PERMISSION has been given for a major residential complex at a site in Cowcaddens.
Glasgow City councillors approved an application by Soller Group for a build-to-rent development containing around 360 units at the old DC Thomson site at 144 Port Dundas Road, opposite Cowcaddens fire station.
The complex will include two towers, rising to 19 and 14 storeys.
There will be studio, one and two-bedroom apartments plus roof terraces, amenity space, residents’ gym, a commercial unit, co-working space and a bike store.
Planning officials had recommended approval. Their assessment report stated: “The proposed development is considered to be an appropriate height, scale and mass for its city centre location and is in keeping with the range of building heights in the surrounding area.
“The proposed development has not sought to overdevelop the site and has sought to promote a sustainable approach to its overall design.
“It is considered that the proposal for a tall building in this location would act as an urban marker, re-establishing activity and interest in this setting that is otherwise characterised by largely inactive street edges and a transient nature with minimal footfall.”
Nick Treadaway, founder and chief executive of Soller Group, stated when the application was submitted last summer: “Our planning application for 357 apartments will breathe new life into a vacant site at 144 Port Dundas Road, bringing new activity and investment to the area.
“The apartments have been designed for people looking for easy access to the city centre. When new homes are delivered to a neighbourhood, it’s vitally important that they have strong public transport links and offer access to work and leisure facilities, and this is definitely the case at 144 Port Dundas Road.”
Neil Haining, director of architects Mosaic, also said at the time: “144 Port Dundas Road will be a pedestrian-friendly courtyard development, allowing daylight to illuminate a central public square. Accessed by a landscaped plaza from Port Dundas Road, there will be amenity space as well as roof terraces, designed to ensure they are used as part of the everyday life of the building.”
