Revamp of Glasgow's George Square to begin January 2025

Final George Square design

Work to revamp Glasgow's George Square is set to begin in January next year, as the final design has been confirmed.

Hoardings will be put up around the civic square and 11 statues removed for storage and restoration once the Christmas 2024 decorations are removed.

A contractor is set to be awarded the main contract by February and construction at George Square is expected to be completed by August 2026.

The designs include a water feature, a raised lawn, sheltered seating and feature lighting. There will also be informal play areas for children.

The council said the designs for the eastern part of the square reflect “its institutional character and the formality of the city chambers and the Cenotaph”.

At the western end of the square there will be an area for cafes, with paved space for events.

Work on surrounding streets is due to be finished by April 2027, with statues returned to new locations on the square a few months later.

There are currently 13 listed monuments in the Square. A condition survey in 2014 found nine were in a “poor state of repair” while four were “considered as medium state of repair”.

The 11 statues set to be restored and then returned to the Square are: Prince Albert, Robert Peel, Queen Victoria, Thomas Campbell, Sir John Moore, James Watt, Robert Burns, James Oswald, William Ewart Gladstone, Thomas Graham and Field Marshall Lord Clyde.

The Sir Walter Scott monument and the Cenotaph will remain in place during the work.

New designs show the Sir Walter Scott monument and Cenotaph remaining in their current places

John McAslan and Partners were awarded the design contract for George Square and surrounding streets.

These include John Street, St Vincent Street and Place, West George Street, George Street, Hanover and Miller Street, North Hanover Street, Dundas Street and Dundas Lane and Cochrane Street.

Feature lighting has been considered as part of the design, which proposes “the use of gobo projects, which are capable of projecting images on the floor of the square and also on the façade of the city chambers”.

The final cost of the project will be determined during the procurement process.

Funding is being provided through the City Deal programme, a £1bn infrastructure scheme funded by both the UK and Scottish governments.

George Square is arguably the most important public space in Scotland.

Its impending transformation has been a long time coming and matters to people well beyond Glasgow.

More than 10 years ago, plans for a radical revamp of the square collapsed amid acrimony. Some opponents considered the scheme much too radical.

In recent years, the square's condition has deteriorated notably, with obvious cracks in the surface. Temporary surfaces put in place during the pandemic to close off one side to vehicles are starting to look tacky.

A successful revamp could provide a boost to civic pride in Glasgow. There has been concern over the number of empty shops, derelict spaces and the deteriorating condition of some pavements and buildings.

But will all of those anxious to see the city centre restored be patient while the work on the square is carried out?

Work to improve the condition of nearby Sauchiehall Street has been taking longer than envisaged and the disruption caused by it is sometimes highlighted as a further blight on the city's image.

If the George Square project does not go to plan or run to time, the row could be huge.