£200m residential proposal unveiled for Glasgow’s High Street

Plans to transform Glasgow’s High Street area by investing £200 million in a new 7.5 acre residential neighbourhood of more than 700 homes for rent have been submitted to Glasgow City Council.In addition to 727 new build-to-rent homes on the site behind High Street rail station, the application proposes a new public square, as well as 99 student studios and circa 3,365sqm of retail, leisure, food, drink and commercial business space. For the first time, the area will be opened up through new tree-lined access routes, connecting the Merchant City through High Street and into the East End.The area was the original location of the University of Glasgow, the Hunterian Museum and later became the goods yard of the City of Glasgow Union Railway Company. The Molendinar Burn, the original freshwater source upon which Glasgow was founded, also passes underneath the site. However, other than a small section currently used as a car park, the site has lain empty and derelict for many years.The bold new vision to bring the site back to life has been put together by Get Living, the large scale residential investor and owner-operator of the former London 2012 Athletes’ Village, now known as East Village. The multi-million pound investment in Glasgow is the company’s first venture outside of London.Following public consultations with the local community, the outline planning consent granted to the previous site owner has been reconfigured to create a truly residential-led and green neighbourhood, including new public amenities and access routes.Glasgow-based architects Stallan-Brand, who have worked on major development projects in the city including the 2014 Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village and Tron Theatre, drew up the plans alongside internationally-renowned urban landscape designers Martha Schwartz Partners (MSP) to create inspiring and sustainable public areas through the site.An established operator in the UK’s Build to Rent sector, Get Living believes Build to Rent neighbourhoods can help alleviate housing shortages in city centres, with properties typically brought to the market and occupied more quickly than for-sale developments.Subject to planning consent being granted, work on site would start in late 2018.