January 13 2020

Ongoing consultations have delivered several adjustments to the planned Candleriggs Square proposals in Glasgow, including a modest increase in height for its tallest element.

Led by Drum Property Group and Stamford Property Investments with Stallan-Brand the new visuals demonstrate the evolving design intent for the site following submission of an overarching design framework for the site to Glasgow City Council.

In a statement the practice said: “Our strategy has been informed through considerable dialogue with the GCC Planning Team and an extensive public consultation process. A detailed application for the developments first phase has also been submitted for a genuinely innovative new 500 bed hotel that promises to contribute significantly to the Trongate with public facing amenities including conferencing, seminar space and flexible managed workspace.

“Different from the currently consented design by Richard Murphy Architects, the Drum Properties proposal prepared by Stallan-Brand creates parcels of development that are configured to reinforce the Merchant City’s unique morphology and mixed-use activity. In this respect the proposal has a series of new public spaces that will radically re-connect the context to reveal exciting new views & vistas and reframe familiar landmarks.”

Spanning land bounded by Hutcheson Street, Trongate, Candleriggs and Wilson Street, Candleriggs Square will deliver a mix of homes, commercial and retail space.

12 Comments

#1 Posted by Ross Nolan on 13 Jan 2020 at 10:15 AM

Hopefully work starts this year on at least one plot, would be good to see the site finally having some use

#2 Posted by Weiird on 13 Jan 2020 at 11:05 AM

Is that tree a joke?

#3 Posted by Sue Pearman on 13 Jan 2020 at 12:22 PM

...the tree is obviously there to distract any comments from the fact they're proposing an 18 storey building in the Merchant City... am personally not convinced that scale is appropriate?
The lower level view looks ok but the higher building needs some macrophallic reduction.

#4 Posted by Ross on 13 Jan 2020 at 15:01 PM

I'm afraid it's 18 storeys or nothing. The developer has a hotel chain on board who want 500 rooms - it wouldn't be possible to fit that into the development if it were capped at 6 floors.

The Livingstone Tower a few streets back on George St is around the same height as what this is going to be so they have a precedent for the height. There are also several blocks of flats in the area that are about 10/11 storeys so 18 should differentiate it in the skyline slightly at least. If everything was the same height it would become monotonous. I don't see 18 storeys as being too high in a city of Glasgow's size personally.

The development is not perfect, and that tree on the roof just looks daft, but there are parts of it which are great and it will bring some much needed life and investment to this part of town.

#5 Posted by Gandalf the Pink on 13 Jan 2020 at 16:01 PM

Did the tree blow away? I liked it better with it.

#6 Posted by pooka on 14 Jan 2020 at 14:19 PM

there seems to be some hideous out of scale monster lurking above the sensible scale streetfronts...

#7 Posted by Callum Martin on 14 Jan 2020 at 14:29 PM

18 stories is hardly tall, and the majority of the taller building is hidden by the lower ones, only real way to see it would be in another building higher than the street. Get it built.

#8 Posted by town planner on 14 Jan 2020 at 21:07 PM

A modest increase in height?? - never thought I'd see the day! Normally they have to chop floors off... to echo others get it built please, looks good...

#9 Posted by Jeff on 15 Jan 2020 at 14:57 PM

#4 that sounds a bit like blackmail. If the planner's swallow the line that the livingston tower, part of Strathclyde University's awful 1970's campus, is being used to justify the frankly disproportionate height in the historic merchant city and onto Argyll Street, then we need new planners...

#10 Posted by Ross on 15 Jan 2020 at 16:05 PM

We'll have to agree to disagree - 18 storeys isn't tall and the developer is being sympathetic to the older buildings by stepping the height back.

Go to any other similar sized city in England or Europe and see what they're building if you think 18 storeys is disproportionate.

Out of interest, which of the historic buildings surrounding this site are you concerned will be harmed by the 'disproportionate height' of this development? They're mainly warehouse type buildings which cope well when towers 3 x as high as this are plonked next to them - maybe Google a photo of Manchester if you want to see an example.

#11 Posted by Keto on 15 Jan 2020 at 17:08 PM

aww, where did the rooftop tree go?

#12 Posted by Urban Realm on 15 Jan 2020 at 17:53 PM

We're all rooting for the trees! Nothing is confirmed yet.

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