John McAslan (pictured below), the Glasgow-born founder of John McAslan & Partners, says he will be standing under the central column in the square from around 1.30pm to talk to any members of the public interested in improving the civic space.

He insisted that his design delivered what the public wanted by removing the red tarmac and keeping the statues and greenery.

However, he said that had been lost in the way council leader Gordon Matheson had "undermined" the competition.

McAslan said: "He [Matheson] was at the heart of the process, then tried at the end to step back and distance himself, which is really not on.

"He's undermined the whole competition, he's undermined his officers, he's undermined the judges, he's undermined the people who submitted designs."