THE support of businesses and the people of Glasgow will be crucial to making this year’s COP26 summit a success, according to a project leader.

Ros Eales, Chief Operating Officer, COP26 Unit, said it was an exciting and historic moment for the city.

Her comments came as planning details were revealed which affect some key routes around the SEC Campus for the duration of the November 1 to 12 summit and the launch of a Get Ready Glasgow Campaign.

Among the road closures will be part of the Clydeside Expressway and organisers say the measures are needed to facilitate the safe delivery of the event and maintain the safety and security of participants, citizens and visitors.

Exact dates on the period of road closures and when they will come into effect are still to be confirmed.

Ms Eales said: “The conference will be an inclusive event, bringing together world leaders, delegates, academics, businesses, civil society groups and activists from over the world to inspire climate change action.

“Support from businesses in the city and the people of Glasgow is crucial to making this Conference a success and we thank you, as well as other businesses and communities of Glasgow, for your support so far and look forward to continuing to work with you this year.”

Businesses are being invited to sign-up for an event to find out what is being done for the arrival of the conference.

The virtual event is being organised as part of the Get Ready Glasgow campaign developed by Glasgow City Council in partnership with event organisers - the UK Government, and with Police Scotland and Glasgow Chamber of Commerce.

Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “The purpose of Get Ready Glasgow is to ensure that business and residents have the information they need to go about their daily lives while COP26 is running.

Glasgow Times: Glasgow City Council Leader Susan Aitken for Sunday Herald People Behind the Power feature. .........25/10/17. (Photo by Kirsty Anderson / Herald & Times) - KA.

“Planning teams concentrating on city operations have been established to manage the impact of COP26 on the city; and what impact the events will have on the services that the council provides to businesses and residents in their day-to-day lives.

Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins, Police Scotland, said COP26 will be one of the most high profile and significant security and policing events ever held in the UK.

Mr Higgins said: “COP presents some policing challenges but Police Scotland is well prepared for any eventuality. Our main focus will be on the delivery of a safe and secure event and also managing likely activist activity, while keeping the city, and indeed the country, operational and moving.

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Stuart Patrick, chief executive of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said few events in history can match the city’s hosting of COP26.

He added: “It is an opportunity to show just how much our city can contribute both to solving climate change and to laying the foundations for our next phase of economic growth. There will be a significant and positive long-term impact of Glasgow being at the centre of the solutions.

“It is vitally important that plans are made and implemented to handle the event and its impact on the day-to-day running of the city, and Glasgow Chamber is ready and willing to support these plans in our role as the mechanism to engage with the business community.”

Earlier this week it was suggested Glasgow’s legacy and reputation could change on a global scale if world leaders are able to reach an agreement to tackle climate change at the summit.

It is hoped that an ambitious and deliverable arrangement, the Glasgow Agreement, will be created allowing the city to convince the world they are serious about the environment.