Short film shows plans to restore Govan Graving Docks to former glory
The area has lain derelict for almost 40 years.
Last updated 8th Nov 2024
A new short film is giving a glimpse of plans to transform the Govan Graving Docks in Glasgow into a neighbourhood with 300 hundred homes.
It's directed by BAFTA winning film maker Chris Leslie and shows proposals to create a space for historic boat repairs.
He said: "For centuries, the phrase, ‘Glasgow made the Clyde, and the Clyde made Glasgow,’ has spoken to the city’s intimate connection with the river, capturing its romanticised legacy.
"But today, for many, the Clyde feels like a shadow of its former self—a still and silent divider rather than a unifying force.
"The shipbuilding era days that once defined it is long gone, and much of its rich heritage has been dismantled and discarded.
"To me, it’s a tragedy that the city has turned its back on the river and its history."
Earlier this year feasibility studies began into bringing commercial shipping building back to the docks.
Marine Projects Scotland also brought the iconic TS Queen Mary back over to the docks - the first ship to sit there in over 35 years.
Peter Breslin, founder of Marine Projects Scotland, said: “We are all working as part of a team to redevelop the site and bring it back to life. What we are doing at Dock No.1 is creating a working dry dock and up to 50 jobs which benefits the local economy.
“That fits into the masterplan because in Dry Dock No.2 there is going to an historic ship permanently situated there.
"Dock No3 will potentially be the location for house boats overlooked by the new flats on Govan Road.
“This project will bring communities and people together. It needs to happen and something that should have happened years ago.”
Watch the film here.