City centres becoming housing growth areas - David Alexander

So, are we to infer that “a big boy dun’ it an’ ran away”? That might be one reaction to last month’s announcement by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service that an investigation, costing £100,000, had not found any conclusive proof as to who or what was responsible for the fire which destroyed Glasgow School of Art following a massive rebuild, itself necessary after a previous fire a few years earlier.

The purpose of this week’s column, however, is not to focus on the GSA debacle but at its effect on those properties on nearby Sauchiehall Street and the wider city centre.

Once the grand dame of Glasgow retail, Sauchiehall Street has gone seriously downhill over the past two decades. It seemed to survive the loss of its big department stores but not competition from Buchanan Galleries, the rise in internet sales and, latterly, the added loss in footfall caused by the pandemic.

Some (though not all) of this change was inevitable and it was never on the cards that Sauchiehall Street would restore its lost glory. However metamorphosis of the Glasgow School of Art did offer the chance of the thoroughfare being given a new lease of life as a magnet for “boutique” shops and leisure outlets, related to the GSA, its world-famous architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and the Glasgow-style of art nouveau, for which he was renowned.

But with no prospect of a replacement GSA on the cards anytime soon (and perhaps eventually built on a different site) this is an opportunity lost and Sauchiehall Street is set to suffer even further with the closure, in April, of its Marks & Spencer store, which has occupied the site since 1935.

But if this closure was not unexpected what has sent shock waves through the city is the possible demolition and rebuild of Buchanan Galleries, opened as recently as 1999 and thought to be the retail template for much of the 21st century. While shopping will still form the core of the replacement Galleries significant space will also be given to leisure and office space and, significantly, housing.

This not only reflects changing public modes but shows that residential accommodation may be a necessary complement in terms of maintaining or adding value to what were previously wholly-retail schemes.

Certainly some people look upon residential property as the “saviour” of our beleaguered city centres but this may be true only to a limited extent. Yes, the spending power of more people living “above the shop” will be welcomed but big-name retailers will still need mass custom from the suburbs and those living out of town to survive.

With the exception of Edinburgh’s unique New Town, most demand for central area housing is from singles, young couples still to start a family or older spouses whose children have flown the nest. The overwhelming desire from mid-age/mid-range families is for houses with some outdoor space (especially if exclusive to them). But these are few and far between in city centres “proper” (i.e. cheek by jowl with shops, offices, cultural facilities, transport hubs, etc.) and those that do exist tend to be extremely expensive. Consequently demand is limited.

Some people may be prepared to compromise and opt for the convenience of city centre living if it comes with access to garden ground – either in the form of a shared, landscaped “back court” or even an entire cleared block given over to private gardens, as can be found in some parts of the New Town. But could new-build developers provide this and still manage to keep the selling price of the properties affordable within its targeted market?

There is also the issue of what householders expect. Still in central Edinburgh, there are calls for the dismantling of extended on-street outdoor seating areas which the council permitted to help restaurants accommodate more customers safely during the pandemic. This has fallen foul of some local residents, who have complained about excessive and extended noise from under their lounge or bedroom windows.

As a city centre resident I can empathise with this viewpoint but others will argue that in-town living is a balance of convenience and inconvenience and that expecting a place that “buzzes” during daytime to close down after 6pm is somewhat unrealistic.

In summary, therefore, residential accommodation will certainly help city centres but are by no means a panacea. And those attracted to the idea need to think about exactly what they want from living in the heart of town.

David Alexander is managing director of DJ Alexander