March 5 2024

A high-profile brownfield site beneath Glasgow's Kingston Bridge is to emerge from the shadows after planning consent was awarded for hundreds of homes.

Dandara Living has been greenlit to build almost 500 apartments together with an additional 490 student beds and associated commercial units on a linear plot fronting the River Clyde at Anderston Quay.

City Wharf has been designed by Manson Architects to rise to the challenges presented by the constrained urban location, with muscular new buildings shielding private courtyard interiors.

Rachel Allwood, planning director at Dandara Living said: “We’re delighted City Wharf has been given the green light. It will play a key role in the significant transformation this part of the city is undergoing and help to bring more people into the area extending the vibrancy of the Clyde waterfront.”

The scale of the development also permits a wealth of on-site amenities including a cycle hub, gym and residents lounge across the harsh environment of the lower floors. New planting and parkland will also help tame the motorway undercroft. 

13 Comments

#1 Posted by Manson house, not mansion house on 5 Mar 2024 at 17:23 PM

Not to be outdone by Keppie's cheap, tatty, and overbuilt Central Quay, Manson have chundered up an even cheaper, tattier, and more egregiously overbuilt blot on the Glasgow skyline. The gold rush to whack as many units as possible on the sites along the riverside into Anderston has produced some truly bleak architecture.

#2 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 5 Mar 2024 at 18:52 PM

Shows a bit of character on the riverside.
Pretty poor / low energy facing the expressway.

Density will help get things moving in the area.
Hopefully some social infrastructure follows the crowds.
A pub would be good or a bridge to Glas Vegas on the southbank.

No sign of any allotments -- the hobby horser must have had a day off.

#3 Posted by Roddy_ on 6 Mar 2024 at 01:15 AM

It has a sub-Salford Quays look about it and the anonymous shot-gunned windows of Glasgow Harbour (that last image is a real doozy). Not one of the Councillors on the Planning Committee questioned the design of this. Instead we get concillors trapped into believing that their knowledge of flood plains is better than that of SEPA or wondering whether things will fall off/be ejected from the M8 on the 'park' below. Embarrassing.

https://glasgow.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/820564

More austerity architecture for a city that seems to be embracing sterile, artless shoe-boxes-on-end in this area.I feel certain that this is not what MVRDV/ ASL anticipated in their DRF for the neighbourhood. But then again without a proper masterplan/ tall buildings policy/ plinth policy design codes why should we expect anything better?

#4 Posted by Ben on 6 Mar 2024 at 10:43 AM

Funny that there hasn't been the same deluge of comments to support this proposal that there was to criticise the demolition of the Wyndford tower blocks.

#5 Posted by D to the R on 6 Mar 2024 at 13:19 PM

I'm all for it ... more more more please ... city living on derelict sites that others would rather stick a 'wave' pool on - get a grip folks.

#6 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 6 Mar 2024 at 14:53 PM

Floodplains -- somebody is having a giraffe ...

If this development falls at this hurdle then the whole Clyde regeneration vibe is a goner.

I fear hobby horsing is in play.

#7 Posted by town planner on 6 Mar 2024 at 15:40 PM

From the images admittedly not a huge amount of imagination re: design, and as ever, the materials used for cladding will be really important.
Overall tho, pleased to see the scale/ambition of this in terms of city center density. It should look good lit up at night, and add to the city skyline.

#8 Posted by GCS on 6 Mar 2024 at 19:40 PM

I like the scale & ambition, granted the design is not the most interesting but great to see development in Glasgow on land that has been derelict for god knows how long! I think I would have even preferred 2/3 of the towers than mid-range stuff but c'est la vie

#9 Posted by Johnv on 7 Mar 2024 at 10:21 AM

The amount of moaning about its supposed "cheap" "tatty" "sub-salford quays" (yawn) is incredible. It has been a derelict site for over 40 years. It is absolutely a 100% improvement and should pave the way for similar if not more upscale developments.

#10 Posted by The Renegade Master (with the ill behaviour) on 7 Mar 2024 at 12:58 PM

@ #9

I am not having a go, but do you genuinely think that the derelict state of the site justifies a development like this?

You seem to be suggesting that it is acceptable because it will (hopefully) pave the way for better developments in the future. Surely that is a really dangerous precedent to set?

#11 Posted by Billy on 7 Mar 2024 at 16:57 PM

I like it but have I thought after covid developers would have been encouraged to offer outdoor spaces with balconies on a least some of the lower flats....give people a choice. I know if I was looking for a flat, private outdoor space would be a must.

#12 Posted by Lovely on 8 Mar 2024 at 10:48 AM

Sim City v13.0.

#13 Posted by Parkguy61 on 11 Apr 2024 at 17:02 PM

I'm guessing these are buy to lets or some 'new living approach' like Moda homes where folks won't be lingering in these flats too long. Especially when they discover that the 'close to Glasgow city centre and trendy Finnieston' is a walk along a dimly lit windswept racetrack.

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