A MULTI-MILLION pound development which will transform part of Glasgow’s skyline has been given the green light.
Councillors on the city’s planning committee have approved proposals to build a 17-storey Aparthotel in the heart of the city centre.
The edifice will rise from a site on the corner of Cambridge Street and Renfrew Street, behind the old Littlewoods store, which is currently occupied by a derelict building.
Glasgow City Council's planning committee approved the plan on Tuesday morning.
Developers say the aparthotel, which would be visible across the city, “will support the economy of the city and its strong tourist industry” and bring people into Glasgow’s premier shopping area.
Council sources had said the plan was a ‘vote of confidence’ by investors towards Glasgow.
Aparthotels combine air BnB-style accommodation within a classic hotel structure. The building, which is being proposed by Derby-based PMI Developments and Peveril Securities, would have a lounge and bar along with staff offices and laundry rooms.
It would contain 160 units, made up of single rooms and studio apartments.
However, dozens of people living nearby objected to the plan, with a letter-writing campaign organised in Garnethill.
Residents said the tower will overshadow their properties and is out of keeping with other buildings in the area, which is part of a conservation zone.
The local community council has also voiced fears about air pollution created during the building’s construction.
Other objectors include the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland’s Strathclyde Group.
The current building on the site – a four storey, flat-roofed concrete structure – has been unoccupied for a number of years.
Developers say that the aparthotel will enhance the area and provide an “outstanding, and distinctive architectural character” to an area blighted by neglect.
Their planning application states: “The proposed development will bring significant investment to the Sauchiehall Street area, on a long-term vacant site.
“We believe the current building detracts from the locale and does not provide any supervision of a key route along Cambridge Street.
“We believe we have responded to feedback where possible. During the course of the planning application, we would be pleased to maintain engagement with the local community and any other interested parties.”
The planning statement adds: “It is acknowledged there are a few nearby residents who remain of the view the proposal by virtue of its height will impact their properties.
“However, we have sought to demonstrate, within the context of planning policy, that the proposal has been carefully designed in such a way that we believe it will provide an outstanding, and distinctive architectural character that imaginatively responds to its Glasgow context.”
