Glasgow city centre construction works to last four more years

Sauchiehall Street is due to be completed within months then work will start on several more key routes from early next year.

After Sauchiehall Street, there will be an “acceleration” of work towards what the council is billing as the “most significant change to city centre streetscapes since the 1970s pedestrianisation of Buchanan Street”.

Following major setbacks, including several fires, the collapse of major retail giants and the covid pandemic, the council is aiming to create physical conditions to make the city centre attractive to people and investors.

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The overall Avenues and Avenues Plus programme will see construction work taking place somewhere in the city centre until the end of 2028.

(Image: GCC) (Image: GCC)

A new timeline of the multi-million pound project shows between 2025 and 2027 there will be work ongoing on 18 different but connected projects.

The final scheme to be carried out will be George Street between George Square and High Street, between the end of 2027 and the end of 2028.

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Work on a major redevelopment of George Square will take place, starting in January 2025 lasting until late 2027.

The timeline shows Cambridge Street is first due for completion, by the end of this year, then Holland St and Pitt St.

Sauchiehall Street should be re-opened by May next year.

By then, work will be underway on Argyle Street, Duke St and John Knox St, Dobbie’s Loan, South Portland St, North Hanover St and Kyle St, Stockwell St, George Square, George St and St Vincent Place.

(Image: GCC) (Image: GCC) Broomielaw and High Street will see work start in early 2026.

Most of the projects will be complete in 2026 or 2027 with George Street the last to be started, mid 2027 and due for completion by the end of 2028.

(Image: GCC) (Image: GCC)

The work will transform the main city centre streets and is hoped to provide the platform for the city centre to “flourish” and benefit the people of Glasgow for decades to come.

Last week the Glasgow Times reported Susan Aitken, council leader, stating many streets would be a building site but it would be worth it for the benefits it will bring.

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Angus Millar, City Convener for City Centre Recovery, said: “Our city centre has undoubtedly been impacted in recent years by multiple and overlapping challenges, from the legacy of the pandemic, fires, and absentee property owners to the shift to online retail and cost-of-living and inflation crises.

“But it’s increasingly a focal point for major investment, for population growth and we have a responsibility to nurture that and create the cosmopolitan feel Glasgow deserves.

“We know from our own past that when we make these changes, Glasgow has flourished.  The pedestrianisation of Buchanan Street in the 1970s was the catalyst for it becoming one of the most successful streets on these islands.  But it also signalled the transformation of Glasgow away from its post-industrial past.

“We’re experiencing a similar period of transition just now and the Avenues can be the foundations for a city centre which gives people more reasons to visit, to invest in Glasgow and to make the city centre their home.”

Business leaders said the work will make Galsgow more attractive to investors.

Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: "The next phase of the Avenues project is crucial for repositioning Glasgow to meet modern economic needs.

"While some disruption is inevitable, we are working with Get Glasgow Ready to keep businesses fully informed. 

"We encourage all businesses to engage with the programme to minimise any impact and ensure a smooth transition."