving their environment via a levy] is regenerate an interest in local centres. A lot of those areas – particularly Clarkston, Newton Mearns and Giffnock – are being redefined as local entertainment centres with niche and shopping.
"East Renfrewshire is the feedstock for employees for the city region so we need to make sure that the assets we’ve got – good quality schools, housing, local shopping centres, and parks – are maintained for our residents. It is about keeping local identity, attractive environments and connectivity to jobs."
The M77 Strategic Corridor – the major spinal commuting and logistics route – is a key economic asset and part of East Renfrewshire’s City Deal proposition. Further development will accelerate positive change. Areas off that route, such as Barrhead, will also gain.
"A lot of Barrhead is very attractive. But not all of it," states McNamara. "One of the things we want to do is to redress imbalance between living standards in Barrhead. We want to raise the quality of life, the access to jobs and services, up to the level we expect in Clarkston and Giffnock."
Some of the City Deal investment will transform the new Dams to Darnley Country Park, the 1,350 acres of ground bounded by Glasgow, Barrhead and Newton Mearns. That ensures access to high quality recreation facilities. There will also be new roads and better connectivity into Glasgow city centre.
City Deal follows a decade-long town centre plan which saw the council invest £13 million of capital funding, levering a total of around £95 million from other sources.
McNamara adds: "The next things for Barrhead will be to get employers back and, importantly, making room for employers’ expansion."
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