Glasgow City Centre Avenues Project Plants its First Tree

On 7^th November, Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, was joined by pupils from Garnetbank Primary to help plant the first trees on Sauchiehall Avenue.

The £7.2million Sauchiehall Avenue project - between Charing Cross and Rose Street - has been underway since January 2018 and when finished, will feature a multifunctional service verge and two-way cycle lane on the northern side of Sauchiehall Street, with pavements widened to free up space for pedestrians and licensed tables and chairs on both sides of the street.

As part of the project, 27 trees - in a variety of deciduous species, with attractive colours throughout the year - will be planted along the Avenue to provide a range of benefits, including retrofit surface water management. In addition, to these 'tree pits', the granite slab on the new section of verge is being laid with open joint to form a permeable pavement allowing surface water to drain into the tree pits.

Also being delivered by the project are new bus shelters, cycle stands, seating, smart city infrastructure and improved street lighting.

Sauchiehall Avenue will be the first of 16 such avenues to be created on Glasgow city centre streets in the coming years through the £115million Avenues project funded by the Glasgow City Region City Deal.

For further information, visit the GCC Avenues Project website - www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=23431

(November 2018)