IT has been called Glasgow's equivalent of New York's Greenwich Village - the trendy, bohemian, cultural centre of the city's West End.

IT has been called Glasgow's equivalent of New York's Greenwich Village - the trendy, bohemian, cultural centre of the city's West End.

Byres Road represents everything the area stands for - it is colourful and vibrant, its character shaped largely by the students and staff from the nearby university and the recently-departed BBC headquarters.

The street links the two main West End thoroughfares - Great Western Road and Dumbarton Road - and is effectively a small village within the city.

It is home to a cafe society which attracts wealthy professionals and residents along with thousands of students.

As the hub of the affluent leafy neighbourhoods of Kelvinside, Dowanhill, Hyndland, Kelvingrove and Hillhead, Byres Road is an exceptionally desirable business address.

But despite its wealth the area has not been immune from the recent economic downturn.

A host of businesses - particularly newly-established ones - have gone out of business over the past year.

But the street's location - the West End is still one of the richest parts of Scotland - has helped protect it.

The Ubiquitous Chip restaurant was established in 1971 and, thanks partly to its quirky name, has developed a worldwide reputation.

Founder Ronnie Clydesdale opened it at a time when businessmen's lunches were in their infancy and eating out was considered a relative luxury.

Incredibly Ashton Lane - the now trendy epicentre of West End life where the restaurant sits - was due to be knocked down by Glasgow City Council in the early 1970s.

Mr Clydesdale's son Colin said: "The whole lane was scheduled for demolition when my father bought this place. Folk said he was nuts to buy it.

"The city fathers were going to destroy in 1971. It was insanely short-sighted."

The restaurant fits the area like a glove - The Chip is now as much part of the fabric of the West End as Glasgow University.

Mr Clydesdale added: "Most folk don't know what ubiquitous means or how to say it, but the beauty of that is you can get into any taxi in Glasgow, you can pronounce it any way you like and every driver will get you to our door.

"Our website get hits from all over the world.

"The West End is a great place. It has the hospitals, the uni, it's bohemian, it's thriving, it's very arty and it was crying out for a place like the Chip.

"At one point this was a meeting place for folk in the film industry, for folk in the BBC, theatre people, lots of politicians, it fits the West End."

Mr Clydesdale was born in the Queen Mother's maternity hospital at Yorkhill and has stayed in the area all his life.

He is enthusiastic about the attractions of the area.

"University towns always have a certain feel about them, you have a transient population with a lot of young people with disposable income.

"They are possibly not studying as hard as they could and are out to have a good time which makes it a lively and vibrant place to live.

"We have parks galore, plenty for kids to do, we are not infested by big supermarkets, you have lots of wee local shops doing what local shops should do.

"If you look at the media and the lifestyle that people are meant to live, this kind of fake kid-on southern English lifestyle, the one bit of Glasgow you can actually do that is the West End."

Mr Clydesdale is scathing about some of the developments that have been allowed to take place in Glasgow over the years and hopes the West End can escape the worst excesses.

This whole city was magnificent and we improved it by destroying it - we are still doing it.

"There are developments in the city I think people should be strung up for.

"The West End hasn't suffered so much from that, I could pick out the gruesome buildings, there's only a handful.

"Because there has always been this slightly more enlightened approach to the West End things didn't get destroyed at the same rate they did in other bits of the city.

"Change isn't always good but in order to progress you have to have change.

"I think that on the whole the will is there to make the west end continue to get better."

EVELYN McNAUGHT, 74, retired, of Downahill, lived in the West End for 25 years: I love the variety. I've lived in the south side too, but the west end's very united, its like its own little unit	ALISTAIR OGILVIE, 21, barman. of Woodlands, lived in the West End for a year: The people and the places are what I like about the west end, its a really sociable place, it's really friendly, like a small village, almost.	JANE KYLE, 23, student. of Byres Road, lived in the West End for five years: Everything's on your doorstep. Ashton Lane is the best place, I'd rather be there than the town centre. There's a lovely atmosphere.	LES ROBB, 26, barman, of Byres Road, lived in the West End for five years: It's a friendly place to live, I'd say I go out in the West End as much as I go out in the town centre. I like Great Western Road for the vintage shopping.

TIMES FILE: THE WEST END

BYRES ROAD may have been sheltered from the worst of the credit crunch - but the cold wind of recession has claimed plenty of victims.

The lower half of the street in particular has seen premises changing hands at a rate of knots. One businessmen said it was as though a "car crash" had hit the area.

The former Whistler's Mother pub has been closed and boarded up for almost two years.

Within the past six months No 16, North of Bondi, Cafe Francais and Cabbages and Kings have all shut up shop.

Most have found new owners but the Partick Cross end of the road has had a depressed look about it for a few months.

Tony Macaroni's Italian pizzeria has now replaced Cafe Francaise, Ad Lib has taken over the North of Bondi site and No 16 is to reopen.

Mr Clydesdale said: "Looking down Byres Road there are a lot of 'To Let' signs.

"The long-established businesses are still there but the street is definitely not immune.

"People are feeling the bite and certain businesses have suffered."

Curlers Bar - now part of the Scream group - is the oldest business in the street, dating back to the mid 17th century.

University Cafe was established in 1918 and is a Byres Road institution, serving hungry students with fish suppers and ice cream, and a string of new coffee shops have opened up in recent years.

While Ashton Lane is thriving, traders in the nearby Ruthven Lane are fighting plans to demolish some of the buildings they say make the area unique.

The Bothy, Stravaigin 2 and the Di Maggio's restaurants will be unaffected by the plans, which include the building of a shopping mall and restaurant.

Ironically Mr Clydesdale said that, before his father established the Chip on Ashton Lane in the 1970s, the council planned to demolish all the buildings in the back lanes.