Planners in favour of student development at former Glasgow nightclub
Proposals to redevelop a former Glasgow nightclub into student accommodation have been recommended for approval.
Real estate investor CA Ventures is seeking to deliver a purpose-built, managed student accommodation at the former Archaos nightclub site located at 21-41 Queen Street.
An application submitted last year proposed a 14-storey, 195-bed Novel Student complex, which would involve partial demolition of buildings and retention of the principal facade of the early 19th century building.
There would be a ground floor commercial unit, intended for reoccupation by Tam Shepherd’s Trick Shop.
A new courtyard to the rear of Queen Street would be accessed off Argyll Chambers and Princes Court via a colonnade that would provide rear access to the development.
A design document submitted with the planning application states: “Given the current condition of this neglected early 19th century building, these proposals present themselves as an opportunity for improvement by restoration and redevelopment.”
A hearing is expected to be held on Tuesday to discuss the proposal, with council planners recommending the development be given the go-ahead.
Officials believe the project will “deliver economic development benefits within the city centre through investment in the built fabric, increased population, and the creation of employment opportunities”.
In a report to councillors, they add: “Additional student accommodation can be absorbed within the locality without having a harmful impact upon the maintenance of a sustainable community.”
The firms behind the plans, Carrick Properties Ltd and global real estate company CA Ventures, claim they would “bring positive, high quality regeneration to a largely vacant site within the city centre”.
It would be managed by Novel Student, which operates CA Ventures’ student accommodation portfolio across the UK and Europe.
Currently, the building on Queen Street, which was built in the early 1830s, is four storeys. The council report states the building was “occupied as the Archaos nightclub, however the nightclub owners went into liquidation and the upper floors have been vacant since 2010”.
It adds the ground floor was “let for a period in 2017, but the building has remained largely vacant in recent years and fallen into a state of disrepair”.