Almost 50 homes could be built on site near BBC HQ in Glasgow
Glasgow City Council has received an application from Surplus Property Investments which requests permission to develop empty land at Festival Gate — near the BBC's Pacific Quay headquarters.
The old dockland was used for the Garden Festival in 1988, which attracted over four million visitors to the city.
Since the end of the festival, several projects have been proposed for the site but none have resulted in development. The firm behind the current plans was granted permission for residential, retail, office and café use in 2020.
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But the new application states, following the pandemic, the 'market demand for office space has reduced significantly further'.
'This reduction in demand led the applicant to reconsider the consented development,' it adds.
'The revised proposals will see the removal of the office and café units… as well as an increase in the number of residential units, a reduction in parking spaces, and alterations to the design of the blocks.'
(Image: Grant Murray Architects)
The developers want to build a mix of two and three-bedroom flats, with 49 homes across two blocks. Plans state they 'do not seek a radical design departure from the prior consented scheme'. It is understood 35 homes were previously proposed.
A ground floor retail unit is included and a rooftop terrace is planned on one of the blocks. There would be 32 car parking spaces.
The site was once part of Prince's Dock which ceased to operate as a commercial dock in 1970s and lay derelict until the eastern portion was infilled in the 1980s, and became part of the Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988.
Opened by Prince Charles and Princess Diana, the festival is seen as 'a pivotal moment in the city's revival after its industrial decline'.
It was held between April and September and attractions included the 73-metre Clydesdale Bank tower, a roller coaster and vintage trams.
The wider festival site, which covered 120 acres, has been used for a range of developments, including the Glasgow Science Centre, the BBC headquarters and STV's offices.
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