Only a few years ago, Glasgow Queen Street station was a bit of a miserable place. It was dark and dingy, its iconic Victorian window arches covered by a blocky, concrete building. Luckily, an extensive renovation turned it into a bright, spacious hub worthy of the 15 million annual visitors it receives. But why stop there?
Glasgow’s 2030 City Centre Strategy is a long-term scheme which aims, amongst other things, to regenerate the area around Queen Street and turn it into an ‘enhanced station quarter’. This has involved giving George Square a huge makeover, and, now, a brand new commercial space could spring up right next door in a currently derelict plot of land.
Network Rail has proposed a new building, which it describes as a ‘landmark office building’ on a vacant site adjacent to Queen Street station to Glasgow City Council. They’re working alongside development partners blocwork, and they believe that if the project goes ahead it could support up to 350 jobs between construction of the building and the office spaces that it will create.
A new station entrance from North Hanover Street has also been suggested, which would allow for more shops inside the station and easier access to George Square once it reopens.
A representative from Network Rail described this as ‘an exciting time for Glasgow’, adding that the project would ‘unlock and transform disused railway land at the heart of the city, to enhance the station and create modern, connected spaces for people to live and work.
‘The development is a great example of public and private sector collaboration, to deliver investment and community benefit.’
If all goes well, this could be the first of multiple similar projects in the area which Network Rail says ‘could see the addition of future office and residential buildings, with commercial space totalling 40,000 square meters’.
There’s no timeline for construction yet, as planning permission is still in the process of being looked at by the council. There will be a public consultation about the proposal in the autumn time, where members of the public will be able to share concerns or ask questions before any plans are approved or actioned.
Time Out in Glasgow
Once you’ve arrived in Glasgow, whether via Queen Street or otherwise, why not spend your time at one of Glasgow’s best museums, or doing one of our favourite activities in the city? Alternatively, try out one of the city’s best restaurants or bars, or one of its many, many pubs.
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