Glasgow Life: Sauchiehall Street regeneration gets £350,000 in lottery funding

The multi-million pound regeneration of Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street is to benefit from an additional £350,000 in funding.

Glasgow Life received the grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support the development of the Sauchiehall Street: Culture and Heritage District plan, which will set out the role of culture and heritage in its transformation.

The £5.6m makeover for the busy street, the city’s second and final Avenues Project, had been delayed by several months after issues with “underground utilities” prompted a redesign, the council said.

Works scheduled to complete by late summer are now expected to finish by November/December.

Bailie Annette Christie, Chair of Glasgow Life and Glasgow City Council convenor for culture, sport and international relations, said: “This support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund is fantastic news for Sauchiehall Street and will help to revitalise what is one of Glasgow’s most iconic streets.

Sauchiehall Street transformation Glasgow City Council

“Sauchiehall Street has a rich cultural heritage, and the funding marks a major milestone in our city’s efforts to deliver positive economic and social change in the area through the Sauchiehall Street: Culture and Heritage District.

“The transformative plans for this historic area ensure that culture and heritage organisations, businesses, residents and visitors alike will benefit for years to come.”

The £350,000 funded development phase of the project will run from April 2024 to October 2025.

A dedicated project team will work with the people who live in, work on and visit Sauchiehall Street to ensure its strong cultural associations, from dance and music to film and theatre.

Glasgow Life, Glasgow City Council, the Heritage Fund and local stakeholders including Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, the University of Glasgow, Glasgow Film Theatre and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland are working together for the project.

The first phase of the work will form the basis for a further funding application to the Heritage Fund.

New plans to build flats on former Glasgow Sauchiehall street M&S Fusion

The project to transform Sauchiehall Street originally began in September 2023.

The Avenues Project has seen large parts of the street dug up to replace older trees, with fencing placed around a large stretch of the street.

Meanwhile, a second bid bid to demolish the former flagship Marks and Spencer store to build student flats has been launched after the first was rejected by council planning committee.

Councillors who opposed the 18-storey building proposal cited its impact on the conservation area, with particular regard to views, a lack of mixed-tenure in the proposed development and over-concentration of student accommodation in the area.

Developers Fusion have resubmitted plans for the city centre block, which it claims would retain the 1930s M&S façade, to provide student accommodation for over 600 people.