Glasgow Harbour Development Approved, Controversial plans now set for Holyrood Options

[GG]

A disputatious plan to create a new multi-million pound shopping and leisure hub at Glasgow Harbour was today approved 'in principle' by Glasgow City Council. The plan – which includes a two-tier shopping mall, a five-star luxury hotel, a 30-storey skyscraper and a modern cinema and casino complex – had been challenged by a number of Glasgow's major retailers including the St Enoch Centre, Buchanan Galleries, John Lewis, Debenhams and Frasers.

Many smaller city centre retailers had also hoped the plans would have been rejected today by council planning officials; however, the 130-acre development plan now moves forward and a final decision will be made by the Scottish Government, as the council is a stakeholder in Glasgow Harbour.

The decision to proceed in principle comes a month after Glasgow City Council had indicated that it hoped to curtail retail developments beyond the city centre in order to protect existing businesses within the city centre. That move was seen as a positive step to help preserve Glasgow's current position as the most attractive shopping destination outside London.

Commenting on the plan, a House of Fraser spokeswoman said:

"Glasgow is a vibrant city with a strong retail offering and we feel the council should focus on strengthening what exists."

Speaking in advance of the decision, Glasgow Harbour managing director Euan Jamieson said:

"We believe that our proposals, in tandem with the adjacent landmark Riverside Museum, would extend the west end down to the waterfront and create a new and vibrant destination – reinforcing Glasgow’s position as a major UK retail visitor attraction."

A number of major building works are currently under construction in Glasgow including a host of office, retail and hotel projects, as well as the National Arena, the Riverside Museum (photographed under construction below), as well as a number of new facilities for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Artist's impression of completed plan.

GG.

[Rob Rattray]

Appears that the 'big boys' are all out looking after themselves first again, does it no? About time they come off second best and the public wins to keep the city as it was with the 'little man' in control just for a change!

[GG]

Earlier this year Glasgow Guide highlighted the growing problem of empty premises in Glasgow's main shopping precincts:

• Argyle Street - The Closing Down Sale?
• Sauchiehall Street Struggles On...
• Buchanan Street Buckles

This is the kind of dereliction which the city centre businesses who opposed the Glasgow harbour development plans were trying to avoid, and the reason Glasgow City Council last month appeared to halt large-scale retail developments outwith the city centre.

GG.

[ashfield]

I was reading about this at the weekend. My initial feelings are that it would create a modern shopping complex that would kill off others. There just can't be the level of capacity for the number of shopping outlets that this would bring. We have seen the demise of shopping areas around the suburbs and already Sauchiehall St is wall to wall pubs and restaurants at the Charing Cross end. Glasgow has gained a reputation for being a "destination City" for shopping, this could easy endanger that. You might find this interesting.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/oc...arbour-planning

[carmella]

If any development is visually and economically an improvement to an area, regardless of where that is, and also one that benefits those areas, people etc., surrounding it, then I'm very much in favour.

However, do we really need whether it's in Glasgow or here in Ayr, yet another shopping centre which has many units vacant?

There are 3 indoor shopping centres here in Ayr, one is just filled with the most awful cheap stalls etc., the other is a bit more upmarket, but has several empty units, which have more or less remained empty since this particular indoor arcade opened some fifteen years ago. I believe this is largely due to the very high rents.

2 years ago yet another new Shopping centre opened in Ayr near the Railway Station, it's not an indoor one, but it too has empty units. It has an underground car park, which I have never used, but believe is very good.

I just don't think we need another, certainly in Ayr. From my very frequent visits to Glasgow, I really don't think another is needed there, and I believe one of the objectors was John Lewis - now there's a surprise!

[TeeHeeHee]

Where I live, in this town of maybe 20,000 + inhabitants on the border with Switzerland and France, a huge new shopping centre was built on the German side right on the border with Basel (CH).
Cross the border, park your car; go shopping.
The concern "Marktkauf" has changed hands several times since it's Grand Opening.
A friend, a Turkish girl married to a Danish engineer, rented a shop in the centre but eventually had to give it up, because of the high rental, and move from the ground floor to a corner on the third floor and eventually had to close down completely, having used up a lot of her husband's money in the process.
In the town centre another shopping arcade was built, after my first "home" here; the Railway Hotel, was demolished for that purpose. This project "The Island" was built to attract shoppers back to the town centre. Last year, a pedestrian bridge joining France with Germany; the biggest single span foot-bridge in Europe, was built to bring French shoppers back to the border centre "Marktkauf", but labelled as joining together two neighbouring lands.
Trouble is, the green belt here is disappearing fast and furious. We used to be able to see the Swiss mountains from our balcony, on garden level, now we have to go up to the attic flat. Early this year the development stopped; everywhere half finished buildings, due to the financial climate, but that'll change again. They have been widening the railway and bridges too because of the increase in traffic there too; direct route from Rotterdam to Rome.
On the one hand it all produces bargains galore, so we have the Swiss and French to thank for that, but for the local shopkeepers it's a pure cut-throat existence. Shops change hands and brands with unhealthy regularity.

[Jim D]

In recent years we have had Braehead to the west of Glasgow. We were told that this would probably be the last big shopping complex as the area could not take another.

We then had The Forge in the East of the City.

Then we had "Silverburn" in the south of the City. The locals say it is named after the Brock burn, which used to be littered with Tesco shopping trolleys. lol They got away with that one as it replaced the old Pollok Centre.

The thing that gets me? It's the same shops in all of these malls! You get that same at Braehead, The Forge and Silverburn as you get in Glasgow City Centre. What happened to variety.

This new shopping mall will require to compete with the City Centre, so you can be sure they will drop the rent to attract companies. This will cause the City Centre to have more unoccupied shops. Very attractive - I don't think!

[Heather]

I wonder just how many more Shopping Centre's the Council think we need in Glasgow??

With so many shops closing down and a lot of people unemployed, who is going to have the money to spend.

I have never been to Braehead or Silverburn, I can buy anything I need in the City Centre, especially as the Train takes me right into Queen Street.

[tomtscotland]

I wonder just how many more Shopping Malls the Council think we need in Glasgow??

With so many shops closing down and a lot of people unemployed, who is going to have the money to spend.

I have never been to Braehead or Silverburn, I can buy anything I need in the City Centre, especially as the Train takes me right into Queen Street.

I would question the wisdom of having more shopping malls in the centre of the city - this just leads to street shops shutting and empty premises being taken over by pound / charity shops.
I think there is a justification in outlying areas - who can deny the right of say those in Easterhouse to have a half-decent centre close at hand such as the Fort - after all they had 50 years of nothing.

[Heather]

Tom, there has been a Shopping Centre in Easterhouse since early in the 1970s.

I'm only five minutes on the bus from Easterhouse and I don't like the Fort.
I have been told the Fort has improved recently but if went to Easterhouse I would prefer the Shopping Centre.

Why have we started calling our Shopping Centre's, Malls? An American expression.

[tomtscotland]

Why have we started calling our Shopping Centre's, Malls? An American expression.

Well you started it ....

As far as the Fort's concerned ..never visited it ... but even if you don't appreciate it I'm sure others do .. it must get a fair bit of custom from Ruchazue, Cranhill, Barlanark ....

[GG]

Good point tomt, I agree, there must be quite a few people who like it as I've heard many people talking about their visits.

I also agree with Heather: as far as shoping centres go I far prefer the Easterhouse one to the Fort. The Shandwick was always a 'shopping centre', as opposed to a 'mall', the place was/is just very much more on a human scale. You can walk through the Shandwick and still 'connect' with people and see and talk to people you know; you can remember and get to know shop workers. With the Fort it is all so vast, commercialised and de-personalised.

Also, the Shandwick housed (in its wider environs) social and community facilities such as the library, community learning units and I think even social work facilities, a good reminder that there is more to life than just shopping!

GG.

[Heather]

The Swimming Pool is just across the road from Easterhouse Shopping Centre. Also McDonalds, where the g'daughters drag me to when we come out the Swimming Pool.

The Pool is inter-connected with the Library.

It's all these visits to America that has me referring to Shopping Malls. One forgets what Country one is in.

[carmella]

Heather - in your defence let me tell you that in Ayr, we have a shopping centre which is named on the outside of it "The Arran Mall", and the locals all refer to it by that name.

Incidentally, I absolutely love the Malls in the States, way better in my opinion than anything we have now or have ever had.

The absolute best ones are in Dubai, however.

I have to add though, that no matter which of our 'Centres' or 'Malls' we go to, seen one, seen them all.

I have been to Braehead once and hated it. I have never been, or intend to go to Silverburn or the Forge.

I absolutely adore shopping in Glasgow City Centre, but loathe the Buchanan Galleries and much prefer Princes Square.

[Heather]

Carmella, I certainly agree with you that the Malls in America are great. I can spend a day wandering around them. You can pick up some really good bargains.

I think it was in Atlantic City we were shopping and my sister bought a pair of Prada shoes at a really good price. There were two colours she liked but couldn't make up her mind which colour to take. Her husband told her to take both of them and he paid for a pair. Lucky her.

I don't like the Buchanan Galleries either and seldom go in there.

But the biggest Shopping Mall I was ever in was in Crakow in Poland, it is huge. I was very surprised at the size of it.
There was a C & A store there, a Company I thought went out of business years ago.