Glasgow 'transformed' by £123m streets project, says report

The new report shows before and after images of several streets, including Holland Avenue

Glasgow City Council has defended a £123m revamp of its streets as creating a "European-style city centre environment" for Scotland's biggest city.

The city's ongoing Avenues programme is the biggest transformation of city centre thoroughfares since Buchanan Street was pedestrianised in the 1970s.

The state of the city has been frequently criticised in recent years, with locals citing empty buildings and closed-down shops as evidence of decline.

However the local authority claim the ongoing work will hand over road space to pedestrians, line streets with new trees, improve lighting features, install additional greenery and introduce new cycle lanes.

Four of the Avenues are now fully complete - on Cambridge Street, Holland Street, Pitt Street and Sauchiehall Street - with another seven under construction, according to a new report presented to councillors.

The state of the city centre has provoked debate in Glasgow for several years.

BBC Scotland News previously spoke to locals who said the city centre was becoming a "shopping precinct graveyard" and that too many flats were dominating the area.

The new report also comes days after journalist and TV presenter Andrew Neil lambasted the state of Sauchiehall Street.

Mr Neil posted on social media that the area resembled a building site.

He added: "It used to be world-famous, Glasgow's equivalent of Oxford Street. It's now a shambles and a disgrace to Scotland's biggest city. A national scandal."

However councillor Angus Millar, the convener for City Centre Recovery at Glasgow City Council, said the Avenues are creating a cleaner and more attractive European-style city centre environment which was "better for people and better for businesses".

The newest report given to councillors on the project includes before and after photographs of the four Avenues completed this year.

Councillor Millar said: "This report really does make clear how the early completions are having a transformative impact.

"Glaswegians, as well as visitors to our city, can look forward to much more of that. Even those still under construction, such as Argyle Street West between the M8 and the Hielanman's Umbrella, are already showing their potential for positive change."

He added that Glasgow "will have the look and feel an international city like ours deserves" by the time the project is completed.

Work is currently ongoing at Argyle Street West, Cowcaddens Road and Dobbies' Loan, Duke Street and John Knox Street, North Hanover Street and Kyle Street, and South Portland Street.

Most of those projects will be complete by next spring 2026, with North Hanover Street Avenue expected to be complete in November next year.

The current redevelopment of George Square is also part of the Avenues programme.

The first half of 2026 will see the beginning of work on Avenues at both Argyle Street East and Stockwell Street, with Avenues at Clyde Street and High Street expected to begin at the end of 2026.

The final Avenue - at the Broomielaw - will then begin in 2027.