A GORBALS resident says she ‘loves’ living in the area, praising its sense of community.
Lisa Gillen, who has lived in the area since she was 14, says if you ever need any support you will always find it.
The 52-year-old said: “The Gorbals used to get a lot of bad press a long time ago but from my perspective, if you’re really struggling and you needed anything there’s a lot of great wee community initiatives.
“There are community meals, breakfasts, lots of great groups offering great projects so you’ll never be alone.”
Lisa, who volunteers with several groups and created Friends of Richmond Park, says there is a "nice mix of past and present” throughout the Gorbals.
We met Lisa as part of a joint series between the Glasgow Times and our sister title The Herald as we look at the issues affecting different parts of the city.
As we walked through the Gorbals' Rose Garden she said: “You’ve got the old part of the Gorbals and the Oatlands with green spaces but you’ve got all these fantastic new houses.
“You don’t realise you’re so near the city centre and nice quiet spaces like this.
“People in the Gorbals are realising having these spaces in the Gorbals, there’s sanctuary there and it connects them back to feeling connected to themselves as well.”
Lisa says the Gorbals has a good mix of facilities, but many residents would like to see a purpose-built community centre
She said: “We’ve got the new Health and Care Centre, a small shopping row at Crown Street and then the main retail park, there’s small shops dotted about.
“But the one thing people are more concerned with is it doesn’t have a purpose-built community facility.
“The St Francis Centre is a community facility, but it’s run by Glasgow Life.
“A lot of local people say they would like a purpose-built facility in the heart of the Gorbals, but we’ve got smaller facilities dotted throughout.”
There has been a longstanding issue with people parking their cars in the area when accessing the city centre but she says it has become “more troublesome” since the LEZ was introduced on June 1, 2023.
Walking along Old Rutherglen Road, the mum-of three said: “It’s a longstanding issue; this isn’t just something new.
“You’ve got new developments, but they’ve not created any parking.
“But also, with the introduction of the LEZ in the city centre more people are parking in the Gorbals which is affecting daily life.”
Lisa says on Monday to Thursday, residents often have to drive around a car park “three or four times” before they are able to find somewhere to park during the day.
She continued: “We don’t want the only thing we talk about to be parking but unfortunately it is and the council aren’t coming to address those concerns.
“If people aren’t feeling listening to they’re just going to keep moaning about it.”
The Glasgow Times previously reported residents and business owners in the Gorbals were contacted by the council last year asking them to complete an online survey about proposed parking controls and traffic measures.
Local John Crossan said at the time he fears residents are being punished and may be forced to pay to park outside their homes because of the rise in people using the area as a car park.
Referring to the proposals, Lisa added: “I think more people should be involved in decisions that are affecting their space and place, I feel passionate about that.
“We need to ensure we’re making enough effort to include local people.”
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