Bid to develop former Archaos nightclub in Glasgow

Real estate investor CA Ventures has revealed proposals to deliver the redevelopment of the former Archaos nightclub site on Queen Street.

The aim is to build student accommodation, providing active ground floor uses, which may include retail or commercial uses.

The proposed development could generate around 250 construction jobs, including direct on-site jobs and jobs in the construction supply chain. This could be worth more than £10m to the Glasgow economy during the construction phase.

Serving to address a recognised shortage of student accommodation in the city, the public will have the chance to view proposals and provide feedback at two forthcoming consultation events.

The Archaos nightclub closed its doors in 2007 and has lain vacant since.

It is in extremely poor condition and does not offer sufficient floor area or a suitable internal layout to provide a viable development opportunity for commercial or residential use.

Previous proposals to open the building as a nightclub and later as an office scheme floundered on the considerable costs required to refurbish a building that had deteriorated considerably over the years.

As one of the few viable options, student accommodation will aim to accommodate circa 230 students with fully serviced apartments and state-of-the-art amenity facilities.

As part of the pre-application consultation process, two statutory consultations will be held for the project, the first on Wednesday, November 2, (4-8 pm) and the second will be held on Thursday, December 1, (2-6 pm) at the former Bowery Bar, 35-41 Queen Street.

Proposals will see a planning application submitted hopefully towards the end of the year. If planning permissions is approved, the intention is for work to start on-site in 2023. The targeted entry date will serve the beginning of the academic year in August 2025.

A representative from CA Ventures said: "These exciting proposals represent a significant investment in Glasgow and will serve to regenerate a currently derelict site.

“They will serve to provide much-needed student accommodation in a building which has lain empty since 2007 and which, due to its condition, provide limited options for redevelopment.

"During a well-documented shortage of purpose-built student accommodation, potential students have no choice but to explore rental accommodation, which adds to the already significant strain on housing stock.

“We envisage this site as a perfect opportunity to add to the vibrant community of students currently living in central Glasgow, benefitting local shops.

"These proposals are at an early design stage, and over the next few weeks, we look forward to engaging in discussions with the local community about how best to progress this."