THE former headquarters of Strathclyde Police is to be flattened and replaced with hundreds of homes to rent in a £105million complex.

Developer Moda wants to create 365 apartments with cafes, restaurants, workspace and gardens creating a ready-made community on the Pitt Street site.

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The massive scheme, which will cover the full city block, will have a range of studio, one, two and three bedroom apartments.

There will also be a gym, cinema room, meeting rooms and residents’ lounge with outdoor gardens and barbeque areas on rooftops across the complex. It will be Scotland’s first major build to rent development.

Unlike many other developers, Moda will retain ownership of the properties and operate them only for rent.

The company says the site acquisition is a major demonstration of confidence in the Scottish rental market.

It is one of the largest post-Brexit property deals to take place not just in Glasgow but across the whole country.

The Pitt Street offices, which were built in 1924, were home to Strathclyde Police from 1975 until the merger of the eight Scottish police forces in 2013.

Moda head of acquisitions Oscar Brooks said: “The old Strathclyde Police headquarters is a fantastic site right in the heart of Glasgow and matches our vision of delivering high-quality housing for rent in city centre locations across the United Kingdom.”

“We are excited to be working with Glasgow City Council in delivering high quality homes which help meet a pressing need for decent rental accommodation.”

The new development, which will be designed by local architects HAUS-Collective, is Moda’s first in Scotland.

It will replace the existing building with a large, modern, multi-building development complete with public realm.

City council leader Frank McAveety said: “The redevelopment of the former police headquarters building in Pitt Street could bring a significant new addition to living in Glasgow city centre and council planning officers will look forward to seeing the developers’ proposals.”

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City centre councillor Philip Braat said he was pleased the Pitt Street site would be used to provide housing.

He added: “I am pleased it is not going to be further student accommodation because I feel the market has been saturated , particularly in the city centre. I think that bubble has burst.”