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Fjord · Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 1:21 pm Post subject:

Business as usual down the green then

james73 · Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:10 pm Post subject:

Glasgow 2014 Games boss appointed

The man appointed to deliver Glasgow's Commonwealth Games in 2014 has
said his ambition is for it to be the best in the event's history.

John Scott, currently the head of the UK's anti-doping agency, will be chief
executive of the organising company.

He will have a £375m budget to deliver the sports programme, train 15,000
volunteers and monitor the development of facilities and infrastructure.

Mr Scott will replace the interim chief executive, Derek Casey, in August.

He described the new post as "the most exciting opportunity of my career".

"I'm determined that in 2014 the thousands of athletes, officials, spectators
and those watching at home will experience the best Commonwealth
Games ever staged," he said.

"Through these Games, the whole Commonwealth will see what an
amazing place Scotland is.

"With world-class facilities and venues, world-class competition and a
fantastic cultural offering, we also want to showcase the very best of the
city of Glasgow."

Mr Scott has had more than 30 years experience in domestic and international
sport and has attended six Commonwealth and six Olympic Games in
various capacities.

He was a board member of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester
and the 1994 Games in Victoria, Canada.

James H
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Happiness ain't at the end of the road - Happiness *IS* the road...

falseface · Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:43 pm Post subject:

Fjord · Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:45 pm Post subject:

3rd time lucky

james73 · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:26 pm Post subject:

MSPs approve 2014 Games tout law

New laws to clamp down on ticket touts at Glasgow's 2014 Commonwealth
Games have been unanimously approved by MSPs.

It bans ticket touts and unauthorised advertising from the immediate vicinity
of the venues.

The Commonwealth Games Bill provides for a transport plan and for the
compulsory purchase of land.

The new powers will also give Glasgow City Council powers to tackle unauthorised
advertising, in a bid to protect sponsors.

Street traders near sports venues would be banned and ticket touts could
face £5,000 fines.

The council would also be given special powers to control traffic and to
purchase land.

Trading standards officers would be given powers to seize offending
merchandise, cover billboards and signs and, under warrant, search
premises where they suspect offences are being committed.

James H
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Happiness ain't at the end of the road - Happiness *IS* the road...

james73 · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 2:03 pm Post subject:

My 2014 green village will make homes for the future

THE developer behind a £125million luxury hotel planned for Glasgow city
centre is to bid to build the Commonwealth Games village.

Glasgow-born Charles Price has put together a high-powered consortium
which has visited the site.

They are the first to lodge a formal note of interest with the city council on
the Games village development.

Mr Price said they want to build hundreds of ecological houses, at a likely
total cost of £125m, which will be the first of their kind in the world.

Much of the construction would be done off site and transported to the land
opposite Celtic Park, where the 8000 athletes will be based.

Mr Price said: "I have a long connection with the site, having been a
significant owner of land there since I took over my company in 2003."

He insisted creating long term jobs would be one of the consortium's main
priorities.

Arms length city council company City Building was invited to join the
group after Mr Price visited the operation earlier this year.

James H
_________________
Happiness ain't at the end of the road - Happiness *IS* the road...

james73 · Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 1:48 pm Post subject:

Have your say on the 2014 Games

People across Scotland will be asked what legacy they want from the 2014
Commonwealth Games at events being staged across the country.

Host city Glasgow has repeatedly said the Games will be about more than
a two-week sporting event and now the Scottish Government is holding the
events, starting later this month in Lanarkshire, to discover what lasting
benefits people want the sporting contest to leave for the country.

Presentations about the development of a Games legacy will be followed
by a question-and-answer session open to the public. Ministers will then
publish an interim action plan towards the end of this year. They will reveal
their plan next summer.

The events are taking place in towns and cities across the country, starting
at:
May 27 - Motherwell - Strathclyde Country Park 18:00-20:00
May 28 - Ayr - Citadel Leisure Centre from 18:30-20:00
June 9 - Edinburgh - City of Edinburgh Council, City Chambers from 18:00-19:30
June 12 - Dundee - Hilton Hotel, Earl Grey Place from 18:00-19:30

Further events are planned in Glasgow, Perth, Inverness, Portree, Falkirk,
Aberdeen, Oban, Dumfries, Melrose, Kirkwall and Helensburgh; details will
be given once dates and venues are confirmed.

James H
_________________
Happiness ain't at the end of the road - Happiness *IS* the road...

escotregen · Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 2:21 pm Post subject:

For a number of reasons I this morning had to do some extended walking from Westmuir Street, eventually down to the bottom of Springfield Road. This took in the site of the Price Consortium residential development land at Springfield Road near Celtic Park.

This site will be a major challenge. I recall from my time working in the East End as long ago as the late 80s when the area was looked at for redevelopment. It was a case of all-bets-off because the ground was so unstable – seems that the hundreds of Glasgow District Council flats that were being demolished were going at the right time. The ground problems included unstable geology and old, charted and un-charted, mine workings. This made development costs impossible for the Council, even with (arguably inadequate) help from the Scottish Office or Scottish Executive.To those who doubt the value of attracting major international events such as the Commonwealth Games, this demonstrates how these events might be a trigger for the type of investment that is so badly needed if development of such areas is to be undertaken.

I had also that morning been speaking to some BBC news people about the impact (or non-impact) of regeneration projects. I offered nothing to the media types because they would be interested only in the usual bone-headed negative slants; however, I do have to say that those depressing areas I was then walking about are a demonstration of how you can misspend untold ten of millions of pounds without achieving regeneration of an area. Some of those localities have been receiving huge injections of public funds for the whole of my professional career and I find myself questioning what have we, or the communities, got back in return.

An important part of the answer for me is that we have just got to really learn from past success and failures and ‘do better’ next time. I know that Communities Scotland latterly was strongly emphasising the need for structured and objective evaluations of all public projects so that we can do this learning; and I know that the likes of Ivan Turok of Glasgow University Urban Studies is pushing hard for the work around the Commonwealth Games to be based on hard learning and experience and to be directly linked into providing a lasting legacy for the host community in the East End.
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We're no supposed to talk about that.

james73 · Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 3:06 pm Post subject:

Work starts on Athletes’ Village site

WORK has started in the East End of Glasgow on the Athletes' Village for the
2014 Commonwealth Games.

A drilling rig has been brought in near the Clyde to investigate ground
conditions prior to building work - the first sign of the regeneration the
event sparked.

Ecological studies will also be carried out before the bulldozers move in to
bring the 95-acre site opposite Celtic Park up to an acceptable standard.

The Village will accommodate 1000 houses and flats during the Games, as
well as facilities for the athletes.

Once the event is finished, temporary buildings will be removed and a
further 500 homes built.

A total of 300 homes will be available for social renting and the area will
also house a 120-bed home for the elderly.

Archie Graham, the city council's executive member for social work
delivery, said: "Following decades of industrial neglect, it is essential the
land is fit for purpose.

James H
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Happiness ain't at the end of the road - Happiness *IS* the road...

james73 · Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:38 pm Post subject:

Put something back in if you want to benefit from 2014

FIRMS hoping to cash in when Glasgow hosts the Commonwealth Games will
have to promise to give something back to the city's most needy residents.

Council bosses are determined not to make the mistake of other cities that
have hosted major events but failed to achieve any long-term benefit.

And on Friday the executive committee is likely to agree that council
contracts for 2014 Games related projects will include a clause saying
firms bidding for work must create employment, training or business
opportunities for local people and companies.

James H
_________________
Happiness ain't at the end of the road - Happiness *IS* the road...