Balgray Boardwalk
The old Waterworks in Barrhead have been made into a large country park in a partnership between East Renfrewshire and Glasgow City Councils with Scottish Water. Dams to Darnely Country Park is a spectacular site of Victorian engineering on a large scale, consisting of a series of reservoirs linked by lades and rills, which once provided fresh water to the south of Glasgow.
Balgray is the largest and highest reservoir and sits with fine views over the city and to the Arrochar Alps. Access is however very limited due the Aurs Road, which cuts across one edge of the reservoir linking the adjacent communities of Newton Mearns and Barrhead. Aurs Road is constrained because it runs along the reservoirs dam wall and has no room for a pavement or cycle lanes.
Our work involved exploring the feasibility and possible design of a boardwalk along Aurs Road to provide an active travel route between the two communities, and also opening up access to this end of the country park.
We worked with seven local schools to develop ideas for public art for the project. We also worked with a group of adult volunteers to explore ideas through printmaking and poetry. Our team included the poets Alec Finlay and Ken Cockburn and the surface art collaborative Bespoke Atelier. The ideas from the art workshops and from our artists were embedded in the designs.
The boardwalk is to be more than just a route and encompasses spaces for education, events, community and play.
erz organised two well attended and well received public exhibitions to present the ideas to the people of Barrhead and the people of Newton Mearns.
Work on the development of the boardwalk is ongoing.
