Latest news with #GardenFestival
Glasgow Times
17-05-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Plans for homes at former Glasgow Garden Festival site
Glasgow City Council has received an application from Surplus Property Investments, which requests permission to develop empty land at Festival Gate – near the BBC's Pacific Quay headquarters. The old dockland was used for the Garden Festival in 1988, which attracted over four million visitors to the city. Since the end of the festival, several projects have been proposed for the site but none have resulted in development. The firm behind the current plans was granted permission for residential, retail, office and cafe use in 2020. READ MORE: Major airline announces new Glasgow Airport route - and kids can fly for free But the new application states, following the pandemic, the 'market demand for office space has reduced significantly further. 'This reduction in demand led the applicant to reconsider the consented development,' it adds. 'The revised proposals will see the removal of the office and café units… as well as an increase in the number of residential units, a reduction in parking spaces, and alterations to the design of the blocks.' The developers want to build a mix of two and three-bedroom flats, with 49 homes across two blocks. Plans state they 'do not seek a radical design departure from the prior consented scheme'. It is understood 35 homes were previously proposed. READ MORE: Child, 7, excluded from primary school after being 'caught with knife' A ground-floor retail unit is included and a rooftop terrace is planned on one of the blocks. There would be 32 car parking spaces. The site was once part of Prince's Dock, which ceased to operate as a commercial dock in 1970s and lay derelict until the eastern portion was infilled in the 1980s, and became part of the Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988. Opened by Prince Charles and Princess Diana, the festival is seen as 'a pivotal moment in the city's revival after its industrial decline.' It was held between April and September and attractions included the 73-metre Clydesdale Bank tower, a roller coaster and vintage trams. The wider festival site, which covered 120 acres, has been used for a range of developments, including the Glasgow Science Centre, the BBC headquarters and STV's offices.
The National
13-05-2025
- Business
- The National
Almost 50 homes could be built on site near BBC HQ in Glasgow
Glasgow City Council has received an application from Surplus Property Investments which requests permission to develop empty land at Festival Gate — near the BBC's Pacific Quay headquarters. The old dockland was used for the Garden Festival in 1988, which attracted over four million visitors to the city. Since the end of the festival, several projects have been proposed for the site but none have resulted in development. The firm behind the current plans was granted permission for residential, retail, office and café use in 2020. READ MORE: Andrew Bowie panned over 'contempt for scientific evidence' with climate comments But the new application states, following the pandemic, the 'market demand for office space has reduced significantly further'. 'This reduction in demand led the applicant to reconsider the consented development,' it adds. 'The revised proposals will see the removal of the office and café units… as well as an increase in the number of residential units, a reduction in parking spaces, and alterations to the design of the blocks.' (Image: Grant Murray Architects) The developers want to build a mix of two and three-bedroom flats, with 49 homes across two blocks. Plans state they 'do not seek a radical design departure from the prior consented scheme'. It is understood 35 homes were previously proposed. A ground floor retail unit is included and a rooftop terrace is planned on one of the blocks. There would be 32 car parking spaces. The site was once part of Prince's Dock which ceased to operate as a commercial dock in 1970s and lay derelict until the eastern portion was infilled in the 1980s, and became part of the Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988. Opened by Prince Charles and Princess Diana, the festival is seen as 'a pivotal moment in the city's revival after its industrial decline'. It was held between April and September and attractions included the 73-metre Clydesdale Bank tower, a roller coaster and vintage trams. The wider festival site, which covered 120 acres, has been used for a range of developments, including the Glasgow Science Centre, the BBC headquarters and STV's offices.
BBC News
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Meet the North Yorkshire woman who restores garden gnomes
It sounds like the start of a fairytale - at the end of a country garden, there's a hut full of little men in brightly coloured clothes, looking a little shabby around the all here, patiently waiting for a summer makeover from Caroline Smale, Great Ouseburn's gnome restorer, who is happy to give them a fresh lick of paint for little more than a month before the North Yorkshire village's annual Garden Festival, and residents are keen to give their garden gnomes some much-needed TLC. "I help get the gnomes into the best possible shape. I don't mind being known as doing daft things, as a bit of a quirky person. It's just a bit of fun," says Caroline of her restoration service. Hidden among the pots and plants in the garden is her own collection of around 40 figurines in different shapes and sizes. Caroline and her husband started to receive gnomes as presents from friends as "a bit of a joke" but over the years, they've become an important fixture of village has the job of mascot for the ladies' garden golf team, while others are involved in a long-running, and yet unresolved, mystery."It hasn't happened for a year or so, but the gnomes used to disappear and end up in someone else's garden and I'd have to go and collect them."I have a suspect but he will only say the gnomes followed him. But I always know where they are. A gnome will always come home."The restoration workshop was launched last year after she posted on the Great Ouseburn Facebook page, which is the place that "all the mad things that go on in the village" get advertised, according to Caroline. She was "quite surprised" by the response to her offer."It's been great because I've met loads of new people in the village; there are always people moving in that you don't know."Then they'll come round to the festival, so it works really well to raise interest, make money for the village and have a great day."Making sure to document the before and after, Caroline restores each gnome to its former glory, taking up to two days to finish each one. Her only request is that gnome-owners make a donation to the Great Ouseburn Garden Festival annual event sees residents open their gardens for the public to explore, alongside food stalls, performing choirs and classic car displays. Caroline will soon be hard at work painting in preparation for this year's event, which takes place on 1 June. This time her services have even been promoted on the festival's event page, meaning she could be busier than ever. However despite the steady stream of gnomes in need of a makeover, she doesn't think the village is under any threat of being overrun. "I don't think we've got any more than average – but I think maybe we've got a little more interest," she adds."It's just good fun. The gnome painting workshop is now open in my summerhouse. People can come round, drop their gnomes off and come back and collect them later, all spruced up." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Associated Press
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Beijing Chaoyang Garden Festival Kicks Off in the Bustling City
Chaoyang, Beijing: Where Urban Vibrancy Meets Floral Splendor BEIJING, CHINA - Media OutReach Newswire - 7 April 2025 - A floral symphony is unfolding across Chaoyang District, transforming this bustling hub into a vast garden, with every street corner adorned with floral displays. To celebrate this floral splendor, the district government has established a Garden City Demonstration Zone and launched the Chaoyang Garden Festival. During this grand festival, parks across the district showcase their unique floral displays in different months, offering visitors a visual and spiritual feast. From the 'Field of Flowers' season at the Olympic Green to the tulip festival at Chaoyang Park, from the crabapple blossom viewing season of Yuan Dynasty City Wall Relics Park, and the lotus festival at Honglingjin Park—throughout the year, flowers bloom in succession. This fusion of urban vibrancy and natural beauty creates an atmosphere where residents and visitors can enjoy the harmony of nature and culture, as well as the comfort of a refined lifestyle. Themed 'Beautiful Chaoyang: A Garden City,' this year's Garden Festival features the brand 'Yi Lu Xiang Yang' (literally 'Growing Toward the Sun'), featuring a stylized Chinese character "花" (flower) in its logo, symbolizing the district's growth toward sunlight. In recent years, Chaoyang has been working to create an eco-friendly living quarter that blends parks, commerce, technology, and culture, enhancing residents' quality of life. By the end of 2024, the district had opened 68 boundary-free parks, renovated 12 age-inclusive parks, and built 310 kilometers of greenways, laying the foundation for its garden city vision. This year, Chaoyang plans to further expand its parks, connect greenways, upgrade age-inclusive parks, and implement the 'One Park, One Specialty Flower' and garden-esque block initiatives, striving to create a garden city that is surrounded by forests, dotted with parks, with blended scenes and colorful blossoms. Covering an area of 470.8 square kilometers, Chaoyang is a vital window on Beijing's international exchanges. It is home to nearly all foreign embassies in China, as well as 90% of foreign media outlets, 80% of international organizations and chambers of commerce, 70% of multinational corporations' regional headquarters stationed in Beijing, and hosts over 50% of the city's international conferences. Many expatriates from around the world live and work here. As flowers bloom across Chaoyang, we invite you to explore the district with all its urban vibrancy and natural beauty. Hashtag: #ChaoyangGardenFestival
