This development would appear to be a massive blow to the GLASGOW CROSSRAIL project.

By removing necessary land for a new chord connecting the City Union Line to High Street and thus Queen Street Low Level Station the project would loose arguably its most lucrative benefit.

Will the City Council have the foresight to protect the route, in a similar manner to what was done with the M74 motorway at Gushetfaulds?

Fair point on the Crossrail and proposed high speed rail limitations, but still hugely positive overall. Particularly when considered in context of the (slowly) progressing Barrowlands plan, the restarted (if architecturally dire) Collagelands and the new Candleriggs site getting filled in too.

Will all collectively produce a considerable jump in the dwelling city centre population, with all the economic benefits that brings. Best of all, it does realign the city centre more eastward, which is hugely beneficial for the much-forgotten East End.

Fingers crossed Stallan-Brand get the freedom to produce something interesting, and not another beige-render-checkerboard, as per so many developments recently.

Indeed - the route of the future potential St John's Link (High Street Chord) element of Crossrail must be protected within this development at all costs!
Anything else would be shortsightedness in the extreme!

Glad to see another gap site being filled. Can we also get rid of that horrendous excuse of s car park in east St Enoch square. Valuable land in a prime location not being used to its full potential. A mixture of high density homes and hotel/ leisure would be good. We need to continue correcting the mistake of the depopulation of the city centre in the 60s/70s and 80s. Glasgow has to up its game and take on the new towns and convince young professionals of the benefits of city centre living over living in the sticks. No commute or fares if you work in the city. Restaurants, bars, cinemas and theatres on your doorstep, 2 main line stations, an underground and transport links to other major cities and towns in the U.K. The more people that live in the city , the more vibrant it will become helping the local economy and slowing down and hopefully filling empty retail units. After all People make Glasgow. Through relocation over several decades we lost almost 400 000 residents to local authorities and new towns. Let's try and reclaim some of them back.

I would be very interested to see the plans for the former Police HQ. I would rather the underground was extended than Crossrail. I Personally feel the Car Park at osborne street should be used as another bus station. to relieve the pressure on buchanan bus station which seems to be at bursting point most days. i don't think there is a need for a multi storey car park inside st enoch centre. a car park at the back of st enoch centre and one also directly across the road. It's great to see land getting used in and around collegelands ect. Merchant Square and the Trongate should be next to be used to fill a Gapsite.

The St Johns Link was rejected by Transport Scotland in their comments on City Plan 3. Their position had been set out in their Strategic Transport Planning Review 2008 Appendix D despite the favourable support set out in the STAG carried out by Faber Maunsel and also published in 2008. Under planning legislation passed in 2009 the SNP government gave powers to external agencies that could block the advocacy role of the local authority notwith standing that it is Glasgow City Council that is the local planning authority, and for that matter a leading member of the strategic planning authority along with the constituent councils that produce the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Strategic Plan. Quite a series of
coincidences.Transport Scotland are deeply unaccountable.
On the merits of the proposal, the Evening Times states that the proposal is for 600 privately rented flats, apparently not necessarily for student accommodation unlike the pre-existing outline consent obtained by Merchant City Properties. Is there the demand for private rented accommodation coming in at probably much more than £500 per person per month (current rental charge to many students in the West End). Are there that many young professionals to fill 17 Acres and the Pitt Street site, and also have a wide range of choices.
At present there are 12,000 bed spaces contained in various planning consents for student accommodation - far in excess of the current uplift in the student numbers each year at all universities and colleges in the city. And Brexit has not even set in and likely to have an adverse impact on demand for places? A development of this scale will surely also require institutional investment. Does 'Get Living' have the deep pockets and thorough knowledge of the local housing market to take this project forward?
All in all a body blow to Crossrail that surely would be far more significant in strategic terms providing public transport integration and connectivity, and substantial social, economic and regenerational benefits along the City Union Rail Corridor and an environmentally transformative impact on the south side side of the River and the east side of the City Centre.