About Clydebank Can
About
Clydebank Can is a community-based project that aims to bring to life the canal and bandstand area of Three Queen’s Square in Clydebank. It will bring more arts and leisure activities into the area for local people to enjoy, giving everyone in the community more opportunity to take part in events and activities which improve health and wellbeing, and increase social and economic activity in the area.
How We Began
Clydebank Can began in March 2018 as a series of placemaking workshops - an opportunity for local people to come together to input into the use and design of the town centre. The workshops were supported by the Scottish Government’s Making Places programme and followed on from the earlier Clydebank Charettes of 2015. The first event was held in the bandstand in Three Queen’s Square, just outside the shopping centre beside the canal. It provided the opportunity for local people to come together with West Dunbartonshire Council, Scottish Canals and their design teams, to give a greater level of detail about what they would like for their town centre.
The Clydebank Can workshops included a particular focus on delivering incremental change from a community level. This involved engaging with over 300 people through a series of events, including working with groups in the town centre, and three community design workshops. This engagement drew from a wide cross section of people who might use the town centre, from shoppers and residents, to traders and school pupils.
What We Discovered
The Charrette studies of 2015 and the Your Place Your Plan study of 2018/19 both highlighted that the central part of Clydebank, focused on the Canal area, is not functioning for the local community. The shopping centre closes at 5.30pm and there are a lack of eateries or activities which make people stop and engage. There is widespread agreement that the town centre needs to diversify - not just in retail but community activity, arts, culture and an evening economy to attract people to spend more time here.
Moving Forward
Community Links Scotland secured funding from the Scottish Government to deliver this project, enabling better community use of the Clydebank canal and providing a key opportunity for turning Clydebank town centre into a really vibrant place.
We want small scale community led activity to be a catalyst for making Clydebank a more attractive place to spend time - from play spaces and activities for young people, to developing community events and activities. We want to bring to life Three Queens Square, the bandstand and canal, with live music and entertainment, cafes and street food which could all help kick start a longer term transformation of the central canal area.
Clydebank Can will enable the development of a programme of events, be a point of contact for the community, and streamline the process for individuals, groups, organisations or businesses to use the Bandstand or public space. We will gather interest from local groups about developing a Community Trust so that together we can access funding for community projects and activities which support the development of our community.
By developing a consistent community-led effort to animate the area, the value of central Clydebank as a destination and market will grow, leading to other enterprise opportunities. We seek to support the introduction of more jobs, and increase employment and training.
This project strives to create spaces and routes that promote local people’s happiness, health and enjoyment of the town centre, where people feel safe, welcome, included and our community health and well-being thrives.
