ScottishArchitecture.com

A major new regeneration project is starting on site in Glasgow’s east end.  Work is due start imminently on the £200million Collegelands development, located on a vacant site at High Street / Duke Street, in the east of the city.
 
Glasgow City Council’s decision to secure 102,000 square feet of office space in the development, for use by its Development and Regeneration Services and some Culture & Sport Glasgow staff, has enabled work to begin on the first phase of the project.
 
The move is part of the Council’s city centre office rationalisation plan which has brought forward options to modernise the council’s office accommodation and working practices, while reducing property occupation costs.
 
A deal was reached in 2006 with developer TDI Ltd (a joint venture company majority owned by Dawn Group with minority shareholding held by Chiltern Group) for the former Council-owned site, which extends to some 6.81 hectares. The site had previously lain empty for more than 25 years.
 
Phase one of Collegelands includes:
 
102,000 square feet of office space,
200 bedroom hotel, with restaurant and meeting rooms etc.,
250 student accommodation units, offering 600 bed spaces,
1,100 space multi-storey car park.
 
As part of this phase additional off-street car parking and new internal roads (within the overall site) will also be constructed.
 
In total, Collegelands has planning permission for more than 1.1 million square feet of space. Phase one is expected to be completed by summer 2011.

The Council has received an initial payment of £3.5million for the site and will receive a significant proportion of the profits from the development.
 
Councillor George Ryan, executive member for business and the economy, said: “The commencement of the Collegelands project is a major regeneration boost within Glasgow. Not only will it deliver new homes but also a sizeable amount of commercial and office space, which will in effect create a new business district for the city.
 
“Collegelands is one of the UK’s biggest urban developments to start this year and is a fantastic example of the public sector supporting private sector development in these challenging economic times.
 
“The Council’s commitment to pre-let a significant amount of office space within this development is the trigger needed to allow phase one of the plan to proceed and this will act as a catalyst for further regeneration surrounding the site.”