Development: Queensland Court and Gardens

Developers: Glasgow City Council and Southside Housing Association

Location: Cardonald, Glasgow

Queensland Court and Gardens is a scheme to retrofit the green infrastructure surrounding two existing apartment blocks, providing 228 homes on land located within Cardonald in Glasgow with ‘nature on the doorstep’. The site lies within the most deprived 10% of areas in Scotland according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020. It is geographically bound by a railway and dual carriageway enclosing the development to the north and east. Despite these constraints, the retrofitting showcases an exemplar study of an urban green infrastructure site. The project was successful due to the partnership between Southside Housing Association, (the owners and managers of the tower blocks), and Glasgow City Council.

Overall, the project aims to create a green infrastructure asset by integrating new features to manage the flood risk for the wider Cardonald and Hillington catchment. The design enhances the underused open space that is often flooded and unusable by integrating SuDS features, encouraging low carbon behaviours, and implementing areas for community engagement with nature. Queensland Court and Gardens portrays an excellent example of how community-led green infrastructure can be retrofitted in cities to deliver natural assets for people in deprived areas.