GLASGOW’s ‘Style Mile’, once billed as the top retail area in the UK outside London, is to be redesigned to address the decline.

The three streets of Sauchiehall, Buchannan and Argyle are to be the focus of a review by the City Centre Task Force.

It will look at the changing shopping trends and the resulting increase in empty shop units.

READ MORE: Plan to demolish Buchanan Galleries for massive Glasgow street transformation

The review comes after Buchanan Galleries owners, LandSec, announced it is intending to demolish the shopping centre and rebuild with new streets and more residential properties as well as a reduced retail space.

Glasgow Times:

Sauchiehall Street, which has suffered from the three fires, at Victoria’s Nightclub and the School of art, is to be the priority in the review as it is recognised it has fallen the furthest in the last decade.

Any plans will take into account the proposed new model for the Buchanan Galleries site.

Angus Millar, Co-Chair of the City Centre Task Force, said: “We all want our city centre to be a place where people want to live, work, shop, visit, invest and do business.

“Sauchiehall, Argyle and Buchanan Streets are at the heart of Glasgow’s shopping district, but we know that the retail sector is changing. Securing a vibrant, sustainable future for the city centre will mean supporting a range of uses - including retail, hospitality, office and residential - and undertaking a masterplanning approach will help identify the right mix for these key destination streets.” 

READ MORE: Politicians call for taskforce to save Sauchiehall Street

Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: “Glasgow has a city centre that relies not only on the footfall of local residents but on the wider catchment areas where the population traditionally depends on Glasgow for their shopping and leisure needs. As such, our city centre was disproportionately impacted by travel restrictions amid the pandemic, with recent closures such as Next on Argyle Street and Marks and Spencer on Sauchiehall Street highlighting just how in need of a masterplan our city is.”