INITIAL plans for the final phase of Collegelands in Glasgow have been unveiled.

The £95million Collegelands Park development will feature student residences offering 586 bedspaces, 182 rental apartments, a community-led arts facility with event space, café and courtyard, and a two-and-a-half-acre park.

The five-acre site, which borders Duke Street and High Street in the Calton area, is being developed by Glasgow Enlightenment Limited, a joint venture between Dawn Developments Limited and Drum Property Group.

Public consultation will start later this month, in person and online. A planning application will be lodged with Glasgow City Council in the summer.

Paul O’Donnell of Glasgow Enlightenment said: “This new development will mark the completion of the 20-year-long Collegelands masterplan to regenerate the Calton area of the city. This important project will create 250 jobs during construction, and we hope will act as a catalyst for further development in the area.

“These plans are the culmination of years of conversation with local people and the city council on how this final piece of the Collegelands jigsaw could look. We are excited to draw all these ideas together into this new proposal and to finally be able to share it with the local community.

“It is important that the new development is right for those who live, study and work in the Merchant City and Calton areas of Glasgow.”

Tricia Fort, chair of Calton Community Council said: “This is a significant site and we would urge residents and businesses to get involved and have their say in the consultation process.

“We’ve been in conversation with the site owners for some time now and have been able to introduce them to a local charity, Dream Machine Productions, that has some interesting ideas for parts of the site to be community owned and run.

“We’re keen to know what the whole community thinks of these ideas as well as the wider development proposals.”

The first public consultation event will take place in the This is Fresh student residence building at 10 Havannah Street in Glasgow on 26 March from 3 to 7pm.

Glasgow Enlightenment’s Graeme Bone added: “We hope that local people will come along and have their say on this proposed development which will not only enrich the area by providing much needed new homes and student accommodation, but also offer a safe, well-lit place where people can exercise or relax and chat with friends, along with community cultural events for everyone to enjoy.”

The Collegelands regeneration project was launched in 2004 and now features student accommodation, a Moxy hotel, offices and homes.

Paul added: “The concept for regeneration at Collegelands remains the same as it did almost two decades ago –- to create a vibrant city centre district that will serve Glasgow for generations to come.”