Major development set for historic Glasgow building

Plans to turn the former Distillers' House in Glasgow into 100,000 square feet of new office space have been submitted with the hope of work beginning next year.

An artist's impression of The Still project on Glasgow's Waterloo Street. Picture: Contributed

Property developer Whiteburn aims to keep the main historical elements of the B-listed red sandstone building in Waterloo Street, with a 14-storey structure built behind it.

The new Grade A edifice, to be known as The Still, is expected to appeal to a variety of firms amid the shrinking availability of high-quality office space in the city centre.

Edinburgh-based Whiteburn, which recently completed the refurbishment of the former RBS headquarters in Glasgow, hopes to receive planning consent for the project later this year. Work would begin in 2017 with completion scheduled for 2019.

It is being advised by property specialists JLL and Phil Reid Associates, with Bennetts serving as architects.

Mike Buchan, lead director at JLL, said The Still will offer much-needed space to both existing and future businesses within the city.

“Glasgow has a thriving business community but there is a dwindling supply of top-quality office space, with the vacancy rate down to around 3 per cent,” he said.

“In today’s competitive business environment, companies need to work hard to retain talent. And one way of doing this is to offer a new world work environment – as is the vision for The Still,” added Buchan.