The Place Fund will support community aspirations to transform the landmark Letherby Triangle on the south side into a new public space, as well as making the nearby Battlefield Rest area safer and more attractive for pedestrians and cyclists.

It will also fund improvements to the South Portland Street Suspension Bridge and the riverbank at Carlton Place, complementing the ongoing renewal of the Laurieston area and the planned River Park project at Custom House Quay.

It follows the acceptance by Glasgow City Council of a £2.25m Place Fund award from the Scottish Government.

The Fund is given to local authorities to help finance projects supporting town centre and community-led regeneration, active travel and Net Zero projects, as well as the promotion of wellbeing and inclusive economic growth.

Over £1m will support the council’s Liveable Neighbourhoods programme, including the £800,000 allocated to the Letherby Triangle and Battlefield Rest to allow work to get underway this financial year.

A further £200,000 will fund a new entrance and paths within Govan’s Festival Park to make it safer and more accessible, while an additional £100,000 will improve the public realm around Shawlands, Strathbungo and Dennistoun. Match-funding from a number of other sources will support several of the Liveable Neighbourhoods schemes.

The ongoing work to revive the riverside at Carlton Place and Custom House Quay will benefit from support of almost £500,000, seeking to replace redundant feature lighting at the A-Listed South Portland Street Suspension Bridge and make minor landscaping improvements to the south bank of the river. Work is already underway at the adjoining South Portland Street Avenues Plus project, while the wider south bank is the subject of the North Laurieston masterplan.

In addition, a £400,000 Place Fund investment will see a number of venues and facilities brought up to a satisfactory standard to allow community and third sector organisations to take on long-term leases to run them as part of the People Make Glasgow Communities (PMGC) programme.

And a £260,000 allocation will help deliver community growing spaces on council-owned land.

Councillor Angus Millar, convener for climate, Glasgow Green Deal, transport and city centre recovery at Glasgow City Council, said: “These are really welcome investments which will make a significant contribution to our ongoing work to improve Glasgow’s communities. But this will also deliver improvements where ordinary Glaswegians will see and experience the positive changes they bring.

“Projects like the Letherby Triangle and the plans for North Laurieston have the potential to transform neighbourhoods for the better and this £2.2m support takes us a considerable way to achieving that.”