August 31 2023

A series of rundown, neglected and forgotten spaces lining Glasgow's 'Golden Z' shopping zig-zag are being lined up as meanwhile spaces by councillors as part of a vision and delivery plan to diversify the struggling retail route.

The City Administration Committee are mulling three areas of focus to plug the gaps left by lost venues, nightclubs and department stores along its route; namely the fire damaged husks of the former ABC and Glasgow School of Art, a gap site opposite the former BHS and the sprawling no man's land behind the old TJ Hughes store.

Stantec, Threesixty Architecture and Kevin Murray Associates have been tasked with stiffening the backbone of Argyle, Buchanan and Sauchiehall Street's through the creation of new public spaces, densification and diversification with a brief to forge a city centre that is better connected, accessible and inclusive.

Options under consideration include turning eyesores such as the gap-site left by the demolished Victoria's nightclub into a temporary green extension of Sauchiehall Street. New planting and public realm would also bring life to nowhere spaces lining Osborne Street. The most dramatic intervention comes at Sauchiehall Street where the former ABC site will be cleared for a landscaped terrace, fully exposing the magnificent south facade of the Mackintosh Building.

Councillor Angus Millar said: “The actions within the plan for the ‘Golden Z’ will support our efforts to encourage a more diverse mix of uses in the city centre, including new residential accommodation, as well as finding positive solutions for key sites and supporting the repurposing of vacant property."

Glasgow Chamber of Commerce chief executive, Stuart Patrick, added: "We especially welcome the recommendation for a powerful cultural district based on and around Sauchiehall Street and the continuing importance of retail to both Buchanan Street and Argyle Street. Now our focus turns to the next steps in delivering the vision the report sets out. That includes attracting the required funding from private and public partners, and seizing the opportunity that lies in front of us to create an expert team that will help to deliver the report’s recommendations.”

Detailed plans will be outlined in the city's pending City Centre Strategy for 2024-30.

14 Comments

#1 Posted by Sir Scozzie on 31 Aug 2023 at 00:58 AM

Finally some ambition to create places for people, this should not be under consideration, but actively accelerated. If you look at the example of the concert hall steps it is a great example of places people congregate, add more of these to the city and people have more and more reasons to visit the centre of town…

#2 Posted by Hmmm on 31 Aug 2023 at 11:16 AM

While it might seem like a "big idea" - opening up the foot of the art school like this is misguided. The building was always meant to be part of a block context. The southern elevation is impressive due to its sheer verticality and it presented over the eves line of the Sauchiehall street edge. Made it more dramatic.

This is anti-contextual although probably well-meaning.

A revision could be to put a park on top of rooftops in this area, but keep the street edges! even then - is it necessary!?

#3 Posted by George on 31 Aug 2023 at 13:16 PM

#1 - More steps are a reason to visit town? Hmmm, havent really had an urgent desire at the weekend to find the nearest set of steps but...
Cant say I am impressed with this new cunning idea of landscaping over most gap sites. Whilst I am all for landscaping we must find a way of attracting people into city centres, and steps and bushes wont cut it.

#4 Posted by EM0 on 31 Aug 2023 at 13:23 PM

These are AMAZING! Can we please have them like this and then keep them that way please - Glasgow City Centre needs this kind of softening!

#5 Posted by The Heart of Saturday Night on 31 Aug 2023 at 15:12 PM

#3 is spot on. The Concert Hall steps have proven to be a pretty positive element but much of that is down to them being at the junction of the two streets - its a natural point to congregate at.

Having something similar further up Sauchiehall St seems misguided - it's a part of the street which isn't particularly well used during the day, so would lack the footfall to ever become truly worthwhile.

Given where it is, it'll be filled with discarded takeaway boxes and pools of sick within a couple of weeks.

#6 Posted by D to the R on 31 Aug 2023 at 15:22 PM

Someone forgot the Art School 'shroud' - that'll still be there when there gairdens are planted

#7 Posted by Georwell 84 on 31 Aug 2023 at 18:58 PM

The Osborne Street site TG Hughes has just recently appeared as a development site in Urban Realm article 'Surging student demand prompts hotel rethink at St. Enoch'
August 30 2023. Now suddenly its a green space!
As for partial demolishing of O2/ABC building NO!!
It seems GCC have just gave up completely on filling these gap sites.

#8 Posted by Lovely on 31 Aug 2023 at 19:05 PM

A quick and temporary garden terrace in a gap site could be a good idea rather than empty dereliction but not ideal as a permanent thing on a dense city block. So funny as well to plan to expose the unseen rear of a twice culpably burned building that won’t be rebuilt for many years. The authors of such urban plans have probably also not been down Sauchiehall Street late at night for many years. Looks like another failure to add to the set at Glasgow City Council in this area.

#9 Posted by Pat Lally on 1 Sep 2023 at 09:16 AM

There's no funding for any of these pipe dreams, GCC is skint.

#10 Posted by Shatner's Bassoon on 1 Sep 2023 at 11:04 AM

Its almost like the commenters above haven't read the 400 page report.

#11 Posted by UR on 1 Sep 2023 at 11:12 AM

For reference, the full report is available here:
https://urban.360architecture.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/A-Vision-and-Plan-for-the-Golden-Z-without-appendices-230816.pdf

#12 Posted by Charlie_ on 1 Sep 2023 at 12:45 PM

'Save our temporary green space!' Councillor Christy Mearns leads local community group to protest the development of 'luxury hotel' on sauchiehall street park.

#13 Posted by Hmm on 4 Sep 2023 at 10:32 AM

I like the idea of a small park/green space on Sauchiehall St. What with the forever gated-off Blythswood Sq., that area is really devoid of green space.

I'm not sure it's true that "it's a part of the street which isn't particularly well used during the day, so would lack the footfall to ever become truly worthwhile". I could see it being a popular lunch spot for people during the day and, if managed well, a successful event space too as it's right next to the CCA and (perhaps) a reconfigured ABC. Also - build it and they will come...we don't argue against building bridges because no-one is swimming across a river...

#14 Posted by Lew on 15 Sep 2023 at 08:48 AM

#13 I agree, and don’t argue not to build a public space because someone will be sick on it. The Glaswegian negativity is strong in some. If you have a valid reason you don’t think it will work then by all means have the floor - but things like that are ridiculous.

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