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Glasgow grid punches west in a towering residential vision

November 24 2022

Glasgow grid punches west in a towering residential vision

Consultations have opened for a significant brownfield development on a giant edge of centre site in Glasgow.

Summix CQG Developments wish to hear your thoughts on plans for hundreds of student and private homes at Central Quay as part of ongoing efforts to bring the huge site back to life.

Up to 800 purpose-built student bedrooms developed in conjunction with the University of Glasgow are planned as well as over 400 private homes, to complement the modernisation of existing offices.

Driven by a desire to restore lost population density the early plans call for a westward extension of the city centre's gridiron road layout, framed by new public spaces and tree planting. 'Green streets' of seating and planting will connect open squares designed to host informal events. An active spine meanwhile provides a route to the river lined by restaurants and outdoor seating.

Private courtyards and green roofs will also provide private amenities for residents, including opportunities for shared food cultivation and gardens.

In a statement, the applicant wrote: "The site has a history of density, lost as a result of the decline of local industry. The drive to return greater population density to the city centre provides the opportunity to bring new life back to these currently dormant and underdeveloped locations. The desire is to create a vibrant mixed-use community. The typology of the Glasgow urban grid has been overlayed onto the site to guide massing & density. We want to re-introduce the Glasgow grid including the hierarchy of streets & spaces."

Graeme Nicholls Architects are co-designing the masterplan in collaboration with 3DReid, with specific responsibility for one of the residential blocks.

11 Comments

Bob Smith
#1 Posted by Bob Smith on 24 Nov 2022 at 10:44 AM
Super Cool ..... Glasgow needs more residential in the city centre. a win win
Mick
#2 Posted by Mick on 24 Nov 2022 at 13:21 PM
Sorry. Another meaningless graphic lacking any context or visual clue about the proposed development
Spike
#3 Posted by Spike on 24 Nov 2022 at 16:12 PM
Talking of a towering residential block in the city centre what happened to the proposed tower at Charing Cross where the old Regional Council buildings were. Wasn't it submitted for planning over a year ago?
Redscotti
#4 Posted by Redscotti on 25 Nov 2022 at 14:06 PM
I wouldn't buy a private home surrounded by student flats....
Gandalf the Grey
#5 Posted by Gandalf the Grey on 25 Nov 2022 at 14:15 PM
Why not?
town planner
#6 Posted by town planner on 25 Nov 2022 at 14:56 PM
Positive news. Glasgow needs higher density/ verticality, and an extension of the gridiron welcome too.
Jimbob Tanktop
#7 Posted by Jimbob Tanktop on 25 Nov 2022 at 21:55 PM
#4 That rules out half of the west end, then.
Lovely
#8 Posted by Lovely on 27 Nov 2022 at 14:18 PM
Sim City eat your heart out.
Roddy_
#9 Posted by Roddy_ on 27 Nov 2022 at 16:12 PM
One wonders whether or not these individual masterplans are co-ordinated. There seems to be no real strategic vision for the apparent new emerging neighbourhood and certainly no coherent policy on taller buildings. Moreover, the city's prediliction for open blocks means that the individual blocks being brought forward need to be very carefully considered in terms of fronts and backs, service zones,active frontage and denfensible space. I fear given the lack of any coding, we'll end up with the appalling 'public'spaces in Buchanan Wharf and street edges that end up like this.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.8538888,-4.2603189,3a,75y,313.95h,100.41t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sSa_oonMES97oS9amP4xyug!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DSa_oonMES97oS9amP4xyug%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D100.67694%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en-GB

City Design have dropped the ball so frequently in the last 5-10 years that one wonders if they have been leaned on politcally so that development can proceed despite the patently sub-standard designs. Certainly, the bar was low on Kingston Street and they spectacularly failed to clear it.
modernish
#10 Posted by modernish on 28 Nov 2022 at 15:47 PM
The graphic fails to capture the sheer scale of the biggest issue facing the site; the Kingston Bridge. Look, forget all this fiddling around the edges. The bridge needs to go. Either the M8 is simply routed around the city centre using the M74/M73 or it needs to be put in a bloody big tunnel from around the M77/M8 junction to the Royal Infirmary. Expensive and difficult no doubt, but so was bulldozing what was there to slice the city in half in the first place. I'm pretty sure that is what 'levelling up' means
John
#11 Posted by John on 28 Nov 2022 at 16:18 PM
Meantime back on Planet Earth

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