FINDINGS | South Cluster
2.6 South Cluster The south cluster encompasses the following venues: • Hampden Park - athletics, closing ceremony • Cathkin Braes - mountain biking The south cluster is the most geographically disparate, taking in Hampden Park and Cathkin Braes, which lies on the outskirts of the city. As a result, the VeloCity approach in the south is different to that of the east and west and city centre because it is formed around communities and local town centres that are in proximity to these 2 Games’ venues, with less emphasis on a direct route to and from the city centre and an understanding that local public transport has an important role to play. The south cluster is more mixed than that of the east or west, sharing similar attributes to both, due to its historic development. It has a distinct housing, cultural and ethnic mix, alongside extensive green spaces, Tramway, The Citizens Theatre, Scottish Ballet and dynamic community projects such as Southside Studios and The Govanhill Community Baths Trust.
East Pollokshields. The south cluster also takes in the peripheral housing estate of Castlemilk, which sits close to the Cathkin Braes. The south cluster is reached from the city centre via the fomer industrial neighbourhoods of Gorbals, Laurieston, Tradeston, Hutchesontown and Polmadie. There are opportunities to improve pedestrian movement between the neighbourhoods to the south of the Gorbals and the city centre. It is here where the recently completed M74 extension connects to the M8 at the Kingston Bridge. The large industrial zones within Polmadie, Oatlands and Toryglen also inhibit pedestrian movement, particularly to and from Hampden Park and Glasgow Green Hockey Centre, which would otherwise provide a relatively short and convenient link between communities. VeloCity can act positively with a view to re-imagine, repair and reconnect these fragmented areas that disconnect the south cluster from the city centre. VeloCity’s suggested programmes in the south focus on the physiscal communities themselves.
Specifically, the south cluster takes in the grouping of mainly Victorian suburban neighbourhoods surrounding Queen’s Park, including Shawlands, Langside, Battlefield and Mount Florida, and the planned worker settlements of Strathbungo and 77