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[quote]Boats are again a common sight[/quote] No they aren't! Don't expect to see much change around the Locks and Port Dundas in the next few years. They've been talking for over a decade so far.

I am interested in the seeing the plans for the Maryhill Locks which I'm assuming is the "Butney". 700 social rented houses which will be mostly tenanted by the socially unacceptable? Cafes? more than one? they'll have to go abit to beat the Butney Bite. Shops? selling what exactly,Maryhill Road shops have been decimated by Tesco,Asda and the bus lanes. Private housing-have to be awfully cheap to beat the economic downturn. Community buildings-the favoured gang hut of the North Glasgow criminal Small businesses-unlocking mobile phones and second hand tyre sellers. Am I being cynical?

[quote][bold]Brad[/bold] wrote: [quote]Boats are again a common sight[/quote] No they aren't! Don't expect to see much change around the Locks and Port Dundas in the next few years. They've been talking for over a decade so far.[/quote] Funny how I mentioned this part of the canal the other day and then it pops up in a story. I remember back in 1987 - Magicbus - operating arm of Stagecoach had their garage up there after deregulation came into force the previous year before they moved down to Warroch Street at the Kingston Bridge. The area back then after the removal of Pinkston Power Station was an area that was so bad, it made Soweto look like Paradise. During 2005 when the canal was being re-connected - some people were actually annoyed and complaining that the re-connection was a waste of money. Of course - after Speirs Wharf there is no activity from there to the Pinkston Basin but after the road junction over the canal, there is a blockage and this section has still to be linked, at present it is only a channel of about 50cm wide - when I had asked somebody who worked for British Waterways why this was the case, they said that somebody had owned the land. As I had said the other day, the canal should be further extended to be curtailed in a Basin next to the Springburn Expressway, thus the removal of re-siting of Baird St and creating opportunities in an area which has been long redunadant of any economic worth. To simply remove multi-storey flats and replace this area with a plot of cardboard housing is totally pointless and a continuation of the long term fetish to waste money building pointless non-economic and unimaginative housing schemes. North Glasgow certainly deserves better.

[quote][bold]albertz78[/bold] wrote: I am interested in the seeing the plans for the Maryhill Locks which I'm assuming is the "Butney". 700 social rented houses which will be mostly tenanted by the socially unacceptable? Cafes? more than one? they'll have to go abit to beat the Butney Bite. Shops? selling what exactly,Maryhill Road shops have been decimated by Tesco,Asda and the bus lanes. Private housing-have to be awfully cheap to beat the economic downturn. Community buildings-the favoured gang hut of the North Glasgow criminal Small businesses-unlocking mobile phones and second hand tyre sellers. Am I being cynical?[/quote] Nope that's how North Glasgow in the post war era was created, for that I cannot blame the people entirely. There has been opportunities in the past 10 years but they have been ignored, but in this economic downturn - maybe this is a good opportunity to reverse the long term trend which were are all too accustomed to seeing in parts of Glasgow, especially the North Side, which is a part of Glasgow that people (especially from the West End and South Side) would rather see blown up with its inhabitants exterminated. At least thats a fair assessment judging by people's comments on this forum over the past couple of years.

Ask any motorist who's held up regularly at the canal swing bridge in Kirkie ( the canal capital of Scotland BTW )what they think of the re-opening of the nolly.This is just another figment of some councillors imagination. Kirkie is actually the(c)anal capital of the world.

I think the cynics have got it right. -Canals were originally built for the transportation of goods.- This will never return. To pretend we have the climate to make canals a recreational attraction is disingenuous.They will resort to being the depository of dead cats, old bedsteads and water rats, as in my youth. More's the pity.

[quote]To pretend we have the climate to make canals a recreational attraction is disingenuous[/quote] I'm not cycnical about that: I think we could make the canal a great recreational resource - we just haven't.

[quote][bold]victor meldrew[/bold] wrote: I think the cynics have got it right. -Canals were originally built for the transportation of goods.- This will never return. To pretend we have the climate to make canals a recreational attraction is disingenuous.They will resort to being the depository of dead cats, old bedsteads and water rats, as in my youth. More's the pity.[/quote] Our council( at that time were a lib-dem/tory co-olition) heralded a new use for the canal. It was going to ship recycled materials to Grangemouth on barges. A two pronged attempt at saving the planet.It was going to take three days to do what a lorry could do in one hour.Progress???????

Was hoping to see some kind of commitment to residential berths or residential marina rather than legoland social housing. Preferably one with good security! There are few residential amenities for narrow boats along the whole stretch - supply has not kept up with demand. Sure, there's a few spots in Auchenstarry and Bowling but not much available centrally. I think authorities tend to view liveaboards as akin to gypsies and new age types and focus on the leisure types rather than encourage people to live on boats.

Who in their right mind would sail a boat through this part of the city. It would have to be armour plated.

Have some faith O WISE ONE I've lived beside the Canal for years I also worked at Shaw's Foundry and used the Canal Bank to go home my Wife and I took walks along the Canal bank it's good to see that it's coming back

My Wife & I have been on the Falkirk Wheel, it was fantastic, I recommend it to anyone

If we want to go down the nostalgia route - my grannie always told us how before WW2 they used to travel for pleasure on a canal paddle-wheel puffer called 'The Gypsy Queen' - I don't think the weather NOR the area has improved (perhaps we ought to delay this plan until the Wynford is gentrified first) much since 39! The canals cannot simply exist for the sake of being quaint or having some hypothetical but undefined 'future use'. You see many years ago Glasgow spent £5 MILLION on Laurieston House, this a splendid listed 18th century mansion formerly served as a training centre for handicapped - since it's restoration it has sat empty and is now completely boarded up. See without a realistic long term plan these big impressive engineering projects are just that big impressive projects. My wife and I have been to Vancouver bc it was fantastic, I recommend it to anyone, I found the Falkirk Wheel almost as exciting as Winnipeg in mid winter!