Buchanan Street steps in danger of demolition

AN APPLICATION has officially been lodged with Glasgow City Council to change the landscape of the city’s Buchanan Street.

Student demo in 2010 near the Royal Concert Hall steps. Picture: Robert Perry

In a move to extend Buchanan Galleries as part of a £400 million expansion plan, the popular steps leading to Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall would be demolished.

The submission of the application, which is widely expected to be granted in the new year, comes on the back of a petition with 11,000 signatures to save the Buchanan Street steps.

The steps have been the favoured spot at lunchtimes and a site for holding demonstrations, most recently during the independence referendum campaign.

The proposal would see the centre become home to more than 100 shops, a cinema and 25 restaurants.

It is understood that if the project is given the green light, construction could begin as early as next spring.

CONNECT WITH THE SCOTSMAN

• Subscribe to our daily newsletter (requires registration) and get the latest news, sport and business headlines delivered to your inbox every morning

• You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google +

Although the steps are less than 20 years and unlisted, there is a requirement to seek local authority permission to demolish them as they lie in the Glasgow Central Conservation Area.

Petition signatory Rory S said: “These are an iconic and important part of Glasgow’s architecture. On any given day, you will see hundreds of tourists taking photographs on any given day. To be replaced by a modern and soulless glass frontage is disgraceful.”

Applicant LS Buchanan Ltd proposes to replace the steps with a new rotunda structure to give a more “user-friendly, modern entrance way” and improved access to the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and the new developments of the Buchanan Galleries.

It is hoped the development will provide a local jobs boost and attract increased business to the centre.