The banks of the Clyde are home to some of the Region’s most beautiful scenery, valuable habitats and notable places. Over centuries, the river has made an indelible imprint on our collective memory, culture and identity. With the river at its heart, Clyde Mission will make the corridor an even greater engine of sustainable and inclusive growth for the city, the Region, and for Scotland.
Today, over 100,000 people, 160,000 jobs and 6,600 companies are based within a few hundred metres of the River Clyde. From source to sea, it is an immense and diverse area that includes urban and rural places, three Innovation Districts and two World Heritage Sites amongst its many assets.
A National Development Priority, we will use Clyde Mission to work with those assets and build from the achievements of recent decades, from the new employment hubs and neighbourhoods to a resurgent Maritime Cluster. Numerous City Deal projects have been delivered or are underway around the river, including work to underpin our three Innovation Districts, all based along the river, to decontaminate land and to deliver improvements to public realm and connectivity such as major new bridges, pedestrian and cycling routes.
Despite significant progress, the legacy and challenges of de-industrialisation and economic change continue to have a negative impact and constrain the corridor’s full potential. One fifth of people within the river corridor live in some of the most deprived parts of Scotland and there is over 400 hectares of vacant and derelict land – both enormous opportunities for positive change.
Changes to climate and nature pose long term, complex issues that require creative thinking and sustained action. Working with Climate Ready Clyde, Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Green Network, Clyde Marine Planning Partnership and others, Clyde Mission will be responsive to people, place and planet.
Glasgow City Region and Argyll and Bute Council have taken up the leadership of Clyde Mission, with the Scottish Government remaining a key partner and providing support of £1.5 million to help set up a team and develop a Strategic Masterplan, as well as £25 million for the Clyde Mission Heat Decarbonisation Fund. A working group has been established to develop the strategic masterplan and further information on this, and how to get involved, will be available here in due course. More information about the Heat Decarbonisation Fund will also be posted here as it becomes available.
For more information, contact: glasgowcityregion@glasgow.gov.uk
