Scotland

The regeneration of Laurieston

Laurieston area of Glasgow  Regeneration - Housing

Work on a £90 million regeneration scheme to provide the Laurieston area of Glasgow with affordable housing continues to make great progress.

The Laurieston regeneration project is a phased project which will see up to 800 new homes constructed within the local area. The first phase of the project began in May 2012 and comprises the construction of more than 200 homes, while phase two will include the provision of the remaining 600 homes.

In addition to the new houses, the site also includes potential for retail units, hotel accommodation, community facilities and green spaces.

Glasgow City Council, New Gorbals Housing Association and the Scottish Government are financing the first phase of the project, which is being delivered by Urban Union, a joint venture partnership between McTaggart Construction, Keepmoat and Robertson Group Holdings.

Laurieston area of Glasgow  Regeneration - Housing

Privately-owned construction company, McTaggart Construction is the main contractor on this phase of the project, while Page\Park and Elder and Cannon are providing architectural services.

Commenting on the project, Urban Union Project Manager, Janice Belshaw, said:

“This area of Glasgow has waited a long time for this transformation, and it is great to see how quickly things are now moving. This is a long term project: we are on schedule with the first phase of affordable housing, and now we can move forward with the rest of our plans.

“Situated in the heart of Scotland’s largest city, our goal is to bring high quality new homes, jobs and facilities to an area that desperately needs and deserves them. The project is part of the continued reinvigoration and renaissance of our communities along the River Clyde, and offers an exciting opportunity for Glasgow.”

Laurieston area of Glasgow  Regeneration - Housing

Harsco Infrastructure is currently involved with the erection and deconstruction of scaffolding on the Laurieston regeneration project, which is vital in the ongoing construction process. The scheme is making use of Harsco’s (SGB) CUPLOK® scaffold system- a multi-purpose galvanised steel scaffold system, developed for general access, shoring and vertical load support applications.

Discussing Harsco’s involvement on the project, Harsco Infrastructure Site Service Manager, Michael Brennan, said:

“We are working carefully with McTaggart Construction as well as all the site staff to ensure that we are taking the correct amount of materials to site. We don’t want to swamp the development with too much material, so my role is to calculate what is required at any one time.

Laurieston area of Glasgow  Regeneration - Housing

“As each new floor slab is added to the buildings the CUPLOK® needs to climb so that work can begin on the next level, and that means we need to have the right quantities. Although Laurieston is a relatively straightforward project from a technical point of view, it does highlight the fact CUPLOK® is a very flexible system.”

Michael added:

“McTaggart Construction has the site running very well and so far we have not encountered any major challenges. In fact, McTaggart make every effort to help each individual team and the result so far has been a very smooth process.”

Harsco Infrastructure Scaffolder, John Wright, added:

“The work that we are undertaking is very important for the regeneration of Glasgow and once work is complete, local people in the Southside area will receive better housing and a better standard of living. Knowing that we are involved with a scheme of this scale is something that we are very proud of.

Laurieston area of Glasgow  Regeneration - Housing

“In terms of the erection of scaffolding, this is a fairly straight forward process for us as we have many years of experience in this field. We have a good team of scaffolders involved with the Laurieston Regeneration project and working with my second in command Angus McGroaty, we continue to see each unit take shape.”

Laurieston is the first of eight Transformational Regeneration Areas – promoted by Transforming Communities: Glasgow – to gain planning permission. Transforming Communities: Glasgow, is a special purpose scheme which comprises Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Government, New Gorbals Housing Association and the Glasgow Housing Association.

Laurieston area of Glasgow  Regeneration - Housing

Director of Transforming Communities, Bailie Liz Cameron, said:

“The development aims to breathe new life to a part of the city which thoroughly deserves its chance to shine.”

The regeneration of Laurieston has been in active consideration as far back as the mid-1990s, when proposals were first put forward by New Gorbals Housing Association (NGHA). More recently, Urban Union were appointed to progress the project and are working very closely with NGHA on Phase One.

Laurieston area of Glasgow  Regeneration - Housing

Harsco Infrastructure Site Service Manager, Michael Brennan, said:

“This is a great scheme for Harsco Infrastructure, and we value our involvement with the project. The regeneration of Laurieston will boost the local area considerably, and will be very beneficial to the surrounding community.”

For more information about the regeneration of Laurieston, please visit: www.lauriestonliving.com.

About the author

Roma Publications