Changing Lanes? – Council’s bid to revamp our mini Metropolis

Glasgow City Council, in line with its ongoing enthusiastic regeneration programme (including a funding project to improve transport links with funding of over £900m), has announced plans to significantly upgrade its network of lanes in accordance with the 2014 to 2019 City Centre Strategy.

Glasgow’s “grid system” of streets means that the city centre is criss-crossed by a network of back lanes, which are routinely used to access the rear of office, retail and restaurant buildings. These lanes, although essential to the operation of and access to buildings (whose primary access tends to be from the main streets at the front) can be neglected, perhaps because lanes are not the public faces of these buildings. As a result the lanes can sometimes be associated with crime and antisocial activity. Many international cities are looking to reclaim their lanes to enhance their urban landscapes, with New York, San Francisco and Melbourne having implemented similar regeneration plans. Glasgow is aiming to follow suit.

Glasgow’s programme, which is being put out to public consultation, aims to improve the city’s network of 90 lanes to preserve the “rich heritage and character” they offer.

The lanes have a perse range of uses, and it is likely each will be examined inpidually to determine its’ potential role in the planned development programme. The Council intends to categorise each lane into one of Categories A, B and C and will seek to develop the most attractive Category A sites in the first instance, most likely by way of a pilot process before a wider roll-out.

There are a number of issues which it’s likely the Council will wish to consider in implementing this strategy – who owns these lanes, who has rights over them, are they on the official list of Council roads and therefore maintained by the Council, and to what extent can the Council influence any improvements which are planned?

It is often the case that lanes in Glasgow are owned privately, with the owners of the buildings on either side of the lane owning up to the middle line of the lane. Whilst the lanes to which title is held in this way are in private ownership, there is often a public right of access through these as the lanes are generally abutted at each end by an adopted road, and so their condition and improvement is potentially a matter of public interest. In many cases, however, the Council has actually adopted certain lanes (including the West End’s famous Ashton Lane, for example) and so in these instances the Council are responsible for their ongoing maintenance. It seems likely that where lanes are privately owned and ‘un-adopted’ there is a risk of some contention between the Council and the owners, as the proposed regeneration may cause a degree of disruption to access and ongoing use. That being said, successful regeneration of lanes in the city is likely to benefit all parties by improving the condition, accessibility and commercial viability of the lanes, so hopefully many affected occupiers will view the changes positively.

It is worth mentioning that the regeneration strategy alone is unlikely to resolve the ongoing issue of commercial bins being stored on the lanes. That has long been a bone of contention, as some people see them as obstructive and unsightly. The Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 require the separation of waste materials, and so owners may have no alternative but to store multiple bins within the lanes. The practicalities of waste disposal is something which will be taken into account (and attempts made to minimise unsightliness) as part of the inpidual lane assessments.

The extent to which the regeneration strategy will improve antisocial behaviour, prevent illegal parking and illegal refuse disposal, whilst enhancing the vibrancy of the shops, bars and other businesses situated adjacent to the lanes, is yet to be seen. But the planned development certainly has the potential to contribute to the overall transformation of the city by focussing attention on these often neglected passageways behind some of the city’s most prominent buildings.