Traffic barriers are being installed, construction sites put in place, and hoardings surrounding the Square are being erected.
The historic transformation of our city’s foremost public space is underway.
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A project of this scale and significance has, of course, required a huge amount of planning.
And throughout the various design stages, we’ve made sure that Glaswegians have had the opportunity to have their say on what their new Square will look like.
But seeing the physical works begin is when things get properly real.
This is a genuinely exciting moment for our city.
Glaswegians have waited decades for the transformation of George Square.
It’s been tired looking for too long and simply isn’t befitting of a city of Glasgow’s standing.
Glasgow Times readers will, I’m sure, recall Labour’s abandoned promise to revamp the Square over a decade ago.
Launched with their usual bluster, they promised citizens the opportunity to pick their favourite design for the transformation of the space.
But when they were unhappy with the choice of Glaswegians, they threw their toys out of the pram and pulled the plug on the whole project.
In typical Glasgow Labour fashion, it was an embarrassment and a fiasco.
Two really important things, however, did emerge from Labour’s shambles.
The first was the clear message that citizens had to be involved in any George Square redesign from the outset.
And secondly, they wanted something in keeping with the Square’s character but with more green space, more trees, and better surfaces.
Glaswegians wanted somewhere pleasant where they could come and spend more time with friends and family, a civic space that wasn’t surrounded on all sides by lanes of traffic.
When the SNP City Administration was elected in 2017, we pledged to deliver on that.
Covid stalled our progress but we’ve made sure our designs are both fitting and agreed, and in the coming days the spades will be going into the ground.
So, what can our citizens expect?
Well, by autumn 2026, Glasgow will have a much more attractive, modern Square, one with the greenery they’ve asked for and where the tired tarmac is replaced with a high-quality stone finish.
A gathering point for the city, it will retain what Glaswegians love about the Square but bring around the changes to make it the international-quality civic space Glasgow deserves.
I’ve heard it said that Glasgow is a European city which doesn’t always offer a European-quality experience.
This will go some way to addressing that.
The Square’s closure also means that the removal and restoration of the statues can take place next month, with the main construction work then getting underway at the start of June.
Inevitably, there will be an element of inconvenience as the works take place.
And it also means the Square will be closed off during next summer’s Commonwealth Games.
During construction, the council will ensure businesses and residents are kept informed of the progress of the works and any potential disruption this will cause.
And we’re discussing with the Games organisers which other public spaces across the city will be put into use as spaces for citizens and visitors to gather during Glasgow 2026.
Glasgow simply cannot put the transformation of the city centre on hold for another 18 months.
And they have my promise that when it reopens in autumn 2026, Glaswegians will be hugely proud of their new world-class George Square.
ON Friday we said our goodbyes to my dear friend, Christina McKelvie. Christina was loved not just by those who knew her well but by those she represented, a rare thing for any politician and testament to the incredible person she was. She lit up Scottish politics with her charisma, humour, honesty and her empathy.
Though she was MSP for Hamilton, Stonehouse and Larkhall for 14 years until her death, Christina was a proud Glaswegian. She wore her Easterhouse roots on her sleeve, a straight-talking, working-class woman who was warm and compassionate and spent her life fighting injustices wherever she found them.
There is so much I could say about the mark she left on our politics, how she continually proved her patronising, classist and misogynistic critics wrong or her commitment to her constituents and to Scotland. But above all she was a beloved mum to Jack and Lewis and partner to Keith, a wonderful person and a terrific friend. We are all missing you Christina, more than you could know.
