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www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com
THE CLYDE NEEDS MORE THAN JUST
What is holding back the city, and what can be done to make change? Jim McColl, owner of Ferguson Marine and Clyde Blowers Capital, gives his opinion
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cotland must have a proper maritime strategy that will benefit Glasgow, bring marine innovation and
rekindle commerce on the Clyde, says Jim McColl. “We need to see more than just flats and apartments along the Clyde waterfront. We need to celebrate our heritage while looking to the future and utilising this great river estuary,” he told Glasgow Business. And he wants to see the listed Govan
Graving Docks, currently earmarked for high-rise apartments, regenerated as a working dry-dock again which can be used to show off the city’s immense ship-building heritage. There are a number of opportunities along the Clyde’s waterfront, which could be part of McColl’s vision for Scotland’s ‘blue water economy’ involving island ferries, fishing and port connection with Europe. The Glasgow Harbour regeneration, where around 1,400 homes were built in phases, was the last major housing development along the waterfront. Since then, developers have struggled
to raise money for major projects. Mr McColl wants to see leadership and vision about how the Clyde can be used to mix modern hi-tech industry with the heritage and tourism sector. “The reason we went into Ferguson at Port Glasgow is that we believed there is a viable commercial ship building opportunity. That has been reinforced since we bought the yard,” he says. Ferguson Marine is now in a
consortium with Babcock to build the Type 31 destroyers that will be launched by the Royal Navy. “We are also keen to get involved in other naval work and we have good facilities to do this. We’ve been working at the front end of technology development with sea-going vessels. We are currently joint lead with the University of St Andrews to develop the first hydrogen propulsion system for a ferry and that will be a work- first for the Clyde. Doing this on the Clyde, where a lot of world-firsts in shipbuilding took place, is an important marker for Glasgow. To re-establish the commercial shipbuilding capability on the Clyde is well under way with us. But
there are key assets and sites along the Clyde waterfront that have been under- utilised for a number of years.” Mr McColl feels it is criminal that large
pockets of land are sitting dormant. “I’m Glaswegian and I care about
Glasgow and I think it’s criminal that our riverside has not kept up with other cities. You look at Belfast with the Titanic exhibition, Merseyside with its developments and Newcastle. They’ve all done a good job but we haven’t matched this ambition. With the City Deal there is still plenty to do and the Clyde is where we should be focused.” McColl is looking to expand maritime activities into ship repair and he singles out the Govan Graving Docks at Clydebrae Street as an ideal site for repair. Three dry docks, opposite the Glasgow Science Centre, were built for the Clyde Navigation Trust between 1869 and 1898 and used extensively for the overhaul and refitting of major liners. “The docks, which are Category A
listed, have been lying empty for over 30 years. It is a travesty that they are not in proper use. They are very good quality docks built by the Victorians with solid slabs of stone. The docks are in as good a condition as they were in their hey- day. You would have to re-do the gates, then you’d need a new pump house to empty and fill the docks with water. But it’s all overgrown and the whole
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