IT was once the corridors of power for Glasgow’s senior crime fighters, but now the former Strathclyde Police headquarters has finally been razed to the ground.
The Pitt Street site is to be transformed into a residential development with homes for around 1000 people.
It has taken months to demolish the building and the site now offers commanding views of the city not usually seen.
The offices were built in 1934 and were previously home to Strathclyde Police, which was the country’s largest force from 1975 until the merger of the eight Scottish police forces in 2013.
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The site dominated the west of Scotland’s policing operation and even featured in programmes like Taggart.
It is made up of a 1934-built Glasgow and West of Scotland Commercial College and a glass and concrete extension.
In 2015, more than 1000 staff transferred to the new French Street HQ after Police Scotland was formed.
The site was purchased by Moda Living and Apache Capital Partners in October 2016.
Under plans approved by Glasgow City Council, it will be redeveloped into flats ranging from studios to three-bedrooms.
The Moda Development is one of several that are part of a long-term strategy designed to bring new people to live in the city centre to increase the population to 40,000 by 2030.
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Glasgow has a lower city centre residential population than other European cities of a similar size.
As the nature of the city centre changes with retail industry closures leaving empty units, growing the population is hoped to give the streets a new purpose.
The council appointed a team to help develop a city centre living strategy to boost the numbers.
It is looking at where is best for new residential developments and if commercial and office buildings could be converted into homes.
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