Student accommodation tower planned for Glasgow city centre

Initially unveiled last year, the proposals by Varsity Developments would entail the full demolition of a tenement at 70-72A Waterloo Street and partial demolition of the B-listed Distillers’ Building at number 64.In its place, there will be 350 student homes and amenity provisions including a sports hall, greenhouse room, gym, cinema room, karaoke, e-games and VR rooms, podcast and sensory rooms, plus a number of roof terraces.A design document included with the new application by Cooper Cromar states: “The proposal to retain the front part of the Distiller’s Building, noted for its high heritage significance, while demolishing the rear part reflects a balanced approach to heritage conservation and urban development, aiming to safeguard the building’s cultural legacy while fostering sustainable growth and revitalisation in the surrounding area.”Planning permission for a high-rise flats development at the site was refused in 2022.