UK: One of Glasgow’s most significant waterfront development sites is set to be transformed into a hotel and leisure quarter.
Outline plans have been submitted by Artisan Real Estate Investors, the investment partnership behind Edinburgh’s New Waverley project,
Its pre-application notice to Glasgow City Council reveals plans to develop the Custom House site, which links the city’s Buchanan Street with the River Clyde waterfront.
The £90 million plan spans a development area of 2,700 square metres and includes the historic sandstone Grade A-Listed Custom House and its former stable block, together with two adjacent tenement buildings on the corner of Clyde Street and Dixon Street.
Artisan purchased the site in August 2017 and agreed a leasing deal with the Dalata Hotel Group in November to bring Scotland’s first Clayton Hotel to the Custom House – a four-star development including 300 bedrooms, a bar, restaurant and conference facilities. A 150-room aparthotel is also planned for the adjacent tenement buildings, together with street level bars and restaurants.
Artisan’s project director Clive Wilding said: “This is a hugely significant opportunity to, once again, bring Glasgow’s burgeoning waterfront area back into the vibrant heart of its city centre. For too long, the imposing Custom House with its distinctive Greek revival frontage and its neighbouring tenements had become the forgotten segment of the city’s waterfront, having lain mostly vacant for the best part of a decade. We are now in a position to bring these wonderfully characterful buildings back to life, introducing established boutique hotel and aparthotel brands, which will fill the area with energy and life throughout the day and evening.
“We will now work with our partners to create a flagship regeneration project for the city, providing a seamless link from the Clyde waterfront to the St Enoch Centre transport hub and Buchanan Street – part of Glasgow’s ‘style mile’ and generally regarded as the best shopping street outside of London. We are looking forward to expanding our footprint in Glasgow, and securing another high-quality regeneration opportunity in such an excellent city centre location fits our model perfectly,” added Wilding.
The Custom House project will be delivered by Artisan St. Enoch Quarter Limited, a subsidiary of Artisan Real Estate Investors. Architects will be Glasgow-based Sheppard Robson.
Following an ongoing consultation exercise, a detailed planning application is expected to be submitted in spring 2018 with a completion date set, subject to planning, for mid-2020.</p
