The planning application involves the demolition of the existing Portcullis House building and construction of a build to rent (BTR) and ‘co-living’ development of 685 new homes.
The scheme is made up of a 279-unit BTR development to the north of the site, adjacent to Charing Cross Station, and a 406 studio co-living development to the south of the site, adjacent to the Scottish Power Building. Co-living is intended for people who want to be part of a strong community, spending time in common living areas, where there are often programmed events and activities.
Watkin Jones Group planning director Iain Smith said: “We’re thrilled to submit our planning application for this exciting scheme at Portcullis House, regenerating a brownfield site to create sustainable new homes for people in the city. By ensuring there is a good supply of high-quality rented housing in Glasgow we will meet growing demand, which will benefit people across the local area and beyond.
“The design of our proposed homes will help to keep skilled young people in the city who will boost Glasgow’s economy. These people are actively looking for a sustainable and desirable place to live in central location with excellent transport links and places to shop or socialise. This will repopulate the city centre and benefit local businesses as part of an overall renewal of the west end.
“Build to rent and co-living developments are built for the long-term, so our focus is on creating a great place to live for decades with high-quality rented accommodation at competitive prices that appeal to a wide-range of people. There is huge demand in Glasgow for these homes, which offers long-term security of tenure, combined with the flexibility of renting.”
The scheme has received the endorsement of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce. Chief executive Stuart Patrick said: “It is fantastic to be seeing this level of investment being made in Glasgow. Delivering high-quality housing such as this, which is desperately needed, will address increasing demand. It will also serve to retain skilled young people in the city as well as regenerating the city centre, which is a key aspiration for the city council.
“Glasgow City Council’s City Centre Living Strategy outlines a target to double the city centre’s population to 40,000 over the next 15 years and increasing density in the city centre is essential to its long- term success and sustainability. Schemes such as this do exactly that. The site has excellent transport links and local businesses will clearly benefit from these proposals. Innovative developments such as this are to be greatly welcomed.”
The Portcullis House scheme has been designed by architect Hawkins Brown’s local office in Glasgow.
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
