Glasgow Fort

The second phase of the hugely successful Glasgow Fort retail development is located ten miles east of Glasgow city centre, within Easterhouse town centre and is accessed directly from Junction 10 of the M8 motorway.

Although conceived as part of the overall horseshoe-plan form and broadly within the original design concept this portion of the project was not constructed as part of the initial Phase 1 development which was completed and opened to the public in 2004.

The Phase 2 site occupies the south east portion of the shopping centre and extends to some 2Ha. The site is generally open with no specific features and the existing topography is fairly level since the ground preparation works were completed as part of the initial phase.

The brief for this phase of the project was to not only complete the final quarter of the shopping centre and present a strong edge to the motorway but also to supplement the variety of retail and restaurant unit configurations already delivered within the original phase.

The total scheme comprises 180,000ft2 of Class 1 retail accommodation of which 120,000ft2 has been constructed in a
combination of terrace, anchor store and individual stand-alone kiosk formats to satisfy current retailer and restaurant demand.
A future phase will complete the remaining 60,000ft2 of consented space in a single department store.

The horseshoe plan is terminated in an iconic three-storey pavilion which has been designed to be visible from all sides and provide a strong anchor to the end of the mall. This 80,000ft2 department store is occupied by M&S.

Massing and form together with the elevational treatment of this phase are contextual and broadly match the initial phase although an improvement in the quality of cladding materials both on the building and throughout the public realm areas is reflective of the standard of tenants now targeted at The Fort.

Careful consideration of the external public areas including design quality of hard and soft landscaping, street furniture, various quirky sculptures and art pieces complements the overall environment and customer experience.

The shopping centre has been further enhanced by major improvements to the existing roads infrastructure, M8 access, parking provision and servicing.

The contract value totalled some £18M with construction commencing in April 2014 and final shell completion achieved in June
2015. The current retailers include M&S, Wagamama, River Island and Fat Face and are all reporting very successful trading figures since the official opening in May 2015.