£300m regeneration of former Goldberg’s site in Glasgow takes step forward

A MAJOR development at a landmark site in Glasgow city centre has taken a significant step forward with the start of on-site works for The Student Hotel’s firstever complex in the UK.

The hotel is part of the

Candleriggs Square development, a £300 million regeneration project in Merchant City on the site of the former Goldberg’s department store. Developer Drum Property Group noted this is “one of Glasgow’s most prominent gap sites”.

Glasgow City Council initially approved plans for the 500-bedroom hotel in May 2020 and, with enabling works on the site having commenced on Monday, construction is expected to start in July.

This complex will be owned and operated by The Student Hotel (TSH) – a pan-european investor, developer, owner and operator of a “hybrid” hospitality model offering a mix of functions. These include hotel accommodation, co-living and co-working spaces, a bar and restaurant, conference rooms, and a fitness centre in a “creative and inspiring environment that attracts a wide range of users and guests”, Drum noted.

The hotel is the first construction phase of the 3.6-acre Candleriggs Square development. The development is being delivered by a joint venture between Drum and Stamford Property Investments.

Drum and Stamford first launched their £300m plan to transform Candleriggs Square when the site was bought in March 2019. Plans include a high-quality, mixeduse scheme combining homes, offices, hotel, restaurants and local amenities, together with landscaped open spaces and accessible walkways with a new public square.

TSH owns and operates 13 hotels across Europe in destinations such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Dresden, Florence, Rotterdam, The Hague, Maastricht and Paris, with a further 12 hotels under development. The company states that its mission is to “create boundary-blurring spaces where students, travellers, mobile professionals, creative nomads and enterprising minds can connect and thrive in smart design co-living and co-working spaces”.

Drum and Stamford noted Glasgow City Council had granted planning permission in principle for the entire Candleriggs Square site in May 2020. They added that the council had recently approved plans for a 346-apartment, build-to-rent scheme by Legal & General, construction of which is due to start later this year.

Graeme Bone, managing director of Drum, said: “Candleriggs Square is set to become a much-needed catalyst, kick-starting an exciting future for the city centre as it starts to recover following lockdown.

“The TSH development is testament to the commitment and confidence we have placed in both the Candleriggs Square site and Glasgow city centre during these most testing of times. It represents a significant step forward in the longawaited regeneration of one of Glasgow’s most prominent gap sites... we can look forward to bringing back to life a very special area which has always been at the centre of Glasgow’s commercial and social development.”