Eleanor McAllister OBE FRIAS FRSA is both an economist and a town planner and has worked for over 20 years in the West of Scotland using both these disciplines in developing and implementing regeneration projects.
Some of the projects with which she has been involved have been focussed on preserving the built heritage in Glasgow’s city centre, like the restoration of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s former Glasgow Herald Building to form the Lighthouse, the national centre for Architecture, Design and the City. Others have involved the reuse of existing school and community buildings to house training and employment centres in the areas of social inclusion like the Gorbals and Easterhouse.
She was Director of the Glasgow Building’s Preservation Trust in the 80’s and continued the capital works activity in Local Government for the next 15 years including three years as Depute Director of the Glasgow 1999 Festival Company which delivered the programme of events for Glasgow as the UK City of Architecture and Design.
In June 2002, Eleanor became the Managing Director of Clydebank re-built, subsequently designated as one of three ‘Pathfinder’ urban regeneration companies by the Scottish Executive in 2004. She is responsible for the masterplanning and development of 450 acres of brownfield and industrial riverside and the existing commercial areas in Clydebank’s Town centre. The first phase of the Clydebank Plan (2003-2010) will involve capital investment of £400million and the creation of 1,200 new jobs, 2,000 new homes, a new College Campus, a half million square foot of new business space and the restoration of the ‘A’-listed Titan Crane. The overarching objective is to use design and heritage as core themes in the regeneration process in Clydebank.