Clydeside (Regeneration)
The final item of business today is the members' business debate on motion S1M-531, in the name of Mr George Lyon, on the regeneration of the Clyde. This debate is to be concluded after 30 minutes without any questions being put. Members wishing to speak in the debate should press their request buttons as soon as possible. I see three names already. I ask those not staying for this debate please to leave quickly and quietly.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament recognises that in the Clyde, Scotland has a magnificent international icon which can be marketed globally to promote enterprise and tourism in the region; recognises also that investment in and modernisation of transport infrastructure on the Clyde is a prerequisite for the economic and social regeneration of the area's communities and that the absence of fast and efficient ferry links on the Clyde is one of the contributing factors to social exclusion in the area, and calls for a thorough and fundamental review of the current infrastructure's shortcomings with a view to developing a long term strategy that can exploit the potential of the area and which can meet the needs of communities on the Clyde in the 21st century.
I welcome the opportunity to raise some of the issues facing the communities surrounding the River Clyde. As the motion clearly states, the Clyde was an icon of past years, and it clearly needs modernisation of its transport infrastructure as an essential prerequisite for the economic and social regeneration of the areas and communities surrounding the Clyde.
In the years following the war, the Clyde was the transport highway for the communities that bordered the river. It brought prosperity to all and linked every community together. I understand that more than 70 destinations were dotted up and down the Clyde, linked by the paddle-steamers: Glasgow, Greenock, Rothesay, Port Bannatyne, Tighnabruaich, Kilmun and Dunoon, to name but a few.
In those days, of course, the paddle-steamers plied between all the communities and brought economic prosperity to many of the island communities in particular, in the form of tourists. I can still remember the paddle-steamers queuing at Rothesay pier, laden with people. I recall seeing the paddle-steamer coming into the pier: often, the passengers would run to one side, and they were in danger of capsizing the boat.
Those days are long gone, and the idea of tourists or people from Glasgow or Greenock taking holidays on the island communities doon the watter has disappeared. The decline has taken place over many years, and it is time that it was turned round.
We are now at a turning point in the development of the Clyde, and I believe that new thinking is needed. Too often, we see the Clyde as a barrier, instead of a potential liberator of the communities surrounding it. Believe me, it was a great liberator of those communities in the past, and it was the transport highway that brought economic prosperity, revenue, tourists and everything that the communities needed to survive economically.
There are real opportunities to be grasped. As I said, we are at a turning point in the debate on the future of the Clyde. Sarah Boyack has already announced the potential setting up of a Highlands and Islands transport passenger authority. The Caledonian MacBrayne network would be brought under the control of that authority. That is to be welcomed.
We are also at a crucial stage in the debate on the future replacement of the vessels that currently ply the Clyde between Dunoon and Gourock, and between Rothesay and Wemyss Bay.
The redevelopment of Gourock pier has also been proposed, which I am sure one of my colleagues, who represents that bit of the world, will speak about in his contribution. There are also proposals to develop the inner harbour in Rothesay, and to construct a marina at Sandbank. Many regeneration projects have been undertaken and are at a crucial stage.
I believe that all those proposals have a common theme: that of the regeneration of the communities around the Clyde, to refocus from the past towards the future. What is required to deliver that future is a common vision, and indeed a common strategy to underpin that vision. Transport, tourism and leisure are and should be brought together to look towards the future and to decide how to develop the communities around the Clyde.
I can announce that, to facilitate that, Duncan McNeil, Allan Wilson, Jackie Baillie, Brian Wilson from the Scotland Office and I are setting up a Clyde coast initiative to consider how to regenerate those communities. We will bring together organisations that are interested in developing the Clyde, such as local enterprise companies, local authorities and community organisations. I ask the minister to work closely with the Clyde coast initiative and to discuss with us the future of the regeneration projects that are under way.
We also need to see movement on the Gourock-Dunoon discussions. Before Christmas, we were promised that a paper on that would be published and that a debate would take place. We need to widen the debate.
The issues that I have already raised in relation to Rothesay, Gourock and the marina development at Sandbank are part of an overall vision of the development of the Clyde. I hope that the Executive is willing to work with the Clyde coast initiative in developing a vision for the 21st century.
The Firth of Clyde is surely one of the most beautiful waterways in Europe and I am anxious to ensure that regeneration includes the enhancement of the physical environment as well as industrial and leisure developments. Much has already been done to rid the Clyde of decades of pollution. Last Saturday, I spoke to a constituent who told me that he had caught two sea trout just above Port Glasgow, and there have been reports of salmon in the River Gryffe.
We frequently hear about the economic significance of the Highlands and how that has been brought about by tourists who fish and sail or, as they say, just mess about in boats. In recent years, similar recognition has been given to the Clyde in relation to the tourist industry.
The lower Clyde, part of which flows through my constituency, has suffered dreadfully from the decline of the traditional industries and ancillary work. I do not have time to list those industries, but the loss of superb skills and the poverty inflicted on those who lost their jobs and on their families tells a miserable and dreadful story.
In contrast, Inverclyde Council and others deserve praise for their remarkable efforts in developing the waterfront. Those who have not visited the waterfront should do so. I am sure that Duncan McNeil will talk about the tall ships event, which I understand Glasgow is bidding for the next time round.
Despite the decline of the shipbuilding industry, I am proud to say that the excellent yard, Ferguson Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow, is still building specialist vessels. I hope that CalMac will be giving it some orders soon.
Today's papers report the proposals for high-speed ferries between Glasgow city centre and Greenock, Dunoon, Rothesay and Brodick. The high-tech vessels to service those routes will open up a new concept for the river. The regeneration of the Clyde is clear.
As in Greenock, the whole area of the Clyde at Port Glasgow will change significantly if the planned redevelopment of the waterfront goes ahead. The plans include shopping, housing and ferries, providing, initially, freight traffic to Ireland. I hope that eventually there will be provision for passenger travel to and from Ireland, both north and south. Think how quick the links to the north of Scotland, the airport and the central belt will be from a ferry terminal at Port Glasgow.
The regeneration of the Clyde must include the lower Clyde. As I have said, new housing, shopping and ferries that link with Northern Ireland and elsewhere will provide jobs and regenerate a run-down area. It can only enhance the tourist industry of the Clyde and the island of Ireland. I hope that the Executive will support the exciting new initiative.
Can I join the guys in that initiative?
George Lyon indicated agreement.
Thanks. I thought that, being a woman, I had been forgotten.
I want to thank Mr Lyon for bringing this matter to the attention of the Parliament. Like Trish Godman, I welcome the setting up of a group to address the regeneration of the Clyde. I hope that the group will include MSPs of all parties and genders so that the initiative has true cross-party support.
Up and down the Ayrshire coast there are towns whose livelihoods have depended on their proximity to the Clyde. Largs, Saltcoats and the island communities of Arran and Cumbrae are all places where tourism is the mainstay of the economy. If those towns and islands are to compete in the contemporary tourism market, we must ensure that targeted assistance is directed toward the promotion of tourism on the Clyde coast.
However, I want to speak about another Ayrshire town, Ardrossan, whose economy was based primarily on its status as a port rather than on tourism. I will read a brief description of the Ardrossan of today:
"The town has come a long way from the time when the first settlers lived in dugouts. Today it is a thriving seaport shipping grain all over the globe."
Why, then, should I single out Ardrossan as a place desperately in need of the benefits that regeneration of the Clyde would bring? The answer is that the thriving seaport to which I have just referred is the Ardrossan that is situated 152 km south of Adelaide in Australia. It was named after Ardrossan in Ayrshire, but it is thriving while Ardrossan in Ayrshire, unfortunately, is not. Ardrossan in Ayrshire has consistently high rates of unemployment and increasing numbers of long-term unemployed.
If towns such as Ardrossan are not to be allowed to die, Scotland's parliamentarians must ensure that the Clyde is regenerated and that the people of the towns that owe their existence to the Clyde can once again know hope instead of despair.
As a native of Saltcoats, I feel at home in this debate and I welcome the idea of regenerating the Clyde coast. However, as the member for Govan, I want the regeneration of the Clyde to include the rest of the Clyde and, in particular, the centre of Glasgow.
I always think that my constituency runs from Harry Ramsden's to the Clyde tunnel. It is a scene of dreadful dereliction, although improvements have been made and there will be further improvements. We are told that the former garden festival site, Prince's dock, is to be the main focus of regeneration by Glasgow Development Agency, as the BBC and other organisations move there.
The old dry dock—I recommend a walk there because it is an amazing sight—is about to be redeveloped commercially. Many good things are happening. I hope that in discussing the Clyde coast we will include the upper Clyde so that it can all happen together—a great deal still needs to be done.
As we try to regenerate the upper Clyde, we must retain our heritage. There has been a tremendous amount of destruction. The dry dock is the only remaining part of our history. I hope that the Parliament and Executive will apply pressure to ensure that any development will preserve some of our history.
I hope that we will regenerate that area of Clydeside as every other major city has regenerated its rivers. We should remember that we want to bring employment to the people who live there. My tremendous fear for Govan is that the BBC, a film studio, and digital equipment people will move there, but they will bring in the work force from outside the city. We will be faced with the constant problem that, although many jobs are created, the unemployment figures do not go down because the people who take those jobs come from outside.
As George Lyon's motion mentions, we need river taxis and ferries to regenerate the Clyde.
My time is running out. I want us to consider this issue as a whole: the Clyde coast and Saltcoats, which is my birthplace, as well as the Govan constituency, where I now live. If we do that, we will certainly regenerate this great river.
My first job, in 1971, was for a coastal shipping company based in Glasgow. I well remember unloading cargoes of grain at Meadowside and scrap at Rothesay dock, and I remember heavy lifts at Finnieston quay.
In an article in The Independent magazine in February 1989, Ian Jack—one of the best-known Glaswegian journalists of that era—conceded that
"civic chauvinism and great injections of public money have made the best of a bad job."
However, he considered that
"the result is little more than a brightly embroidered shroud . . . Today the river, which for 200 years gave Glasgow its purpose, lies dead and empty; an ornamental pond for the mortgageable classes whose semi-detached houses brighten up the landscaped banks in new English brick."
He then commented that, although the same thing had happened in London's docklands,
"at least one kind of international trade had replaced another, today's money for yesterday's commerce. Glasgow has had to fall back on self-advertisement and history".
The word "international" strikes me as important when we consider this great river about which so many songs and so much poetry have been written. Glasgow's past was built on the foreign tobacco trade, then on the Hong Kong taipans who traded in tea and other more dubious goods. That was followed by the building of the mighty ships that were the envy of the world. The fact that the Clyde has no international deep-sea trade is blamed on peripherality, but we should turn peripherality into an advantage.
The return journey between the Clyde and north America is 6,000 miles, compared to 9,000 miles from any other major port in the UK. Any export, including whisky, costs Scottish companies far more because it cannot be exported directly from a Scottish port and, therefore, carries a premium. There have been some experiments such as the Rostok Atlantic line, but not enough effort has been made to give the Clyde the deep-sea links that would revive the area's fortunes.
Sarah Boyack's recent announcement of a £4.5 million freight facilities grant for Ayr harbour to encourage the carriage of timber by coastal shipping echoes my suggestion in a speech in September. Far from being a dying business, shipping is experiencing a revival, especially as it is an environmentally sound way of moving goods. Shipbuilding might also be able to make a recovery on the Clyde.
Although I am glad that GEC Marconi will build the new type 45 destroyers, which will secure the future of thousands of jobs, I want more commercial ships to be built there. Both Ferguson Shipbuilders and Ailsa-Troon Ltd are building small ships again.
Hunterston is probably the best bulk handling installation in Europe; it can discharge the biggest bulk cargo ships in the world in a matter of three days. It is a good distribution centre and we should be thinking about exporting bulk cargoes as well as importing them. Why not think about exporting wood chips to Japan, for example?
Mr McGrigor, I do not think that you are going to get to the end of your script. I will give you another 30 seconds.
I agree with George Lyon's point about the importance of tourism. Dunoon should be a main gateway to the Highlands and Islands, but we need good, flexible, fast and efficient ferries to cover islands such as Arran, Cumbrae and Bute. There has already been a trend of investment in the Clyde, such as the millennium link project, the developments at Pacific quay and the cities divided by rivers in Europe—or CIDRE—project. However, to enable that money to filter down the river, we need a better infrastructure and a better system of water transport.
I want to echo Gordon Jackson's approach and come at this issue from the Glasgow end of the Clyde. As a Glasgow MSP, I feel that it is important to recognise Glasgow's position as the hub of the region and to recognise that, in many ways, it is the road to the isles. Many people come to Arran, Bute and the Ayrshire coast and most of them come through Glasgow. Glasgow has 9,500 hotel rooms in a 10-mile area and there are 1.5 million tourist trips to the city every year.
As Gordon Jackson mentioned, the key to the problem is what we do with the inner-city Clyde. My friend and colleague, Christopher Mason, is the chair of Clyde Maritime Trust, which has restored the SV Glenlee, the tall ship at Yorkhill dock. The trust has provided a very nice but underused restaurant and visitor centre, which is next to the exhibition centre in an otherwise fairly long derelict area on that side of the river. We need the attractive and comprehensive inner-city riverbank facilities that have been developed in cities such as London.
As we missed the opportunity to develop the garden festival site, the Glenlee could be a focal point, particularly with the exhibition centre nearby. However, we need other facilities such as tourist attractions, speciality shops, gardens, cafés, pubs and marine attractions, and there must be effective transport links—not least walking and cycling links.
Above all, this area—from Dumbarton Road down to Partick—needs residents, perhaps through community-based housing association developments that involve current residents.
All of those are complementary to the transport issues that George Lyon talked about, and would begin to turn Glasgow's face back towards the neglected Clyde, which has been for so long the heart and soul of the city.
I will refer to the lower reaches of the Clyde. I support George Lyon's motion. Everyone here would agree that the river is a great natural asset to the communities that lie on it. It was the basis of my constituency's past success, and it could be the basis of its success in future.
The potential benefits of regeneration are clear. A boost would be delivered to the economy of the west of Scotland by fast and regular passenger links from Ayrshire to Gourock, on to Greenock and the waterfront, and then to Port Glasgow and Paisley. I apologise to Lloyd Quinan for the fact that all those places are on one side of the river, but I did not have time to think about them.
A river link between Greenock and the airport at Paisley would broaden the transport base of the lower regions of the Clyde. Better transport links would make it easier for businesses to locate away from the main centres of Glasgow and Edinburgh, and would open up Argyllshire. To realise those benefits, we need to consolidate the current unsatisfactory services. The continuation of the Gourock-Dunoon service is important to us. Major new developments are being built around that transport hub, so that service is integral to the project. We can do a lot more.
John Farquhar Munro is not here, so I will get this point in, because he did it to me last week. I am sure that members will agree that the headquarters of Caledonian MacBrayne must remain in Gourock. He will read that in the Official Report tomorrow.
If we look to the future, I believe that the benefits will be realised only if we work together and that has already started. Argyll and Bute Council, Inverclyde Council and quangos are looking at the issue. There is a responsibility on the Executive and on the Parliament to take that point on board and to move this matter forward. The potential is great, and we look forward to making progress.
I thank George Lyon for bringing forward this debate. I have asked ministers a number of questions on the development of the Clyde.
As George said, we are at a crucial point. The main reason for that is the development of the millennium canal link, which will allow sailors from northern Europe to travel all the way up the Firth of Forth, through the canal and out into the Firth of Clyde. That will give them access, for the first time, to some of the best sailing in the world. That offers great opportunities, not least in the industries of ship chandlery and repair. On my side of the river—the north side of the river—we still have apprentices who operate on small ships and yachts, but we are desperate for jobs. Other important issues on the north side of the river are the development of the national park and of Drumkinnon bay.
While we need access to Braehead and to the airport, we also need access to the River Leven, up to Loch Lomond. An integrated transport system operating from the international terminal at Glasgow airport—or west of Scotland airport, as it should be called—that would take one directly to Loch Lomond, or up the west coast, or down to the Ayrshire coast, is to be welcomed, and we should work towards that. However, the key issue is that the Clyde must surely be the largest river in western Europe that is not used as a free road—it must be remembered that the river is a free road.
We have problems with trains and transport on the north and south sides of the river, although I have to tell Duncan McNeil that the problem is slightly worse on the north side, particularly regarding road transport, because we have three major choke points on the A82 that clog the whole system. If we had a properly operating pleasure and commercial transport service on the Clyde, we could address a great number of problems.
In response to the points raised by Gordon Jackson and Trish Godman, let me say that the purpose of setting up the Clyde coast initiative is to be inclusive and to look at the problems of the Clyde estuary and the river in its entirety, not to do so from a particular angle.
As the member for Cunninghame North, I know that the river Clyde and its estuary have long since had a major impact on the lives and lifestyles of my constituents.
In the debate last week, I spoke about tourism, which features heavily in the regeneration of the Clyde. The minister said, in summing up:
"Indeed, Chay Blyth stated that the Largs Yacht Haven, which I have visited, was one of the best-kept secrets in British sailing."—[Official Report, 17 February 2000; Vol 4, c 1198.]
Chay Blyth's words are worth quoting again; although they were spoken in connection with Largs yacht haven, they apply more generally to the river and its basin.
Allied to the niche market of sailing, in Millport and Largs we have the ideal venues for the traditional day trip or weekend break, which can be marketed throughout the UK, and more widely, as part of a longer Ayrshire trail that incorporates Burns country. In Arran, we have the epitome of green tourism. In Ardrossan, we also have the potential for a gateway, or a third leg for international transport.
As George Lyon said, transport is the key to the area's economic regeneration. High-tech, fast and convenient river transportation would open up all those areas, and many more, to wider use, making the Clyde coast once more an attractive place for people to live and invest in.
The Clyde is one of the world's great waterways and much more could be done to promote the area as a whole, rather than in a fragmented way, as has arguably happened in the past. The group that we propose to form will bring people together to exploit that potential.
I am very interested in the proposals for additional sea links that were mentioned and I see no reason why fast commuter services the length of the Clyde should not complement and supplement the existing ferry network. Maritime and tourism amenities also need to be upgraded as part of a high-quality marketing strategy.
My thanks to all members for making their points so succinctly and speedily. I call Alasdair Morrison to sum up the debate.
I congratulate Mr Lyon on securing today's debate and providing an opportunity to explore a number of important issues in relation to transport infrastructure on the Clyde and the effect of transport on the area's environment and economy and the residents' quality of life.
I welcome Mr Lyon's announcement about the Clyde coast initiative and would welcome the opportunity to meet the members who are involved in it as soon as possible. I also welcome Trish Godman's important announcement that sea trout had been caught very recently just outside Port Glasgow.
On Jamie McGrigor's history lesson, for the sake of decency I will stop short of lambasting him and his party for the way in which they decimated our merchant fleet over 18 miserable years.
To return to the motion, I can assure members that the Executive attaches high priority to the issues that it mentions. Transport goes to the heart of our vision for Scotland and we are committed to delivering an integrated transport system that meets our economic and social needs and puts people first. Our transport policies aim to deliver sustainable, effective transport that addresses the needs of all in society, whether they are ferry or car users, public transport users, pedestrians or cyclists. That means providing genuine choices for all, whether we live in rural or island communities or indeed on the Clyde.
The Executive is implementing a wide-ranging, balanced and integrated strategy to deliver that vision. The strategy embraces all modes of transport and empowers local people to play a key part in achieving those goals. The strategy involves both short-term and long-term action and its priorities include: investing in Scotland's key inter-urban links; improving public transport at the local level by working with local authorities to build on the first round of local transport strategies; and using the public transport fund to deliver improvements across Scotland, including six projects totalling over £20 million in the Clyde area.
The priorities also include facilitating seamless integrated travel across our public transport links, by delivering a national transport timetable, greater through ticketing and electronic online booking systems in Scotland, such as the Scottish Tourist Board's Ossian project and Caledonian MacBrayne's new internet booking initiative.
A further priority is to meet the distinctive needs of Scotland's rural communities, including building on the success of the £14 million rural transport fund and sustaining air and sea lifeline services to the Clyde and the islands. Those issues have been raised by many members this evening.
I want to focus particularly on ferry links on the Clyde. The Executive recognises the importance of fast and efficient ferry links and their role in the social and economic well-being of the areas concerned. CalMac provides vital lifeline services on routes including Gourock to Dunoon, Wemyss Bay to Rothesay, Largs to Cumbrae and Ardrossan to Brodick—all those routes are on the Clyde, in case anyone needed to be reminded.
Our commitment to the maintenance and improvement of such vital ferry services has been demonstrated by a number of positive initiatives. We have made available £14.8 million in subsidies to Caledonian MacBrayne for 1999-2000. That is the highest ever level of subsidy and is aimed at keeping fares as low as possible. We have also asked Caledonian MacBrayne to review the success of its CFARES policy, which has operated since 1992. In doing so, the company will consult all those with an interest.
The company has been active in developing service proposals, including proposals for a new sheltered-water vessel to serve the Mallaig to Armadale route and, it is planned, to provide improved cover for winter overhauls on the Clyde. I am pleased that Caledonian MacBrayne was recently able to ensure the continued operation of the local authority service between Gourock and Kilcreggan until the Strathclyde passenger transport executive's longer-term role is clarified.
The Scottish Executive has made available an extra £20 million, which flows from the last comprehensive spending review, to enable the company to build two new ferry vessels. As Trish Godman said, both orders were won by Clyde shipbuilders, Ailsa-Troon and Ferguson. The company's service developments continue apace through its corporate planning process, which sets out the company's strategy for five forward years. We will also be considering Caledonian MacBrayne's plans through to 2003-04 as part of the spending review during the summer. As you would expect, Presiding Officer, I will not become involved in the altercation between Duncan McNeil and John Farquhar Munro.
Before I leave Caledonian MacBrayne, I must refer to a point raised by George Lyon—the Highlands and Islands transport authority. That important development was first mooted by Brian Wilson many years ago and was put on the political agenda by Calum MacDonald when he had responsibility for transport. It is now being progressed, as George Lyon said, by Sarah Boyack. He said that CalMac would be devolved to that authority. I think that, as the discussion progresses, we will find that parts of CalMac will be devolved to the authority, but those issues will be determined during the period of consultation that Sarah Boyack has instigated.
Allan Wilson mentioned fast and efficient ferry services. I suspect that he was referring to the Clydefast proposal to link the Clyde coastal towns of Brodick, Rothesay, Dunoon and Greenock using fast modern ferries. I understand that a meeting was held on 17 February, involving Renfrewshire Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise, Glasgow Development Agency and Enterprise Ayrshire, to discuss updated proposals and the possibilities for funding market research. I believe that Scottish Enterprise is considering the proposal and will respond to Clydefast's request in due course.
Mr Lyon called for action to market and promote the Clyde globally. The Executive fully recognises the tourism potential of the Clyde. Several partnership initiatives are already under way to attempt to exploit that potential, including the Clyde sea loch trail, the Bute tourism management programme and the Dunoon and Cowal area initiative. The Clyde is also featured in the Scottish Tourist Board's 2000 main overseas guide and is promoted as a location for sailing and cruising.
In conclusion, Presiding Officer—and I have no idea how much time I have left—
You are spot on, minister.
Thank you. The measures that we have set out, on ferry services and more generally, will ensure that the travel needs of people who depend on fast, efficient and, in most cases, lifeline ferry services continue to be met. Our policies are designed to cater for the short term and the long term. The Executive is committed to building on the momentum and to ensuring high-quality, integrated ferry transport to secure the economic and social well-being of all areas that depend on it, including the Clyde.
Meeting closed at 17:39.