Rally Aims To Save Glasgow Steps

Campaigners have gathered at popular city centre steps to protest against plans to demolish them to make way for a multimillion-pound shopping centre expansion. Around 100 people occupied the steps outside Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall calling on Glasgow City Council (GCC) to reverse its decision to approve the plans. The demonstration was organised by the grassroots Save Our Steps group, which has already gathered thousands of signatures on a petition supporting the preservation of the Buchanan Street landmark. The steps are a popular seating and meeting area, and the spot is often used for rallies and photoshoots. The council says the plans will help maintain Glasgow's reputation as the UK's second shopping destination after London. The £390 million shopping centre expansion will see the erection of an ''entrance atrium'' to the concert hall and mall on Buchanan Street, and the car park will be demolished and replaced. Up to 50,000 sq ft of new retail space is proposed at the south end of the current Buchanan Galleries site. But campaigners say there are already empty retail spaces in Glasgow's city centre, while other areas of the city are in greater need of regeneration. They chanted save our steps'' andGCC shame on you'' as they held up banners and signs reading hands off public spaces'' andleave Donald alone'', in reference to the statue of Scotland's first First Minister Donald Dewar, which is to be moved from its current position at the foot of the steps. Some campaigners who back Scottish independence also held up political messages, targeting the Labour-controlled council. One sign read GCC: punishing Glasgow for voting yes'' in reference to the independence referendum, while another statedred Tories out''. One of the protest organisers, Michael Skribbles, said the campaign group has already handed a 14,000 signature petition into the council, which was totally ignored''. He said the group has launched a new petition and plans to occupy the steps every Saturday until the counciltakes notice''. You only have to go a few streets away to find dozens and dozens of empty shops, so one thing we don't need is more shops,'' he said.There are so many empty units in Glasgow, money could be spent renovating the streets that those units are on.'' He insisted the protest was mainly cultural'' rather than political, adding:For many people who are here today, they are not even Yes voters, they are people who use this (the steps) for their lunch everyday or to meet people." These steps have been here for decades and Glasgow City Council is doing all it can to take them away.'' Campaigner Terence Christy, from Milngavie, said:Over the past couple of years the steps have become a great meeting point for all sorts of political events."