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Is Glasgow's West End on the move again?
The west end of Glasgow is an institution. It's the city's Bohemia, where the cognoscenti mix with students, thespians, arrivistes and the proletariat. As befits such a culturally disparate and socially exciting area, it never stays the same for long. Over the years, its hub of hip restaurants and entertainment venues has moved up and down Byres Road like a partygoer in search of a cab, and now the area is about to undergo its most dramatic transformation of recent times.
Alan Gordon highlights the increasing popularity of the city's most diverse district…
The most influential effect on the tides of change – and on the restructuring of the hospitality and catering sectors within the area – is the ongoing creation of a 'media village' on the former Garden Festival site, on the other side of the Clyde to the south and east of the west end. Media group SMG, radio station Xfm and sports giant Setanta have already decamped there and the BBC, with all its concomitant spending power, is packing up its Queen Margaret Drive headquarters in readiness for a move next year.
This exodus of media people towards the west end is not surprising; they can bike across the Bells Bridge past the SECC,or drive across the new 'Squinty Bridge' further up the Clyde to reach an eclectic mix of bars and restaurants.
Already this is having an effect on the Argyle Street corridor between Finnieston and the recently renovated Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, which itself is attracting a high-spending clientele. The hospitality offering has been greatly improved, with a number of new style bars and smart restaurants. Few would argue that the area known as The Lanes, of Ashton and Dowanside, now represents the epicentre of this developing district. Here, a new style of mass leisure tourism – new to Glasgow, at least – is thriving, with venues such as G1 Leisure's Gong and The Loft and, at the top of the road, Colin Beattie's thriving church conversion, Oran Mor. Near the Lanes, on Byres Road, successful ventures such as Paperino's West End have also made a substantial impact.
The questions now, are: Will the focus move south again, to cater for the new developments? Will the Botanic Gardens end of the area start to feel the pinch? Or could the market expand to such an extent that existing and new ventures can operate profitably? Economics argue against this; if a market is finite, so is the scope for expansion. But what if the new market for the west end comes from the city centre, which is already suffering from alcohol and violence issues?
The west end, by contrast, is perceived to be a safe place for a night out. Its mix of stylish bars and cafes, and upmarket restaurants and bistros with outdoor seating create an environment which could be considerably more attractive than a raucous, drinks- promotion-oriented city centre. However, the lesson of the Merchant City should be kept in mind. An explosion of upmarket flats in converted warehouses there did not translate immediately into a bustling social scene. Licensed ventures blossomed and faded like spring flowers, and it took nearly a decade for the district to settle into a cohesive whole.
All the ingredients are in place in the west end, but it might take a while yet before the dish is ready.
Alan Gordon
Partner
DM Hall
This article has been edited from its original version. For the complete feature please see Catering in Scotland magazine February/March 2007.
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