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| Plan to demolish Glasgow tower blocks in opening ceremony scrapped | Plan to demolish Glasgow tower blocks in opening ceremony scrapped |
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| Plans to demolish distinctive tower blocks as part of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony have been scrapped. | |
| Glasgow 2014 chiefs had intended to blow down five of the six remaining 1960s Red Road flats at the 23 July event, with footage beamed into the Celtic Park ceremony, to an estimated global TV audience of more than a billion people. | Glasgow 2014 chiefs had intended to blow down five of the six remaining 1960s Red Road flats at the 23 July event, with footage beamed into the Celtic Park ceremony, to an estimated global TV audience of more than a billion people. |
| Organisers had said the plan, unveiled on 3 April, would commemorate an important part of the city's social history. | Organisers had said the plan, unveiled on 3 April, would commemorate an important part of the city's social history. |
| But it attracted fierce opposition from critics who said it was insensitive to former residents and to the asylum seekers who occupy the sixth block. An online petition calling for the plans to be dropped attracted thousands of signatures. | But it attracted fierce opposition from critics who said it was insensitive to former residents and to the asylum seekers who occupy the sixth block. An online petition calling for the plans to be dropped attracted thousands of signatures. |
| In a statement, the Glasgow 2014 chief executive, David Grevemberg, said: "The demolition of Red Road will now not feature as part of the opening ceremony." | |
| Grevemberg said the decision was taken after opinions were expressed that "change the safety and security context". | |
| While he did not give details, recent reports had suggested that families living near the demolition site were vowing not to leave the blast zone in protest at the proposals. | |
| The chief executive said safety was the authorities' main priority. "The decision to feature the live demolition of five Red Road blocks within the opening ceremony was planned both as commemoration of a part of Glasgow's social history as well as a statement of the city's regeneration," he said. | |
| "We made it clear from the outset the absolute priority was safety and that this event would only happen during the opening ceremony if it [were] safe to do so. Over the past few days it has become clear that opinions have been expressed [that] change the safety and security context. | |
| "Glasgow 2014, games partners and key stakeholders, including Police Scotland and Glasgow Housing Association (GHA), are not prepared to allow what was proposed [as] a positive act of commemoration to create risk for all concerned, including the communities of north-east Glasgow." | |
| He said the demolition of the Red Road blocks – originally planned to take until 2017 –was a matter for the GHA and will take place as part of their regeneration programme. "It remains our intention to dedicate an element within the ceremony to telling the story of Glasgow's social history and regeneration. | |
| "Tomorrow marks 100 days until the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. We will unveil the Glasgow 2014 medals, the greatest prize for athletes of the Commonwealth. This is a day of excitement and anticipation for each one of the 4,500 athletes who will come to Glasgow in 12 weeks to compete for gold and glory." |