DOUBLING Glasgow’s city centre population over the next 15 years will be the key focus of a council strategy set to be agreed this week.

The council has said Glasgow lies behind cities such as Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham in terms of the number of residents choosing to stay in the centre, at just over 20,000 people.

With the rise in online shopping forcing high street closures, new uses are needed for city centre properties and Glasgow City Council has set a target of housing 40,000 people by 2035.

Councillors will be asked to approve the final version of a new city centre living strategy when they meet on Thursday.

A draft was approved at the end of November last year and a public consultation period finished in February.

There are six key objectives proposed in the strategy, led by the desire to increase the population.

These include transforming vacant commercial space, particularly upper levels, and providing a “cleaner, greener, more sustainable and better connected” city centre.

Council bosses also want to ensure quality design, responsive and innovate approaches to investment opportunities and “socially cohesive” neighbourhoods.

Susan Aitken, the city council’s leader, said: “Glasgow has a famously vibrant city centre, offering so much to so many people.

“This strategy will build on its strengths to create a place where more people want to live and visit and businesses to locate and invest, not just as we recover from the Covid-19 crisis but also for decades to come.

“The ultimate goal is the development of a more liveable city centre, capable of attracting a bigger, sustainable residential population to the very heart of Glasgow.”

During the consultation, the council received 74 online responses and five written submissions. Overall, there was “strong support” for the proposals, a report to councillors states.

Almost 75 per cent of respondents strongly agreed or agreed with the proposal to double the population. Issues raised included the need for facilities, such as doctor’s surgeries and schools, for new residents.

Over 90 per cent were in favour of reusing vacant premises, with a number of respondents proposing business rates could be lowered.

It was suggested incentives should be offered for the conversion of upper floor spaces into residential units.

Some concerns were expressed about the number of Airbnb properties in the city centre and over land banking. Others had issues with the amount, and quality, of student housing.

In a foreword to the strategy, Ms Aitken stated: “We start from a good place. Glasgow is affordable, giving us real appeal among Millennials, and a cultural vitality often crucial in retaining the new and emerging skills and talent our economy needs to flourish.”