A city centre task force boss has said Sauchiehall Street should be “at the top of the priority list” in Glasgow’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Marks and Spencer announced plans to shut its store — open since 1935 — earlier this week, contributing further to the decline of a once vibrant area.
And a number of major retailers have left the street in recent years while fires at the Glasgow School of Art and Victoria nightclub have also played a part in its demise.
Cllr Angus Millar, who co-chairs a city centre task force set up to help reopen the economy following lockdown, said he has emphasised the importance of Glasgow’s success to Scotland in talks with the Scottish Government.
He said a master plan is needed to revitalise the troubled street, addressing the changing use of city centres.
“There are a number of vacant sites there, not just vacant buildings. What I really want to see is the council working with the government and private sector to encourage uses in a master planned way.
“I certainly want Sauchiehall Street to be a vibrant thoroughfare in the city centre, a much more pleasant place to walk and spend time.”
He believes there needs to be a better mix of uses, including more residential. “I want people to live on Sauchiehall Street, not just shops and the night-time economy.”
The Marks and Spencer closure is “concerning”, the councillor said, but he added retail has “been on a trend for some years”. “The pandemic has accelerated that decline.”
The taskforce, also co-chaired by Stuart Patrick, the chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, put together a recovery plan for 2022 to 2024.
The main aims include maximising activity, footfall and business development opportunities and enhancing the city centre so it attracts people to work, live, visit, study and invest.
Glasgow’s relatively small city centre population has contributed to it being “one of the worst hit in the UK”. The return of workers to offices will be key to recovery as weekday and after work footfall, which is essential for cafes, bars and restaurants, has “plummeted”.
Cllr Millar, who is also depute city convener for inclusive economic growth, said: “We know that getting people into the office as far as people feel safe is going to be one of the most important things to support the recovery of the hospitality industry.”
He added: “The trend we have been seeing around the decline of retail, the need to increase the residential population, we have been aware of for some time. The pandemic has changed the pace.”
The council needs “to move at a greater pace”. “That’s why it’s important to make the case for government investment.
“The Scottish Government understands the pressure the city centre economy is under. That is the message we have been repeatedly relaying.”
However, he added the government has a “difficult balancing act”, particularly during the pandemic when covid outbreaks need to be taken into account.
The council is working on a property repurposing strategy, which will focus on bringing empty buildings back into use.
The task force, with members from the public and private sector, makes the case for resources and policy responses from government, and met with Scotland’s finance secretary Kate Forbes this week.
Night-time economy representatives put their concerns over business support to Ms Forbes, and, Cllr Millar said, task force members highlighted the importance of Glasgow’s city centre as a “key driver of the economy in Scotland”.
