Glasgow Calton plans for £95m flats, art centre and orchard submitted

Plans have been submitted for Collegelands.
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Plans to build hundreds of residential and student flats alongside a contemporary arts centre have moved forward.

Glasgow Enlightenment announced on Monday, September 16, they have have submitted plans for the £95 million development at the Collegelands Park in Calton following a community consultation.

The developers hope to build two student accommodation blocks with 591 beds alongside 147 rented apartments and a new arts centre which they say will feature sliding glass walls which open out to a courtyard. A park with meadows, orchards and seating is also included.

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It is understood the new neighbourhood will be built on a gap site near the existing Collegelands development, which was built two decades ago as part of the area's regeneration.

Paul O’Donnell of Glasgow Enlightenment said: “It’s great to share the final vision for Collegelands Park and I’d like to thank everyone who came along to our consultation meetings and gave us their views on how the development could best serve the local community.

A mock up of what the proposals could look like.
A mock up of what the proposals could look like.

“We have lowered the heights of the buildings to address concerns around visual impact and have taken on board the feedback on how the park should look from local residents and community groups.

“We are very excited about plans for the development, which will deliver new green space, cultural activities and rented accommodation for the local community, along with much needed homes for students in Glasgow, which has the largest shortage of purpose-built student accommodation in the UK.

“It will offer a real opportunity for students to develop lasting ties with the city and become part of the local community.”

The new arts facility, which is being built by by charity Dream Machine Productions, will have a hireable event space and café. The company runs currently operates a community hub with music and art studios, a café, galleries and music venues in London Road.

Dream Machine founder Matt Lygate said: “We have been renting our present space for a long time but it will be amazing to have our own purpose-built hub where we can host meetup groups, provide space for community events, put on a year round public relaxation programme and become a home for many other community projects bringing value to us all.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to create an incredible venue, which will make a real difference to the lives of the people in the Calton area.

“This facility is key to fostering the incredible talent of people in this part of Glasgow – the local people, students who are living here while they are studying, artists and musicians.”

The Dream Machine says it is "working to secure funding for the building, with a five-year strategy to have enough revenue-generating activity to be financially sustainable and remove dependency on external funding".

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