20 Years of Scottish Canals 06

The Claypits Local Nature Reserve in North Glasgow was originally the home of a clay quarry used when the Forth & Clyde Canal was first built in the late 1700s. Over the last few years, Scottish Canals, with Glasgow City Council and Friends of Possilpark Greenspace, have worked together to safeguard The Claypits’ future by having it protected as a Local Nature Reserve. They also secured £5m in funding to support the sensitive development of the site in partnership with the local community. As part of the regeneration project, Mackenzie Construction was contracted for a range of works from environmental and landscaping improvements right through to the full design and build of a sliding pedestrian bridge which contracts to allow boaters to pass on the canal. The Garscube Bridge was opened in Autumn 2021 and the project has already won a Living Waterways Award in the ‘Engaging Communities – Large Scale’ category. Once complete, the area will provide much needed greenspace for the local communities of Firhill, Woodside and Maryhill.

The North Glasgow Integrated Water Management System (NGIWMS) – Glasgow’s Smart Canal - has seen the creation of a pioneering drainage system to mitigate flood risk using the Forth and Clyde Canal, a scheduled ancient monument, with modern technology to support significant regeneration in North Glasgow. The creation of a ‘sponge city’ - a term used to describe how cities respond to surface water flooding - will see North Glasgow passively absorb, clean and manage rainfall intelligently. As Principal Contractor on the project, Mackenzie Construction worked in close collaboration with Scottish Canals, Glasgow City Council and Scottish Water as well as Principal Designer, AECOM and subcontractor Fairfield Controls to transform this visionary concept into reality. Without this scheme being realised, there would have either remained a significant constraint placed on development in North Glasgow or an increasing flood risk, within and downstream, of new developments around Glasgow City Centre and the M8 motorway network, which passes through the city. The pioneering digital surface water drainage system unlocks 110 hectares of land across the north of the city for investment, regeneration and the development of over 3000 new homes within two kilometres of Glasgow City Centre, providing quality places for people to live close to the economic heart of the city.

North Glasgow Integrated Water Management System