Green light for £200m proposal for 700 rental homes in central Glasgow

Planning permission has been granted for a new 7.5-acre city centre neighbourhood in central Glasgow, Scotland’s largest build-to-rent (BTR) scheme to date.The investment partnership behind Get Living PLC has secured planning consent to transform a derelict site in the historic heart of Glasgow into a new residential neighbourhood of over 700 rental homes and a new tree-lined public space.Glasgow City Council has approved plans which will enable the investment partnership to invest £200 million to build 727 new build-to-rent homes on the site behind High Street rail station. The scheme will feature a new public square, 99 student studios and approximately 3,365 sq m of space for retail, leisure, food and drink and commercial business.The proposals include a high-quality public realm for residents of the new homes and the wider community. For the first time, new tree-lined access routes on the site will connect the Merchant City through to the East End via High Street. Work on the first phase of the development is expected to start in 2019, subject to building warrant.Other than a section currently used as a car park the site has lain vacant and derelict for many years. The Molendinar Burn, the original freshwater source upon which Glasgow was founded, passes underneath the site. Throughout its rich history, the area has been home to the original Glasgow University and the Hunterian Museum. Most recently the City of Glasgow Union Railway Company used it as a goods yard.Glasgow-based architects Stallan-Brand, who worked on major development projects in the city including the 2014 Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village and Tron Theatre, brought their experience to the plans with the vision of creating inspiring and sustainable public areas throughout the neighbourhood.This new district for Glasgow will be operated and managed by large-scale residential investor Get Living. Get Living is the most established operator in the UK’s Build to Rent sector, operating more than 2,000 homes in London and best known for East Village, the former London 2012 Athletes’ Village.Build-to-rent homes are designed specifically for renting and are professionally managed. The sector can help alleviate housing shortages in city centres, with properties typically brought to the market and occupied more quickly than for-sale developments.