New plans for the regeneration of Shawlands Arcade in Glasgow's south side have been announced today.
The regeneration of the Arcade on Kilmarnock Road, which was built in the 1960s, is promised to "create a new, vibrant shopping and leisure experience in the heart of Shawlands".
Plans suggest the redevelopment of the Arcade will be phased, with phase one providing new retail units and more than 300 new homes. Additional shops and homes will be added in following stages.
Phase one represents a £68 million investment in the area and will support 120 construction and retail jobs. The new homes and businesses will also lead to increased council tax and business rates income amounting to more than £1 million per year.
The new shops will be built on the on the same level as Kilmarnock Road and create wide generous pavement areas, to offer businesses space for outdoor seating in a bid to grow the café culture.
At the centre of the new development, behind the new shops on Kilmarnock Road, there will be an area of landscaped public gardens that can be enjoyed by the new residents, visitors to the shops and the public.
The proposed new homes in the first phase will comprise of one, two and three-bedroom apartments to keep up with demand for accommodation in the area.
They are designed for sustainability and will feature a range of low and zero carbon generating technologies, with an emphasis on biking and other sustainable forms of transport rather than car parking.
The proposals are being brought forward by the Arcade’s owners, Clydebuilt LP, which is a property investment and development fund co-owned by Strathclyde Pension Fund and Ediston Real Estate.
The proposals are supported by My Shawlands which is funded by the businesses of Shawlands and managed by a board of Shawlands business owners.
Lisa McLaughlin of My Shawlands added: "In the four years since the businesses of Shawlands elected to make the area a Business Improvement District, Shawlands has grown from strength to strength to become a highly desirable place to live, shop and socialise.
"This boom in popularity adds to a long-standing desire by locals and business owners to see the re-development of the Shawlands Arcade site into a space that serves the needs and wants of the community better. As Shawlands continues to flourish, the My Shawlands board fully supports the plans for the Arcade to evolve and realise its full potential.
"We are looking forward to the improved streetscape that will attract more visitors to Shawlands to enjoy what we have to offer and help our businesses and the whole area to thrive post-pandemic.”
Neal Jamieson, Director of Ediston Real Estate said: “The pandemic and growth of online shopping has increased the need for town centres like Shawlands to reinvent themselves and grow their appeal by offering an exciting mix of shopping and leisure and keeping the “High St” experience alive.
"The new development will build on the success of the Shawlands Business Improvement District by adding to the eclectic mix of independent shops, bars and restaurants already offered by Shawlands and the new homes will bring more people to this lively community.”
“We want to hear what the Community think about our ideas and hope many of them will take the opportunity to comment through the various routes open to them, starting with our live webinar event on 9 June.”
Members of the Shawlands community are being encouraged to give their views on the proposals via a public consultation process which is launching on 9 June with a live interactive Zoom Webinar event between 7 and 8pm, where members of the project team will present the proposals and be available to respond to questions.
You can contact the project team via the project website here.
