PLANS are under to help breathe new life into the Garnethill area of Glasgow.

The Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) is looking for artists, teachers, gardeners, social workers, students, residents and members of the public to share their views on the area.

Project leaders are particularly keen to to speak to people who live and work in the area.

All idea, discoveries and suggestions will be shared with the public on a dedicated website.

The project - titled Botanic Concrete - will continue with a period of networking, planning, talks and presentations before the findings are shared with the public.

Garnethill is a conservation area bordered by Cowcaddens, Sauchiehall Street Cambridge Street and the M8 motorway.

It is home to the Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow Film Theatre and is also the location of Scotland's oldest synagogue (founded in 1879).

The area is also home to St. Aloysius' RC Church and school and contains several listed buildings, including Breadalbane Terrace built between 1845 - 1855 by Charles Wilson.

Julie Cathcart, Communications Manager for the CCA said: "The plan is to work with all parts of the community - people from all cultures, ages and backgrounds - to create a truly democratic understanding of the needs and desires of the people.

"This includes families living in the area, the Chinese community, students of GSA and pupils from local nurseries and schools, as well as asylum seekers and refugees.

"Our hope is to reconnect to Garnethill and stimulate local organisations, to begin looking again at their position within the neighbourhood.

"We believe that this model of supporting urban community development through creativity could be beneficial to our local area and also become a template for other communities to use to take ownership of their own civic space."

In December, the Evening Times revealed residents in Garnethill were fighting against plans to build a new block of flats close to an historic tenement.

The plans are the final stage of a previous application submitted in 2004 for developing the site near the Tenement House, a preserved tenement in Buccleuch Street owned by the National Trust.

Botanic Concrete will be launched in The Project Cafe, on Renfrew STreet on Wednesday at 6.30pm with a free community dinner.

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