Tom Arthur MSP, minister for public finance, planning and community wealth, opened the new park by cutting a ribbon close to the park’s entrance. He and Clyde Gateway board member Rosie Robertson also gave speeches on their hopes that the park would prove popular with local residents.

Work started at Riverside Park in December 2021 to transform the previously vacant and inaccessible site into a dynamic new green space which provides direct access from Dalmarnock to the Clyde Walkway with new footpaths, lighting, rain gardens, informal play and landscaped areas. The new footpaths and pedestrian routes to the River Clyde, installation of lighting and easy access to nearby residential areas is set to become a popular new destination.

The new greenspace is accessible via Solway Street, just off Carstairs Street, and will support the delivery of hundreds of new residential units as well as commercial spaces which will bring jobs to the area. As part of Clyde Gateway’s ongoing commitment to increasing biodiversity and reducing the area’s carbon footprint, over 5000 square metres of shrubs and 45 trees have also been planted at Riverside Park.

Together with Clyde Gateway’s investment into creating this new space, £750,000 of funding for the project was provided by the Scottish Government through its Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme, and £98,000 through its Nature Restoration Fund.

Meanwhile, work is currently underway on a further green infrastructure project at Old Dalmarnock Road, where a former vacant 5.7-acre site is being transformed into active greenspace.

Clyde Gateway board member Rosie Robertson said: “Everyone at Clyde Gateway is committed to reimagining once derelict and inaccessible sites into attractive new green spaces that the local community can really benefit from. This investment also helps to attract much needed new homes and job opportunities to the area.

“The park’s design opens up views of the River Clyde, maximising its proximity to the water. It’s really important to us that we support as many people as possible to access the park, one of the reasons why lighting has been installed throughout, making it brighter and safer. Riverside Park is another green investment that is making Clyde Gateway a popular choice to work, live and play.”

Tom Arthur MSP, the Scottish Government’s minister for public finance, planning and community wealth, said: “Clyde Gateway and the local community are to be congratulated for bringing this vacant site back into use and I am glad to be formally opening the park.

“This is the first project completed under the Scottish Government’s £50 million low carbon Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme and is a good example of driving regeneration and innovation while improving biodiversity and tackling climate change as part of the wider transformation of our economy.

“Many thousands of people live within a 20 minute walk of the new park and others will experience it as they cycle, wheel or walk along the Clyde Walkway. Crucially, this new Riverside Park can help attract further investment needed to secure regeneration and transformation of the surrounding land.”