Bosses reply to criticism of Red Road demolition plans

NEWS of the demolition of the Red Road flats has caused a great deal of reaction.

Many questions have been asked about making this part of the opening ceremony for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. We have put some of those questions to Dr Bridget McConnell, chief executive of Glasgow Life; David Grevemberg, chief executive of Glasgow 2014; and David Fletcher, director of regeneration at Glasgow Housing Association

Isn't the move to blow down the flats as part of an entertainment spectacular insensitive to the memory of the people who lived in them? They will clearly be upset at the demise of the place they once called home

McConnell: This bold image - for present and future generations - will create an unforgettable moment in time to mark how Glasgow continues to strive for better. For more than five decades the flats have played a role in shaping the lives of thousands of families, for whom these flats have simply been home. The end of Red Road is too important for Glasgow not to share.

Grevemberg: By sharing and commemorating the final moments of the Red Road flats with the world as part of the Opening Ceremony, Glasgow is showing it is a city that is proud of its history but does not stand still. It shows a city constantly regenerating, renewing and re-inventing itself. Our story, Glasgow's story, is always one of its people; their tenacity, their genuine warmth, their ambitions. And along with the story of the Commonwealth, we are reflecting the symbolism of where we have been and where we are going.

How can you guarantee the demolition will go off as planned when you will be dependent on other factors?

Fletcher: As with all of GHA's scheduled demolitions, this programme will be conducted within a full health and safety regime. The priority is, as it is in every case, keeping people safe and ensuring people and communities most directly impacted are involved and informed in the process. This demolition is no different in that regard. We have already demolished two blocks at Red Road and many blocks elsewhere in the city that have all gone to plan.

Grevemberg: Health and safety is paramount in all of this. Planning for the Opening Ceremony will also include a version of the show that does not include the demolition aspect should it not be possible to take place for any reason.

While the demolition will be spectacular, is the destruction of tower block slums really the message Glasgow wants to send out to the world, especially those in the Commonwealth who live in far worse slums than this?

McConnell: This is about more than creating an iconic moment for the Opening Ceremony; it is about the next step in the regeneration of one of Glasgow's most famous communities. It symbolises the changing face of the city over the years and recognises our proud social history. Glasgow's Opening Ceremony is right to celebrate that history, but we will do so in a sensitive manner.

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Bosses reply to criticism of Red Road demolition plans