Councillors back University of Glasgow expansion plan

A key part of the University of Glasgow’s proposals for a £1 billion expansion of its Gilmorehill campus has been approved by councillors.Plans to create a ‘learning hub’ on the 14-acre site of the former Western Infirmary were backed at a pre-determination hearing of the Glasgow City Council planning committee.The university’s masterplan, which will see several academic and commercial buildings built as well as a supermarket, hotels, restaurants, sports facilities and nursery services, will now go to a full council meeting on 16 February.An estimated 2,500 jobs will be created during the construction period.An initial £450 million is expected to be spent over five years at the hospital site, as part of a £1bn investment in facilities by the university.The extension to the university’s Gilmorehill campus will see a central square linking to Byres Road, and commercial opportunities in the form of restaurants, bars and a hotel.After securing the backing of councillors, the university will submit further detailed plans on its proposals for the site.