SKATEBOARDERS and other urban sports enthusiasts are eyeing dead space under a busy motorway for a park.

Glasgow Urban Sports (GUS) has renewed a project which would see vacant land under the M74 at Port Eglinton being turned into a public park designed for skating, BMX and parkour.

The group has launched a public survey to build a business case for the “urban park” which they hope will see skateboarding ramps and other structures installed on the site.

Neil Davidson, chair of GUS, said the park would be open to all: “There has been a boom of people – particularly girls and young women – getting into skateboarding since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

“If you have kids, you’ll likely have a scooter, a skateboard or a BMX in the house, so going to the skate park to get some exercise is something pretty much everyone can do.”

The group launched the project eight years ago but there has been no movement on it in that time.

Mr Davidson said: “We hired a professional fundraiser and they said you need to have a survey to get the numbers to show people’s interest in the park, so that is what we are doing to get the authorities on board.”

He sees the park as being not just a space where skaters, bikers and free-runners can play, but as a potential attraction in a run-down part of town.

He added: “The idea is that it would be a place that everyone can come. There are also two cycle lanes either side of the site, so our park can create a connecting corridor between the two routes.

“Because it would be covered by the motorway, it’s always going to be dry and we will want it to be free to use.”

The project is still in its very early stages and Mr Davidson urged residents to respond to the survey to make the case for the park.

It is not clear to whom the land belongs but Transport Scotland, which oversaw the construction of the viaduct under which the park would be built, was approached for comment.

You can see the survey here.