New Glasgow Tradeston skate park could be built under M74 in £1.2m plans

How the park could look
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Proposals to build a £1.2m skate park beneath the M74 in Tradeston motorway have been unveiled.

Consultations on the Devon Street Urban Park have begun following the release of the design which would see the creation of a new public space with urban sculptures and active leisure built.

Toby Paterson and Raydale Dower launched the project a decade ago in the hopes of creating a space for the local communities and positive amenities and activities for young people. The pair also teamed up with professional ramp builder John Bailey in 2020, who previously completed the successful Loading Bay skatepark in Port Dundas.

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The space now receives more than 30,000 visitors annually, providing urban sports programming to schools and community organisations across Glasgow, and has most recently been recognised as the first national Skateboard Hub for the UK by Skateboard GB.

The group started working with Glasgow City Council on the city’s Cycling & Urban Sports Strategy in 2023 as part of a strategy for the provision of urban sports within Glasgow neighbourhoods. Organisers now hope the ambitious 8000 square metre Devon Street Urban Park plans will be the next project to get the green light.

A design plan
A design plan

The project has already attracted significant investment from the United States. The Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation has supported the design process through 2023 - 2024 and recently confirmed an offer of an initial £1.2 million in funding to support the capital delivery of the project.

Organisers say the next crucial step is to gain public support for the proposal to secure further private or public funding and match the offer from SMCF.

Danny MacAskill, a Professional Street trials mountain bike rider, said: "Devon Street Urban Park is such an exciting project, a stone's throw away from my old house on the south side of Glasgow, it will be a great place to ride. It would have been a dream to have this growing up, what a great opportunity for kids in the south side of Glasgow to learn to ride and get rad!”

Councillor Jon Molyneux, Pollokshields Ward, added: "As an elected member of the Pollokshields ward in Glasgow, I am pleased to offer my support for the GUS proposal to develop the site underneath the M74 at Devon Street into a park for Urban Sports. I believe this proposal has the potential to be genuinely transformative and deliver across a number of environmental, economic and social inclusion agendas.”

To learn more about the Devon Street Urban Park proposals please visit the design presentation at Tramway’s upper foyer space between Wednesday 3rd and Sunday 6th of October, alternatively, you can see the designs installed at The Loading Bay from October 10th.

There will be a series of public consultation events in October and November. Visit www.glasgowurbansports.org for details.

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