Thursday 10th March 2011 Revamp for Glasgow’s subway
Glasgow’s ageing subway system looks set to be revamped after
ministers approved a £290m plan of works. The Scottish government
intends to make a substantial contribution to the scheme, which
includes plans for driverless trains and upgraded stations. All 15
stations along the line are in line for an overhaul, and the proposed
driverless trains would arrive more frequently. The Scottish
government's support for the scheme was confirmed by Finance Secretary
John Swinney who said: "We recognise the central role the subway plays
in the economic life of Glasgow and Scotland by helping people go
about their business effectively, providing vital connections around
the city and making onward connections.” The plan could lead to
significant reductions in Strathclyde Partnership for Transport’s
(SPT) workforce. Glasgow

Thursday 3rd February 2011 Glasgow aims to cut George Square traffic
Glasgow City Council has approved new traffic management measures
aimed at reducing congestion around George Square. The new plans hope
to cut the amount of cars using the city centre to just 1,000 per day.
A pilot scheme will see only buses, taxis, private hire cars and
cyclists allowed in the square from West George Street. "These
proposals are a huge step towards relieving the congestion affecting
the city centre on a day-to-day basis," said Councillor Jim Coleman,
executive member for land and environmental services. Glasgow

Friday 14th January 2011 Pipe bands lead start of Celtic festival
Scotland's biggest winter music festival - Celtic Connections - will
start with a torchlight procession through Glasgow at 1645 GMT on
Friday January 14, 2011. Pipe bands will lead a march which starts in
George Square and ends at the main venue at the Royal Concert Hall.
1,500 artists are due to perform in more than 300 events across 14
venues between 13 and 30 January. They include Sir Tom Jones, Mavis
Staples, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Craig Armstrong. 2011 is the
18th year of the Celtic Connections event. It has grown dramatically
since it was first conceived as a way of filling the Royal Concert
Hall’s January schedule. Glasgow

Thursday 13th January 2011 Floating village planned for Clyde
Plans for a £30m floating village on the bank of the River Clyde in
Glasgow have been announced. The proposal would see a floating road
built at Cantig Basin, part of the city’s Prince’s Dock development.
The planned development has been designed by Glasgow-based ZM
Architecture and specialist water-based architects Baca Limited of
London. Floating Concepts chief executive, David Beard, said: "All
great coastal cities have a prime waterfront destination and now
Glasgow has the chance to join those ranks. The iconic nature of a
floating village will turn the Canting Basin into a major attraction
quite unlike any other in the world, as well as being a dynamic centre
for local people and businesses." Glasgow

Friday 26th November 2010 Scottish salmon fears after crayfish found
Salmon stocks in the River Kelvin in Glasgow could be under threat
according to conservationists commenting after signal crayfish were
found in the waters. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) broke the news of
the discovery in the River Kelvin. It is the first siting of the
invasive American signal crayfish species in the Glasgow area.
Crayfish eat fish eggs and their appearance has led to fears of a
collapse in the salmon stock. Paul Reid of the River Kelvin Angling
Association said: "The Kelvin is a recovering salmon river, so we're
obviously concerned that the time and effort that's been put into
re-establishing the salmon population may be affected by the American
signal crayfish." Glasgow

Thursday 21st October 2010 200 jobs in Glasgow from Tesco Bank
Tesco Bank is promising to create 200 new jobs at a call centre in
Glasgow. The customer service posts are to provide service and support
for the supermarket's new mortgage business scheduled to launch in
summer 2011. The Vertex outsourcing company, which has a five year
contract with the bank, is organising the staffing. Tesco Bank was
launched three years ago and now has 6.5 million customers with
insurance, loans, savings and credit cards. Tesco Bank, which has its
headquarters in Edinburgh, made a £102m pre-tax profit in the first
half of 2010 - up 92% on 2009. Benny Higgins, chief executive of Tesco
Bank commented: "We are focused on designing mortgage products that
are consistent with the Tesco brand; namely, products that are simple,
transparent and reward customer loyalty." Glasgow

Tuesday 12th October 2010 Warship launches on River Clyde
The final vessel in the Royal Navy’s new fleet of six Type 45
Destroyers has been launched on the River Clyde. The vessel will
provide air defence cover and has been named after Admiral Adam
Duncan, who led the Royal Navy's victory over the Dutch fleet in 1797.
The Admiral Adam Duncan can carry up to 60 Royal Marine Commandos and
a variety of helicopters are able operate from its flight deck. It is
due to enter service in 2014. The other five completed Type 45s are
Daring, Diamond, Dauntless, Dragon and Defender. It was built by BAE
Systems using 2,800 tonnes of steel, even more than was used to build
Blackpool Tower. Minister for Defence Equipment, Peter Luff, said:
"The launch of HMS Duncan is the culmination of a huge effort by
workers here on the Clyde, across the country throughout the supply
chain, and in the MoD, completing this class of potent warfighters of
which everyone involved can be very proud.” Glasgow

Wednesday 16th June 2010 Campaign to stop development of historic Glasgow lane
Objections to the development of Glasgow’s historic Otago Lane are
growing as campaigners attempt to block plans for a multi-million
pound development there. Developers want to build more than 140 flats
and several commercial units in Otago Lane beside the River Kelvin.

Those opposing the development claim the proposals would destroy the
character of one of Glasgow's last Bohemian quarters. Nearly 2,000
written objections have been sent to planning officials, according to
the Save Otago Lane Campaign. Owner of the tea house Tchai-Ovna, which
is in Otago Lane, said: "This proposed development in one of Glasgow's
only Bohemian quarters would have repercussions not only for the area
but for Glasgow and Scotland at large.” Glasgow

Thursday 29th April 2010 Police car which crashed with blue lights on was not attending an emergency
Two police officers were injured after their car lost control and
crashed on the M8 in Renfrewshire. The high-powered BMW patrol car hit
a Volkswagen Polo on the westbound carriageway, near Bishopton, at
about 0330 BST. The police car had blue lights in operation despite
not being on an emergency call when the accident happened.

The crash forced the closure of the westbound carriageway for seven
hours. The police driver is said to have escaped serious injury with
minor injuries to his neck but his colleague received 21 stitches to
his left arm. The driver of the Polo was fortunately uninjured.

A police investigation into the circumstances surrounding crash is now
under way. Police have appealed for witnesses to contact them. Glasgow

Monday 19th April 2010 Museum seeks £1.8m in funding drive
The closure of Glasgow's Museum of Transport has prompted the launch
of a public appeal to raise £1.8m to help build a new home for the
exhibits. The current exhibition at Kelvin Hall is closing ahead of
the museum's move to a new £74m site on the banks of the Clyde next
year.

£3.2m towards the total cost of the building has already raised by the
Riverside Museum Appeal. Much of the money raised so far for the new
museum has been provided by Glasgow City Council and the Heritage
Lottery Fund. The museum's new home will have more than twice as many
objects on display including a large South African train, recently
been on shown in George Square. Glasgow