Glasgow city centre area branded 'ghetto' amid 'smell of hash' by local councillor

People smoking cannabis and painting “frightening” graffiti are blighting the banks of the river Clyde in the city centre, according to a councillor who branded it a “ghetto.”

Bailie James Scanlon asked what the council is doing to help tackle the “proliferation of graffiti and anti-social behaviour along the Clydeside.”

Speaking at a full council meeting on Thursday, he said residents have complained about the graffiti in the area – calling it “hideous, tasteless, provocative and frightening.”

He said: “Two weeks ago my wife and I walked around that stretch and the smell of hash was unbelievable. I had a sore head for 24 hours.”

Commenting on the stretch, he said: “It is absolutely hideous and the area has been described as “ghetto-like.”

He added that a dedicated legal graffiti wall in the area was supposed to be from Stockwell Street along to Jamaica Street, which he said was not “enough.”

Councillor Ruairi Kelly, SNP, said the details of the legal wall were voted through by Labour councillor Scanlon and other city politicians in September 2023 to “look at new ways of addressing a long standing problem” of graffiti in the city.

He added: “There is a masterplan being worked on to address some of the other anti-social behaviour that is a the result of the years and years of neglect that this part of the city has seen by this city council and others.

“This is not a problem that has resulted over the last couple of years.”

He said it has been in dire need of investment.

Councillor Kelly said public CCTV cameras are checked to establish whether anti-social behaviour is taking place and incidents are reported to the police in the area.

Responding to councillor Scanlon’s concerns about anti-social behaviour, he said: “Community enforcement officers patrol the city centre and cover this area at a frequency based on intelligence.

“Senior officers of NRS meet with Police Scotland weekly to discuss anti-social behaviour in the city centre, including Clydeside and direct resources based on intelligence.”

He continued: “The NRS graffiti removal team attend the area to deal with offensive graffiti within the 48 hour service level agreement and other graffiti as resources allow. There is also a trial legal wall at Custom House Quay, which attempts to deter those who graffiti the area.

“Upon completion of the trial period, we will be able to assess whether there has been a positive impact. This is part of a new multi-partner approach to street art and a city wide protocol is currently being developed. This approach was developed following the council motion in September 2023.

“A stakeholder group has been established to oversee the introduction of legal walls including independent graffiti writers, elected Members, Glasgow Life, Glasgow School of Art, NRS, SWG3 and Clutha Trust.

“Unfortunately, many of the walls and building surfaces impacted by graffiti can be damaged by traditional methods of graffiti removal which makes the task difficult.”