There was much food for thought provided by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce’s chief executive when I interviewed him recently.

Among the most attention-grabbing aspects was Stuart Patrick’s take on the state of the city centre, and specifically on the major refurbishment of Sauchiehall Street which had by that time already run on for more than 450 days.

Mr Patrick declared the redevelopment of this famous Glasgow thoroughfare had “not worked the way anyone has wanted” and had “added to the sense of decay”.

And he flagged “frustration” over the length of time it was taking for the actions that were needed on the city centre to come through.

There has at times been a distinct post-apocalyptic feel to Sauchiehall Street recently.

Mr Patrick put it less dramatically, while hitting the nail on the head, declaring: “The whole process of doing Sauchiehall Street has just added to the sense of decay. It (the work) is now coming towards its end. It has still got a bit to go.

“That has led to one of the main streets looking like a building site. It has not been well presented.”

Mr Patrick, a man who clearly cares passionately about the fortunes of Glasgow and the wider “city region” and knows all too well the economic challenges the west of Scotland faced for decades with the decline of heavy industry, always comes across as being constructive in his criticism.

And he acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing Glasgow City Council in improving the “look and feel” of the city centre.

Mr Patrick flagged his belief that lessons were being learned from what has happened with Sauchiehall Street, with the rejuvenation of Argyle........

© Herald Scotland