Almost 600 new homes for Glasgow Cowcaddens get green light

Scottish architects Keppie Design, who submitted designs for Global Mutual, said Glasgow City Council “unanimously approved” the proposals for a “major new residential neighbourhood” to be developed in the Cowcaddens area.

As part of the project, Buchanan House will be deconstructed, with 94% of the existing building fabric recycled.

The proposal for 595 new homes, amenities and community space, with new landscaped gardens and public realm, is called One Cowcaddens.

Glasgow-based Keppie, which dates from 1854 and is employee-owned, said: “The developer, Global Mutual, was commended at the committee meeting on its ‘textbook’ proposal, with councillors particularly pleased with its efforts to minimise the carbon footprints of the proposal, noting that this approach should be an exemplar for other developments in the city.”

The architects said the planning application is the culmination of a series of structured pre-application meetings and consultations, undertaken with the council over a 14-month period, to “develop the proposals and a vision for the site that aligns with the city’s ambitions”.

The plans include roof terraces (Image: Keppie Design)

Keppie said: “The proposed mixed-use development will provide high-quality public amenity including new south-west-facing public realm and active street frontage, with local retail and café to better serve the need of the local community.

“This will form part of a civic scale ground floor and address the junction at Cowcaddens Road, while providing opportunity to spill out on to and interact with the public realm.

“Residents of the approximately 600 new sustainable homes will have access to a plethora of amenity including roof terraces and residents' gardens, lounges, gym and wellness offerings and private dining rooms.

“Residents’ amenity is strategically located to have uninterrupted south-facing views and direct access to green space. The highest amenity space is centrally located to create opportunity for elevated south-facing panoramic views over the city.”

The plans also include landscaped public space, and Frank Cossell's artwork will be kept (Image: Keppie Design)

The proposal ranges in height from seven to 21 storeys, creating a layered urban response and providing opportunity for the active roofscape on the south-facing amenity terraces.

Fronting on to Port Dundas Road, the development will enhance the public realm by providing ground-floor commercial units “that activate the street”.

The public realm incorporates space for spill out from these commercial units, public seating, planting and pedestrian movement. The proposal has also considered the future context of the Cowcaddens Road Avenues Plus project.

This will see the pedestrianisation of a section of Port Dundas Road and the creation of a neighbourhood-scale public space which includes an integrated active travel route, extensive planting and public seating.

Keppie said in the design statement: “The site acts as a key gateway at the north edge of the city centre, where there is a real opportunity to repair the fragmented urban fabric.

“The design team have analysed the scheme in terms of form, scale and massing to make best use of land in a highly accessible location, in line with the council’s aspiration to redensify the neighbourhood. The form of the proposals holds the street line to create a distinctive streetscape and active frontage to the street.”

The site lies immediately adjacent to what was once Buchanan Street Rail Station, originally constructed in 1849 by the Caledonian Railway Company as its main terminus for the city, and lasted until the 1930s.

The bronze Locomotion statue, designed by Frank Cossell, will be retained as a central feature within the new public realm as “a proud reminder of the site’s rich heritage”.