More good news for the regeneration of the Merchant City were announced before Christmas by Glasgow City Council and Dawn Group when they unveiled plans to regenerate a derelict site the size of 10 football pitches next to High Street Station.
A £200million makeover – the UK’s largest regeneration project of the financial year - will take place on the site which has been lying vacant for almost 40 years.
Measuring the size of 10 football pitches, the 1.1m sq ft site will house new council offices alongside a multi-storey car park and 250 student flats. There will also be a 200-bedroom hotel, The Ramada Encore, with a restaurant and meeting rooms.
Previously home to the original University of Glasgow, between 1460 and 1870, the site was also home to the City of Glasgow Union Railway until it closed in 1968.
Many of the areas older features and buildings are being incorporated into the new development including the windowed red brick wall of the goods warehouse in Duke Street which will form an integral part of the new office building. The development will also include a water feature which will be situated next to protected leisure and recreational green space.
A further 480 flats are also planned for the site, subject to funding and planning permission.