Case Study: £115m City Centre Transformation — Holland Street Avenue

August 30, 2021

Artists' impression of the redevelopment of Holland Street as part of the Avenues Project.

Approximately £115 million is being invested in Glasgow city centre to deliver the Avenues programme, which is transforming the city centre’s streetscape and public realm – making it more people-friendly, more attractive, sustainable and economically competitive.

Design and construction work is being phased over the period 2018 to 2028.

Construction work began with the Sauchiehall Street pilot Avenue in 2018 and was completed in 2019.

A good example of how the Avenues programme is responding to changes within the area is the Holland Street Avenue, with work beginning in Autumn 2022.

This project will feature an avenue of trees along the street’s western side, and wider footways throughout to create a more attractive environment for pedestrians, residents and visitors.

Some on-street parking will be retained, and soft landscaping will incorporate drainage as well as featuring raingardens to slow the flow of surface water in to the combined sewer networks.

This city centre district is undergoing significant change: the former Strathclyde Police headquarters building at Pitt Street has been demolished and the site is now being redeveloped for a landmark housing and retail development; and developers are finalising a long-term lease of the former High School site with a view to a building conversion there – for a hotel and events space.

The Avenues team engaged with the groups working on these schemes to ensure the Holland Street Avenue will maximise benefits for these projects and the people who will live, work and visit there.

The project is being supported by £437,500 in developer contributions.

The funding will see £350,000 made available for capital work, with the remaining £87,500 to support maintenance over a 10-year period.

The developer contributions came from private developments at York Street/James Watt Street and Robertson Street/York Street.

Thanks to these contributions, an equivalent value already allocated to this Avenue by the Glasgow City Region City Deal will now be allocated to a two-way segregated cycleway on Pitt Street which will provide a north-south cycle connection to Waterloo Street, increasing that project’s quality.