Concrete Dreams

Concrete Dreams: The Rise and Fall of Cumbernauld Town Centre. A visual arts project that documents and explores Cumbernauld Town Centre through the eyes of its residents, past and present. During their 18-month-long research project, the award-winning artists of Recollective gained exclusive behind-the-scenes access to Cumbernauld New Town’s iconic Town Centre.

The Town Centre Brutalist megastructure, built in the 1960s, has been bought by North Lanarkshire Council and is set to be demolished. In 2022 Historic Environment Scotland conducted an extensive public consultation to determine if the building deserved a heritage listing, and the outcome was decisive. Three-quarters of respondents wanted it demolished, giving the demolishers a clear victory. However, a small but vocal group of residents, architects and academics continues to stand in opposition, advocating for preservation and reimagining rather than total destruction.

Writer Alison Irvine, photographer and filmmaker Chris Leslie and illustrator Mitch Miller have documented the history of the Town Centre and spent time interviewing Cumbernauld’s residents past and present, collecting stories associated with the famous building, exploring perspectives and asking: save the Town Centre or demolish it?