Consultation on Glasgow city centre plans to begin

Published: 12 October 2023

Residents, businesses, and organisations are being invited to have their say on proposals to take Glasgow city centre forward into the next decade.

With an increased focus on the future of town and city centres, the consultation on the City Centre Strategy will give Glaswegians the opportunity to shape Scotland's most important economic area, including creating more jobs, providing better transport options and increasing the residential population.

The plan pulls together a series of actions to shape the regeneration of the city centre including the redevelopment of George Square, supporting the night-time economy, and creating a new cultural quarter.

It will also incorporate the recommendations from the recent report into the future of the Golden Z, the city's retail core.

Following from the first strategy which covered the period between 2014 and 2019 and the work in recent years to aid the city's Covid recovery, the latest proposals will take the city up to 2030 and come at a time of significant change for urban centres.

The rise of online shopping, the impact of the pandemic on office space and footfall, planning for Net Zero and new opportunities flowing from the emergence of new sectors locating in the city centre are addressed in the strategy.

Currently home to more than 150,000 jobs, over 4,000 businesses, and generating annual economic activity of almost £10billion, Glasgow city centre remains Scotland's most important economic asset.

The draft strategy will seek the approval of the City Administration Committee this week where, if successful, it will go out to public consultation.

Councillor Angus Millar, Convener for City Centre Recovery, said that while it was necessary to build on the city centre's successes across many sectors it was also critical that Glasgow was at the forefront of urban transformation to retain its vibrancy and competitiveness.

He said: "The city centre is experiencing significant and rapid change and that requires a clear and coherent vision to take that forward, one that ensures it remains Scotland's most important economic space while becoming greener, more vibrant and with a much bigger population." 

Actions supporting the new strategy include the continuing roll out of the Avenues programme, which has so far transformed large sections of Sauchiehall Street and is noe extending into surrounding streets. Building on several key assets and institutions, delivering on the strategy would see the Sauchiehall Street area reimagined as Glasgow's cultural quarter, while a new focus the evening and night-time economies would assist in the sector's adaption to the changes in consumer habits affecting it.

Other actions include small-scale greening including creating pocket parks, completing the development of Custom House Quay and delivery of the River Park at the Broomielaw.

It would also put into action the conversion of former office space into residential and other commercial uses, as well as seeking the necessary additional powers to enable more direct action to directly target owners of vacant/problem sites and delivering recommendations from the Golden Z research.

The strategy builds on proposals to support new residential communities with infrastructure and amenity space, such as play areas, improving connectivity with neighbourhoods such as Sighthill and Gorbals on the city centre periphery, and supporting community projects such as murals and winter lighting. 

Crucially, it will ensure that the city is able to open more doors to digital, hi-tech, research and engineering businesses and start-ups seeking city centre locations, such as the plans for the Met Tower, which will open as a major new hi-tech centre next year.

Councillor Millar added: "The new City Centre Strategy brings together work from our Vision for the 'Golden Z' of traditional shopping streets, to the regeneration of neighbourhoods like Garnethill, Broomielaw, Merchant City and Townhead, through to the redevelopment of George Square and creation of a new cultural quarter.

"People across the city and beyond have a stake in the future of Glasgow city centre. It's the heart of Scotland's only metropolitan region and vital to the social and economic well-being of this city. I look forward to the coming public consultation on the Strategy so that everyone can have their say."

Stuart Patrick, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce chief executive, said: "A long-term strategic view like this is very welcome as Glasgow city centre faces a range of pressing and developing challenges from transport and empty units to footfall and the night-time economy. From that perspective, we're encouraged to see that the strategy includes positive initiatives developed through the City Centre Task Force and previous work programmes, including the Golden Z review and recommendations on commercial property repurposing. It's also pleasing to see the continuation of the avenues project, proposals for a cultural quarter for Sauchiehall Street and the creation of a dedicated development support team.

"Private sector investment will of course be crucial for delivery, and we've seen the success of that in the recent past with ongoing regeneration projects at St Enoch Centre and the Met Tower. This strategy will help set the principles upon which we design the next version of Glasgow city centre, with the aim of making it a magnetic experience that still embraces retail, hospitality and boasts a vibrant, growing and innovative economy. This is a fantastic opportunity for the people of Glasgow to have their say on these matters and we'll be encouraging our members to do that as well."

The public consultation on the draft City Centre Strategy will run from 20 October - 3 December.