Merry Christmas from the SNP! Scandalous state of city's iconic street

Merry Christmas from the SNP! Scandalous state of city’s iconic street

  •  Backlash over council’s decision to tear up pavement at busiest time of the year
  •  Festive shoppers forced to dodge metal barriers and muddy puddles

It is one of Scotland’s most iconic streets, standing at the very top of the city centre’s so-called Golden Z.

But shoppers on Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street have been left to skirt metal barriers and muddy puddles at a time when retailers and hospitality venues are desperate for the boost of festive spending.

Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow one week away from Christmas Eve and the famous street is a shadow of its former self as shoppers battle roadworks

The chaotic scene, created by SNP-led Glasgow City Council works, comes as high streets endure spiralling costs and low consumer confidence.

Sauchiehall Street – which along with Buchanan and Argyle Streets forms an area known as the Golden Z – is currently undergoing redevelopment work. 

The photographs also show a number of units available to let.

Yesterday, business leaders said regeneration of Scotland’s shopping destinations require more than some ‘public realm work’ to turn around the fortunes of struggling town and city centres.

Colin Borland, director of devolved nations at the Federation of Small Businesses Scotland, said: ‘I get that if you are going to make things better you’ve got to rip things out and cause some disruption. But it’s going to take more to turn round our high streets than a bit of public realm work. Sauchiehall Street has been an issue for a long time.

‘Our major shopping thoroughfares need to be attractive, they need to be safe and well-lit. They need to offer things that today’s busy consumer is interested in buying.’

Flagging footfall and weak consumer demand have meant retailers’ margins have been squeezed.

David Lonsdale, director at the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), said: ‘It’s been a rough few months. Shopper footfall and retail sales have been becalmed as the elevated cost of living, higher mortgages, and continued hybrid working have taken a toll.’

 The city centre street was busy despite the pandemic in 2020

Now the street is a no-go zone and footfall continues to plummet

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said the work on Sauchiehall Street has been ‘long planned as part of the Glasgow City Region City Deal, which brings together significant investment from the UK Government, the Scottish Government and the council’.

They added: ‘The work will help to revitalise this famous stretch of the city centre and make it a more pleasant and attractive place to spend time.

‘We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by the current work, which started in September and should be finished by next summer.’

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