The most significant change this year has been the completion of Silverburn, Retail Property Holdings' million-sq ft development at Pollok, south-west of the city centre.

Remarkably in the current climate, the £350m development at Junction 2 of the M77 was effectively fully let on opening day at the end of October. It has been successful in attracting major anchor stores including Marks & Spencer in 100,000 sq ft, Next in 50,000 sq ft and the largest Debenhams outside Glasgow city centre at 130,000 sq ft, as well as a number of affordable luxury brands including LK Bennett, Hobbs, Phase Eight and Kurt Geiger, which selected the scheme for its first Scottish store.

In addition, Silverburn features an extensive range of eateries including Yo! Sushi, La Tasca, Wagamama and another first for Scotland, Prezzo. The scheme is supported by 4,500 car parking spaces.

Retail Property Holdings managing director Richard Low says: "Silverburn is the first of the next generation retail developments in the UK as it provides the very best of the high street shopping environment within an enclosed architecturally-inspiring space, benefiting from direct motorway access and plentiful free parking. I'm reassured that retailers and restaurant operators, who have signed up in such large numbers, recognise the quality of the environment we have created."

CACI predicts Silverburn, the largest purpose-built regional development in Scotland, will become number four in the retail ranking for Scotland behind Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen city centres. Some 1.6 million people reside within 30 minutes of the scheme, with half of all Scottish households located within its retail footprint.

CBRE and SGM Property Consultants are the letting agents, Building Design Partnership was the architect and Bovis Lend Lease the contractor.

And on the opposite side of Glasgow, Land Securities is creating a 1.75 million-sq ft retail destination at Livingston. The 375,000-sq ft Elements scheme is the latest phase of a 30-year development programme and, according to development director David Smith, this is the phase that will turn Livingston into a regional destination.

"It will allow us to stretch the catchment by having critical mass. In planning terms Livingston is now seen as a sub-regional centre second only to Edinburgh, and we have 80 per cent of Scotland's population within an hour's drive," he says.

The Elements is anchored by stand-alone department stores for Debenhams and Marks & Spencer, between them accounting for half of the new space. The remainder takes the form of 30 shop units and five restaurants.

A key feature of BDP's design is the Winter Gardens, a lofty space sheltered under a high-tech translucent roof that will become a focal point for community and entertainment events.

The double-height stores will at last give Livingston the large floorplates that retailers now require, and Smith says nine of the units are already in solicitors' hands. The catering units, let through Shelley Sandzer, have already been snapped up by Nando's, Ask, Wagamama, Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Tony Roma's.

Culverwell and Lunson Mitchenall, letting agents on the retail, are quoting rents based on £120 zone A, still relatively affordable but a significant uplift on the existing tone at Livingston of £100 zone A.

Experian calculates that, if Glasgow did nothing to counter these new attractions, it could lose up to 10 per cent of its retail trade. But the fightback has already begun with substantial extensions approved to the existing St Enoch and Buchanan Galleries centres.

At the beginning of November Glasgow City Council approved an outline planning application which will see Buchanan Galleries double in size, becoming one of the largest shopping centres in the UK. The proposal for an extension to the north and east of the current Buchanan Galleries, developing on the centre's current car park and extending the shopping mall over the railway lines of Queen Street station, will extend the centre to 1.3 million sq ft. The completed centre is planned to open in 2011.

The Buchanan Partnership - a joint venture between Land Securities and Henderson Global Investors - has been granted outline planning consent from the City Council to extend the existing shopping centre by 700,000 sq ft; construct a new multi-storey car park on top of Buchanan bus station; improve Buchanan bus station to create a transport hub for the city; create a new eating and drinking destination; and develop a new atrium entrance to Buchanan Galleries and the Royal Concert Hall.

The plans also include construction of a new pedestrian bridge connecting the enhanced Buchanan Galleries to the new car park, and development of new retail activity on Buchanan Street, Cathedral Street and Killermont Street, which will transform the north side of the city.

The planning consent is subject to approval by the Scottish Executive and a decision is expected in the coming months which would allow work to begin in late 2008.

Nick Davis, development director at Land Securities, says: "Our development proposals will complement and enhance the existing retail offer in the city centre and will serve to strengthen Glasgow's appeal to both tourists and the wider business community. Demand for well configured retail units within the city remains strong and we're confident of attracting new international brands to Glasgow."

Culverwell, CBRE and DTZ are the letting agents and BDP is the architect.

But the rival city centre scheme, Ivanhoe Cambridge's St Enoch centre, has stolen a march by starting work on its own extension and refurbishment a full year ahead of Buchanan Galleries.

The £100m redevelopment will transform the 18-year-old centre, increasing its retail and leisure content by a third to more than a million sq ft, with new large-format stores as well as a range of bars and cafés. The first stage is being carried out on the site of the old Clydesdale Bank building on the corner of Argyle Street and St Enoch Square, with the project scheduled for completion by the end of 2009.

Glasgow City Council leader Steven Purcell says: "Glasgow is almost unrecognisable from the city that welcomed the tremendous boost that the St Enoch Centre brought some 18 years ago. This new investment will further secure its unprecedented regeneration as we look to a bold vision for the Clydeside. The corridor from the top of Buchanan Street down to the river is now seen as Scotland's prime retail destination and this investment maintains that reputation."

The project includes a new entrance at the corner of Argyle Street and Buchanan Street, which will have a major impact on pedestrian flows. At the same time the existing malls will be refurbished and the area surrounding St Enoch's Square will be upgraded to host major events.

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend