Property developer and asset manager Sovereign Centros has secured approval from Glasgow City Council for its outline masterplan proposals for the redevelopment of the St. Enoch Centre.
The decision follows stakeholder and public consultation around the mixed-use plans which will focus on retail, leisure, entertainment, hotel, offices and residential.
The proposals were created to complement the Glasgow City Centre strategy which focuses on opening streetscapes and improving linkages from the riverfront, Merchant City and Glasgow Green into the city centre.
Sovereign Centros and its project team, which includes architect Leslie Jones, will now revisit the masterplan to develop detailed designs for further feedback and approval.
The proposals were created to show how St. Enoch Centre can be sustainably developed over a number of phases spanning the next 15 to 20 years, in order to allow retailers, restaurants and leisure operators to stay open throughout.
They include: renovated shopping and leisure space, up to 917 homes, office space, a four-star hotel and accessible public realm space.
Following the public consultations, proposals were revisited to include widened streets, increased daylight and a public square. This ensured more break-out space and better connectivity to the retail and leisure offering from neighbouring parts of the city.
Guy Beaumont, director at Sovereign Centros, said: “This marks a milestone moment for St. Enoch Centre and underlines the council’s commitment to meeting the needs and demands of people who live and work in the city centre.
“It’s an exciting time for Glasgow city centre and with a clear strategy and appetite for improvement, there is an enormous opportunity to create something truly special.”
Sovereign Centros currently manages approximately 11.5 million sq ft of assets across the UK, including other shopping centres, retail parks and leisure centres.
The St. Enoch Centre was one of the first of its kind in Scotland, when it opened in 1989.
Stuart Patrick, chief executive of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: “Glasgow has witnessed seismic changes to consumer and visitor habits in the past three years and it’s vital the city landscape is given the space to grow and adapt if it is to survive and thrive in this new environment.
“Today’s approval for the Sovereign Centros plans creates the opportunity for Glasgow to do that by establishing a new, dedicated space for retail, leisure as well as residential living in a large city centre district which was previously largely closed off from its surrounding streets.
“The implementation of these plans will be one of the key building blocks to future proof the city and increase our prospects of attracting local and international investment.”
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