Buchanan Galleries development 'scaled-down' after demolition plans scrapped

New plans for Glasgow’s Buchanan Galleries are to be brought forward by developers bidding to transform the site.

Councillors heard that the developers have gone back to the drawing board with new plans that are “fundamentally different” from earlier designs that focused on creating new housing.

An initial idea to demolish Buchanan Galleries has been dropped, and the building will be retained, according to owners Landsec.

A meeting heard that a new planning application, setting out a different vision for the well-known shopping centre, is to be lodged within months.

A council official told a meeting on Tuesday that the “owners of the centre are in early discussions about bringing forward reconfiguration with quite a significant change but not on the scale or comprehensive change, which was previously envisaged.”

Speaking at Tuesday’s economy, housing, transport and regeneration city policy committee, councillor Kieran Turner, Labour, said it looks like it will be “a scaled-down plan” and asked for more details on the application and time scale.

Stating that it will be a “significant investment”, the officer said: “Things are moving there, and within the next six months, there will be much more to see in terms of formal proposals.

He added: “It is fundamentally different to what was envisaged before. There is long-term potential for change, but in the medium term, this represents a significant opportunity in terms of reinvigorating the city centre retail offer.”

The owners recently bought 229-249 Buchanan Street to assist with the development, which has a multi-phased master plan.

The initial plan, now facing a rethink, was that the redevelopment would focus predominantly on housing.

The future of the centre was discussed during a presentation on Tuesday, which laid out Glasgow’s City Centre Strategy.