INCREASING footfall and encouraging people to live in Glasgow's city centre is part of the council's recovery plan for the area after it was badly hit by coronavirus pandemic.

The plan for the 2022-24 period will feature a wide range of short and long-term actions to deliver the city centre recovery.

It follows the Glasgow City Centre Strategy 2014-19 which was the first five-year plan in a proposed 10-year strategy to inform city centre regeneration and development.

The new 2020-25 strategy had been produced and was being prepared for consideration by a council committee in March 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic put a halt to the process and moved the city into an emergency response situation.

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As previously reported, one of which was the convening of the Glasgow Economic Recovery Group, and the establishment of a City Centre Task Force (CCTF).

Councillor Angus Millar, co-chair of the task force and depute city convener for inclusive economic growth, said: “Glasgow city centre’s unique position in Scotland as a metropolitan core means that the economic impacts of the pandemic have been felt particularly keenly, and we will continue our partnership approach - which has already delivered significant results - to drive the recovery of the city centre economy over the next few years. "The City Centre Recovery Plan sets out how the public and private sector will work together to deliver a range of actions that will support a thriving, inclusive and sustainable city centre for people to live, work and spend time in.”

The council said remaining coronavirus restrictions and a national "work from home" message have meant plans for a long-term solution have been put on the back burner, prompting the decision to opt for an interim two-year plan instead.

It looks at four main objectives: maximising activity and footfall; maximising employment and business development opportunities; enhancing the city centre to attract people to work, live, visit, study and invest there; and embed climate mitigation and adaptation from the Climate Plan at every opportunity.

The council said the almost "wholesale removal" of the workforce and closure of most offices had a major effect on footfall.

While the extension of the "harshest public health restrictions" and shop locally messages also caused difficulties for retail and hospitality sectors.

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Funding is already in place for most actions either for pilot activity, full delivery, or the development of related projects.

However, some of the short-term actions include continued advocacy to the Scottish and UK Governments, a vacant units plan, considering the repurposing of property, with longer-term actions such as District Regeneration Frameworks, the City Centre Living Strategy, and the design and delivery of the Avenues programme to follow.