Flats approved for Glasgow's Shawlands Arcade site

Plans to build 329 new flats on the site of Shawlands Arcade in Glasgow have been approved by the council.

The proposals include demolishing the southern portion of the 1960s building to make way for three blocks of build-to-rent flats in the southside of the city.

The new builds on Kilmarnock Road will range from five to 14 storeys tall.

However, the £150m project has faced some backlash from the local community, with 185 objections lodged last year.

And the tenants union Living Rent has argued that more social housing is needed in the area instead.

But developers say the project will address a housing shortage and provide employment opportunities during construction.

Demolition and construction work is likely to start in mid-2024 and is expected to be completed by late 2026.

The plans were first announced by Clydebuilt Limited Partnership, a property investment and development fund co-owned by Strathclyde Pension Fund and Ediston Real Estate, in May 2021.

They include 329 build-to-rent flats, retail units on street level and a central plaza.

Developers say the area will be streetscaped and pedestrianisation will be improved.

The first phase of the development was given Planning Permission in Principle in March.

If the second phase is approved, it would see a total of 600 flats built.

Neal Jamieson, director at Ediston, said the plans were "centred on meeting the needs of modern-day Shawlands".

He said: "We are delighted that the first phase of our proposals to redevelop Shawlands Arcade has been approved.

"Following extensive consultation with the local community and other key stakeholders, this marks a significant milestone in unlocking the site's potential and delivering transformational change in Shawlands."

Murray Henderson, founding director of architect HAUS Collective, said the design would "protect and enhance the wider urban context" and "focus on the importance of community".

Bianca Lopez, the chairwoman of Living Rent Glasgow, said affordable homes should make up at least 25% of any new housing developments under the Scottish government's National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4).

She said: "For the planning committee to ignore NPF4, simply because the city council have not yet established a baseline of how to apply the affordable housing requirement, is an undemocratic and unaccountable decision.

"It completely ignores the spirit of NPF4 and the government's own intentions and guidance, with nothing short of disastrous consequences for not only Shawlands, but working class people across Glasgow too."

Ms Lopez said local councillors had written to ministers urging them to intervene on the project.

She added: "Shawlands and Glasgow do not need more luxury flats - we need affordable housing."