Council deal allows some Galleries work to start
Political correspondent A DEAL to break a deadlock on work to extend Buchanan Galleries has been struck.
If approved by the city council tomorrow it will allow the centre to be extended southwards on Buchanan Street.
The owners of the shopping centre, Land Securities, had put plans for an extension on hold until work at Queen Street Station was complete.
At that point Land Securities were carrying out a full review of the whole project, putting the extension in doubt.
Now an agreement to extend a lease for land will see part of the work start next year and be complete by 2019.
The work is independent of the overall Buchanan Quarter project which will link the centre to Queen Street Station and involve a number of other works including a controversial atrium to replace the steps at the Royal Concert Hall at the top of Buchanan Street and an extension at Killermont Street replacing the current car park with shops.
The deal, brokered after the council initiated talks between Land Securities, Transport Scotland, Network Rail and the Scottish Futures Trust, means work can proceed before the Station improvements are complete.
The business case to extend the Galleries was approved in 2011 but in 2015 the owners suspended the plans due to conflicting works at the station.
The future of the overall project is still uncertain.
In a report to councillors, Richard Brown, Executive Director Development and Regeneration services, said: “It is anticipated that the ongoing work with EGIP will establish whether there is scope for a reconfigured Buchanan Quarter scheme –and TIF to be delivered alongside the EGIP programme and refurbishment of Queen Street Station.”
In February, Nick Davis, development director retail at Land Securities, said: “We put on hold our plans to extend Buchanan Galleries, Glasgow because of a conflict between our development programme and rail improvement works at the adjacent Queen Street station.”