Businesses and developers will invest with confidence when strong foundations are in place, writes Rowan Carmichael
Last week, Clyde Gateway welcomed delegates from the IWA World Water Congress to Dalmarnock, Shawfield and Cuningar Loop, giving us an opportunity to share some of the work taking place here and reflect on what we can learn from others tackling the same challenges around the world.
What struck me was how quickly the discussion moved beyond water as a standalone utility issue. Delegates were particularly interested in Clyde Gateway’s approach to creating well-serviced development sites, with energy infrastructure and surface water management considered from the outset. Many were pursuing similar projects in their own cities and wanted to understand the practical lessons around delivery.
The tour reinforced a clear lesson: enabling infrastructure must be the foundation of regeneration, not a consequence of it. At Clyde Gateway, our approach has long been infrastructure first.
That means tackling the difficult legacy of former industrial land and investing early in remediation, transport, drainage, green infrastructure and energy. From Dalmarnock Station and the SMART Bridge to new roads and sustainable drainage. Together, these interventions connect communities, unlock land and give businesses and developers greater confidence to invest for the long term.
Our Community Energy Project in Dalmarnock demonstrates what is possible when innovation is applied with purpose. The £6 million district heating network uses heat recovered from Dalmarnock Wastewater Treatment Works to provide low-carbon heating and hot water to 48 homes and EastWorks. Next year, a further 173 new homes, built by CCG, are expected to connect.
Energy infrastructure has been considered as an integral part of the regeneration of an entire neighbourhood, designed with the capacity to grow alongside it. It is an example of how we can think differently about infrastructure – shaping development rather than following it.
Across the river at Shawfield, we’re applying the same principle. Extensive remediation and infrastructure investment is transforming former industrial land into a platform for new commercial development. The D2 Grids demonstrator adds another dimension: a fifth-generation district heating and cooling network designed to allow buildings to exchange and reuse energy.
We're also exploring what the next generation of infrastructure could look like. At Cuningar Loop, the Glasgow Observatory is investigating the potential for warm water in abandoned mine workings to provide renewable heat for homes and businesses.There's something fitting about a landscape once synonymous with the industries that powered Glasgow potentially helping us understand how we heat cities of the future.
Above ground, formerly derelict land has become a woodland park supporting biodiversity, recreation, health and community activity. It demonstrates why regeneration can’t be separated into economic, environmental and social ambitions.
By planning energy, water, transport, nature and development together, we can create places that are more resilient, more investable and better equipped for long-term growth.
My strongest reflection from the Congress is that effective solutions begin with collaboration, shared learning and long-term planning. Clyde Gateway has experience to offer, but also much to learn from cities facing similar pressures. The challenge now is to move beyond thinking about infrastructure as something that supports growth, and recognise its role in creating the conditions for growth in the first place.
Rowan Carmichael is a Project Manager at Clyde Gateway