By Elliott West
Introduction
The news is often filled with stories of woe and despair, especially when it comes to various snooker club closures so it is always refreshing to read when a new club actually opens. This is the case in Glasgow where plans have been submitted to Glasgow City Council to regenerate a brownfield site at 55-57 Maxwell Road and build on the land with the construction of a pedestrian food parade, a snooker club, an indoor food court and shisha deck.
The Plan
Known as Southside 57, the ‘social hub’, would transform the area, building on vacant land. The brainchild of Asif Nasair of Sama Enterprise Ltd, the application aims to create new life to the land which was the former home of the Caledonian Railway Engineers department. Nasair commented on the plan saying:
“It has been “in a state of steady decline for many years”, the plans state. “These proposals seek to regenerate this site area into a vibrant community asset within the culture of Glasgow’s South Side.”
Eight food venues would be housed in the old shipping containers with access for vehicles and pedestrians. Part of the area would vehicle-free, to allow for outdoor seating and no alcohol would be sold on-site. This would decrease the risk of the increase of anti-social behaviour due to excessive alcohol consumption and reassure local residents that noise levels would not dramatically increase as a result.
The aim of the project is also to fit into the local surroundings, causing a minimum impact. With total cover to the site, visitors will be able to enjoy their stay and not have to worry about battling the elements of British weather.
The snooker hall would have fifteen tables and a separate social hub, with eight to ten pool tables. A great announcement for a city such as Glasgow which has produced some world-class players such as John Higgins, Stephen Maguire and Alan McManus to name but a few. An important announcement for grassroots snooker and a project that I am sure that all in the snooker community hope will succeed.
