August 9 2024

Glasgow is on track to double the population of its city centre by 2035, with new figures indicating the number of core residents has jumped to 28,341, a rise of over a third in the past decade.

From a starting population of 21,185 in 2011 current trends suggest the residential population of the city centre will hit 34,604 by 2029/2030, before reaching 40,000 a decade from now.

The figures bolster the council's strategy of drawing more people from the suburbs to inner city areas, bringing its population density into line with UK and European contemporaries. A two-pronged approach to achieving this has been adopted with encouragement for the conversion of vacant commercial space as homes alongside the construction of new residential neighbourhoods such as the Barclays Campus and Candleriggs Square.

Councillor Angus Millar commented: “The population of Glasgow’s city centre has been steadily increasing, and continuing to support more people to live in the city centre will be essential for its future vitality.  Comparable cities across the UK and beyond tend to have significantly more densely populated city centres than Glasgow, with a strong city centre population promoting sustainability and supporting local economies."

The population uptick is driven by younger age groups, with people aged 16-44 representing 80.9% of the population in 2022 - up from 77.1% in 2011.

13 Comments

#1 Posted by Sven on 9 Aug 2024 at 10:58 AM

What percentage of that “rising population” are transient students, especially foreign students? As universities attest, we hit peak student numbers several years ago and non-Scottish students are down year on year for the past 2 years. Global demographics means that will continue.

Sustainable communities cross all age groups and housing should not be student flats and the ubiquitous 2 bedroom (the second bedroom is always much smaller and barely a double) does not cut it.

#2 Posted by Graeme McCormick on 9 Aug 2024 at 11:18 AM

I'm struggling to think of a state primary or secondary school in or near the city centre. In practice the policy is excluding families.

#3 Posted by Spike on 9 Aug 2024 at 12:58 PM

Welcome news but take the point there needs to be a better balance resident in the city centre ie not just students: every building in this area seems to be earmarked for student housing.

#4 Posted by Lovely on 9 Aug 2024 at 14:43 PM

It's so funny that the new build in the photos looks almost exactly like one of the dark grey gorbals high rise blocks taken down about 30 years ago. Plus ca change.

#5 Posted by Lovely on 9 Aug 2024 at 14:46 PM

And also exceedingly 'funny' that new high rise somehow works in other commercially owned inner city areas but does not work when pre-existing at Wyndford.

#6 Posted by McN on 9 Aug 2024 at 15:04 PM

Glasgow's city centre still has lots of growing to do, both upwards and outwards. There are large gap sites to the south, east, north and west of the city centre but also need to heed warnings from elsewhere (see Centre for London's warnings on large parts of central London becoming basically child free). Sustainable growth means more families

#7 Posted by Peter on 9 Aug 2024 at 15:20 PM

@6 - When the kids come, they move to suburbs/Croys anyway, so what's the problem here?

#8 Posted by Riddy on 10 Aug 2024 at 17:43 PM

I’m sure the Glasgow City Council will manage to mess it up. Susan Aitken and her chums have presided over the decline of Glasgow.

#9 Posted by Mark on 10 Aug 2024 at 20:51 PM

#5 - It's not particularly funny nor even mysterious - commercially-developed housing in city centres needs to be medium or high density to make the sums stack up. Wyndford is in darkest Maryhill well beyond Glasgow's city centre, so you could argue that the tower blocks didn't *need* to be built there - it was more to do with planning ideology at the time. That's now turned on its head, and the current dogma looks like "public sector high rise bad, private sector high rise good."

#10 Posted by Billy on 11 Aug 2024 at 04:38 AM

Not sure city centres are where families would want to settle these days if given the choice. I can see the appeal for young professionals without children to be closer to work and social life , students and to a lesser extent older people.

#11 Posted by Daniel on 12 Aug 2024 at 09:41 AM

#2 - a quick google suggests there are three primary schools in the city centre. One is in Garnethill and the other two are other by the 60s estate (sorry, I don't know the name!). This isn't surprising at all as those two areas are far more "standard neighbourhood" than "city centre". There is also what appears to be a religious primary/secondary private school for those able to pay and that way inclined.

But yeah - I think there's a real need to be realistic about who actually wants to live in the city centre. Students are easy pickings for this type of housing. Building a private and mainstream market is a lot harder, even more so if you want families to live there. Otherwise you end up with a lot of British housing discourse, which too often is people who would not live in a certain type of home or situation telling others they should do so, which isn't exactly fair or equitable.

#12 Posted by David on 14 Aug 2024 at 12:44 PM

Do the forecasted figures include all the residential developments that have been approved but will now not be going ahead due to the rental caps?

#13 Posted by Terra_ on 26 Aug 2024 at 12:33 PM

'Mon folks; lets do this!

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