A PUBLIC drop-in event is taking place next week as part of a project to reimagine the future of Glasgow City Centre’s ‘Golden Z’, the heart of its retail core.

The city council have appointed a Glasgow-based consultant team comprising Stantec, Threesixty Architecture and Kevin Murray Associates, to engage stakeholders in the production of a new vision and plan for the area in and around Buchanan Street, Sauchiehall Street and Argyle Street.

The initiative aims to proactively respond to post-pandemic challenges and opportunities facing the city centre.

Landowners, businesses, institutions, agencies, residents and visitors will be engaged in a collaborative process to consider how the area, currently defined as the ‘Golden Z’, should improve in future as a place for all.

Preparation will run until the end of March 2023. A drop-in ideas day is taking place at The Lighthouse, Mitchell Lane, on Tuesday 24 January, 11am to 6.30pm.

The project will explore key issues such as the impact of changing retail and leisure trends, growing city centre living and the need to repurpose vacant sites and buildings, as well as the potential contribution of significant future redevelopment proposals, such as those for Buchanan Galleries and St Enoch Centre.

The ambitious and deliverable new vision and plan will establish a renewed regeneration direction for the future of the retail core, that will provide confidence to businesses, residents, investors and developers.

It will identify priorities for intervention and investment, by the public and private sectors, to further stimulate economic recovery and support its longer term economic, social and environmental resilience.

The process is funded by the Scottish Government’s City Centre Recovery Fund and will be overseen by Glasgow’s City Centre task force, co-chaired by Councillor Angus Millar and Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce.