March 11 2024

Glasgow's Charing Cross neighbourhood is set for further dramatic transformation with the submission of an application for planning in principle for a £250m urban wall of homes, student housing, offices and a hotel.

Tracey Investments, owners of the current Venlaw Building and Elmbank Gardens, have enlisted Michael Laird Architects to oversee the redevelopment of both sites as well as a neighbouring address at 300 Bath Street.

Conceived as a gateway to the city centre the vertical cliff face of accommodation tops out at 24 floors, extending the high-rise approach taken at Portcullis House to the south. The development could also open the door to future improvements to Charing Cross Station.

Glasgow Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stuart Patrick said: “It’s no secret that Sauchiehall Street has seen better days, and this application presents an opportunity to galvanise an iconic area of the city and re-establish it as a dynamic accommodation and business hub.”

Envisaged for delivery over two phases the plans as currently envisaged call for the removal of the Tay House bridge deck over the M8 below after initial plans for a landscaped retail and leisure space in the awkward structure were dropped. 

22 Comments

#1 Posted by Fat Bloke on Tour on 11 Mar 2024 at 10:14 AM

Back to basics approach -- stack-a-pleb is in.
Innovation on the bridge deck is out.

The scale offers something and the detailing tries to deliver some complexity.
So at least they have tried and as Stalin nearly said -- quantity has a quality all of its own.

Question is -- will it last?
Value engineering this way comes ...
There has to be a downturn during the extended build.
It is the Glesga way.

Sauchiehall Street rejuvenation -- not quite / wrong end / spend more likely to stay local.

Bath Street on the other hand?

#2 Posted by town planner on 11 Mar 2024 at 12:09 PM

Just what this site needs in my opinion, and a new greenspace in front of it would be good too. Any word on the M8 cap?

#3 Posted by Parkguy61 on 11 Mar 2024 at 12:40 PM

Given that Tay House recently had ££££ spent creating the new entrance off Bath Street I see the Tay House redevelipment being Phase 2 after the easier redevelopment of Venlaw House and Elmbank Gardens takes place.

New transport hub? Tell me more about that. Are applications for planning permission not usually accompanied by plans?

#4 Posted by Graeme McCormick on 11 Mar 2024 at 13:16 PM

I remember so got a construction toy for my Christmas in the early 1960s which made cuboids like this. Instead of making Statement Pieces which appear to antagonise their neighbours could we not have something which gives some holistic integrity to Charing Cross?

#5 Posted by Lovely on 11 Mar 2024 at 13:18 PM

Yay...!

Let's emphasise the automotive (and therefore rather out of date) gash here by removing the one thing that knitted it together and emphasise it's gashiness with shiny tall towers and nothing good of any kind added plus no sign of capping the whole thing off, which would be the logical solution at least in the shorter term.

'Totally gash' in the local vernacular...!

#6 Posted by David on 11 Mar 2024 at 13:55 PM

Thank God we are getting rid of the totally gash flyover building that has been a negative impact on this area for too long

#7 Posted by Peter on 11 Mar 2024 at 14:18 PM

#6 Make sure you have enough popcorn at hand while reading internet outburst after M8 closure for weeks for demilition. Hat tip to whomever is planning TM around the site. Fun fun fun.

#8 Posted by Roddy_ on 11 Mar 2024 at 14:49 PM

Look at the way Charing X Mansions celebrates and turns the corner at an important node in the city. It has depth, modulation, legibility,art, human scale and local distinctiveness all of which are missing with this proposal. What does this celebrate?
More dull, soulless corporate drivel to add to the accumulating austerity architecture.

#9 Posted by spike on 11 Mar 2024 at 14:53 PM

Like this!

#10 Posted by Billy on 11 Mar 2024 at 19:38 PM

Big improvement on what's there. Tay house was an eyesore from day one. So dated.

#11 Posted by Howard Roark on 11 Mar 2024 at 19:39 PM

Truth! Modernity! Whatever...

#12 Posted by Spike on 11 Mar 2024 at 19:39 PM

Have doubts as to whether this will progress
Whatever happened to the planning app for a similar development on the old Regional council site?

#13 Posted by Roddy_ on 11 Mar 2024 at 20:11 PM

Any indication what stage this is at UR? Presumably still pre-planning- is there a website that outlines the proposals in more detail?

#14 Posted by Riddy on 11 Mar 2024 at 20:37 PM

Love it
Just a shame it won’t happen

#15 Posted by UR on 11 Mar 2024 at 21:02 PM

@13 The consultation website is still active and goes into a lot more detail. An application for planning permission in principle has been filed but I don’t see it listed yet.
https://www.lspim.co.uk/charing-cross-gateway

#16 Posted by Billy on 11 Mar 2024 at 21:08 PM

#12. You can just make out that development in the background going towards St Vincent St. There is a ghost like image of it.

#17 Posted by UR on 12 Mar 2024 at 11:27 AM

Here's the planning link:
https://shorturl.at/wW379

#18 Posted by Philip on 12 Mar 2024 at 18:12 PM

Utterly banal. But with extra height.

#19 Posted by Roddy_ on 12 Mar 2024 at 20:12 PM

I reckon it will pass. They will flip the tower facing Char X Mansions and push it further along towards Bath Street and lopp off 4, maybe 5 storeys across the board. Worth remembering that developments like this will always try to maximise the height and therefore their return. The business cases (always super confidential) however are predicated on shorter schemes. If they get away with the higher scheme, then you have happy shareholders.

#20 Posted by David on 13 Mar 2024 at 08:50 AM

They will obviously lop all the trees off from every roof too...

I'm quite happy with it if it ends up close to this. But yes, the big issue here is how long and how hard it is to remove the eyesore Tay House bridge section

#21 Posted by George on 13 Mar 2024 at 13:30 PM

Why no balconies to break up the monotony?
You look at developments in London, Manchester, Liverpool etc and all their tower blocks include balconies which greatly improve the overall look.

#22 Posted by Carson on 1 Apr 2024 at 19:47 PM

I really think the relationship to its context ie Charing Cross Mansions is worrying. What about over shadowing too, wind studies etc?…where’s the parking? Is the proposal more suited architecturally to a Canary Wharf context rather than Glasgow. What is the narrative ?…the architectural language used is out of an international
pattern book…what is Glasgow about this Gotham City approach other than Bat Man was filmed in Glasgow mainly because of Glasgow’s rich variety of Victorian buildings…let’s see how the locals and council respond…please let common sense prevail …????

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