My late grandfather spent the early part of his life in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.

I can’t ever remember hearing him speak fondly of the tenement slums where he grew up.

I did hear horror stories about the horrendous outside toilets which he said were unbearable in the harsh winters and could be even worse in the heat of the summers.

By all accounts it was not easy growing up with umpteen siblings in a single end in Garnethill.

My grandfather had left Garnethill for Lanarkshire by the time the inner city section of the M8 was constructed.

Controversially, many of the buildings he knew were flattened to make way for what is the busiest motorway in the country.

Some put pressure on planners to shelve the idea, questioning the need for such a development.

But when it was finally decided to go ahead and cut a swathe through the community where my grandfather grew up I very much doubt he would have objected.

More than fifty years on, the council has come up with new plans for Garnethill which could see a public park on a roof covering the M8 at Charing Cross.

It is one of 80 proposed projects put forward to regenerate the area which is now best known for traffic jams.

The park would extend to the surrounding streets and around the Mitchell Library.

It’s a plan in the very early stages but it already the talk of the steamie, as my grandfather would have said.

A public consultation will begin on November 20 and last for nine weeks before a final report is brought back for formal approval next February.

All this got me thinking about what my grandfather would have thought about proposals for a roof garden on the M8.

I know that he liked the outdoors and any plans for green space would have been welcomed.

But he was also not a fan of many modern innovations and this may well have been a step too far.

For me, it will be a welcome change to a beautiful part of our city – assuming it is given the green light.

I am often stopped in traffic at Charing Cross and if I put the frustrating delays to one side there is some stunning architecture to look at.

Of course, the A-listed Mitchell Library is a highlight but there is also more modern structures to be admired.

A public park in the area would give people the opportunity to sit still and enjoy the area again.

I have no doubt my grandfather would have given that his seal of approval.