RAIN gardens forming part of Glasgow’s Avenues project are now operational on the city’s Argyle Street.
Delivered by Urban Movement on behalf of Glasgow City Council, the rain gardens collect run-off from hard paved surfaces to water the wide variety of grasses, herbaceous plants, and specimen shrubs that have been planted.
Approximately 75% of the water will be used by the plants, which Urban Movement explained will relieve pressure on Glasgow’s combined sewer system – helping to reduce water polluting storm events and provide capacity in the sewer and enabling new developments in the International Financial District to come forward. The plants will also help to improve the air quality on the street through the process of photosynthesis and will act as a filter to airborne particulate matter.
The rain gardens form part of a streetscape that includes a segregated cycle track, a new bus stop with a shelter and seats, a wide clutter free footway paved in Italian Porphyry, and several cycle stands. Water flows under the cycle track in specially designed rills to avoid flooding the railway tunnels that run just beneath the road.
Glasgow City Council has also just started work on the first phases of the Argyle Street West Avenue at Anderson Cross, also designed by Urban Movement and Civic Engineers, the same team that delivered the avenues pilot project on Sauchiehall Street that opened in 2019.
Ian Hingley, of Urban Movement, said, “The Urban Movement and Civic Engineers designed streetscape creates a fitting forecourt for JP Morgan Chase’s new flagship head office on Glasgow’s Argyle Street, with innovative shallow soil planted rain gardens, water inlet bridges under the cycle lane, and new street furniture offering a taster for the rest of the Argyle Street Avenues project, which has just broken ground at Anderston Cross.”
Councillor Ruairi Kelly, convener for neighbourhood services and assets at Glasgow City Council, added, “More space dedicated to people and greenery makes our city a more attractive place to spend time and money in, benefiting residents and businesses alike. The Argyle Street West Avenue will complement the really positive change taking place in that part of the city centre, such as the world class JPMorgan Chase building.”
