PLANS to create a public square in the heart of Shawlands are likely to get the go-ahead this week.

The work, which is part of a £3.3million scheme to regenerate the town centre, will include new lighting and CCTV.

Members of the city council’s planning committee will be asked to approve the scheme which will transform what is presently a slip road and traffic island in front of the A-listed Langside Hals.

The new landscaped civic space will be used for events and marketing, for art installations and performances and informal seating. It could also be the location of a farmers’ market.

Work will entail 23 trees at the front, side and south of Langside Halls being felled but they will be replaced with 10 new trees.

New street lighting will be installed, the hall will be lit with feature lighting, CCTV will be included and a power supply provided for the events space.

A report to councillors says: “The proposal has been designed to enhance the setting of, and improve the view of, the category A-listed Langside Halls and improve connectivity between the town centre and Queens Park.

“The design of the square and the proposed materials is high quality, durable and would create a strong sense of place by creating a new civic space designed for a variety of existing uses such as the farmers’ market and scope for future uses within the cultural quarter of Shawlands.

“The proposal would serve to significantly enhance the setting of Langside Halls and the character and appearance of the wider Shawlands Cross conservation area.

“Langside Halls has become isolated and remove from the streetscene due to the clustering of trees and its setting is dominated by the traffic junction.

“The proposal addresses this and through planned felling and new tree planting, balances the enhancement of the setting of the listed building with a high quality environment which respects the parkland setting of the building.”

The report says the scheme will make the area less cluttered and more pedestrian friendly and will create a sense of the civic importance of the new space.

Councillors will be told the scheme attracted seven letters of objection and two letters of support, including one from Shawlands and Strathbungo community council.

Objectors said the plan was not sympathetic to the architectural heritage of the area and were concerned that mature trees will be felled to allow the work to go ahead.

But Langside councillor Archie Graham welcomed the plans for the new civic square.

He said: “It is an absolutely fantastic proposal and I am fully behind it. We feel the space is not well used at the moment as it is not well defined and Langside Hall is actually hidden from the main road.

“It is not that the area is rundown but the design is the problem. We are trying to create a space for the public to be able to put on events, to have music or a place to sit on a nice sunny day.”

Mr Graham said if the scheme gets the go-ahead, it is hoped work will begin by the end of this year.