Planning officers at Glasgow City Council gave consent last month to both projects via delegated powers.Sheppard Robsons 20 India Street scheme for Vita Group includes 21,000m of residential and mixed-used amenities in an 18-storey building holding 591 individual studio bedrooms and 20 affordable flats.The ground floor includes study areas, a gym and lounges for students at the India Street end of the development, while a commercial unit will front the non-student element, facing Elmbank Crescent, opposite Charing Cross station.AdvertisementWest of Scotland Housing Association is jointly delivering the affordable flats.Sheppard Robson said the scheme would sit well with the Glasgow context and repair the fragmented urban grain caused by post-war development and the M8 motorway which runs to the west of the site.Practice partner Stacey Phillips commented: Our design prioritises student and residential experience and wellbeing while ensuring the scheme sits well with the Glasgow context. Source:Ed WrightSheppard Robson's 20 India Street proposals (January 2025)The array of social spaces and amenities will help create an environment where students can easily study and socialise together The civic-minded architecture aims to deliver new public spaces that will enliven the streetscape while being a good neighbour to the surrounding area.The approval came as Sheppard Robson posted its trading figures for the year ending 31 March 2024. The company reported an operating profit of 4.8 million, up slightly on the 4.7 million of the previous year. However, its turnover dipped slightly from 32 million to 31 million.AdvertisementConsent was also given to Michael Lairds 250 million redevelopment masterplan for a 67,500m2 site immediately north of Sheppard Robson's development at the junction of Sauchiehall Street, Bath Street and the M8.With consent for the outline masterplan granted, the Edinburgh-based practice will now draw up detailed applications for northern and southern sections of the scheme, which will be delivered in two phases and eventually deliver 750 student beds and 600 residential units plus offices.Under the consented masterplan, the first phase will include flattening Elmbank Gardens, designed by Richard Seifert, and the neighbouring Venlaw building to make space for a 750-bed student accommodation block, a 1,000m2 healthcare facility and a 1,000m2 retail or commercial unit.Phase two would include demolition of the current 300 Bath Street building also known as Tay House to be replaced with a mixed-tenure development providing 600 homes, 14,000m2 of office space and a 350-bed hotel.The second phase also includes the removal of the Tay House bridge, often derided as one of Glasgows Bridges to Nowhere, which runs above the M8. LDA Design is delivering landscaping design for the public realm areas. Source:Michael Laird ArchitectsMichael Laird Architects' masterplan for Charing Cross Gateway, Glasgow (March 2024)While building heights and designs are indicative, the masterplan suggests the Charing Cross scheme will, at around 23 storeys, be shorter than Hawkins\Browns approved nearby 36-storey student tower at Portcullis House.The Portcullis House scheme is set to be the tallest building in Scotland.Tay House, which was completed in the 1990s, has only recently undergone a 3 million revamp, according to Scottish Construction Now. Michael Laird Architects worked on that redesign, which involved rebranding the structure as 300 Bath Street.Over its lifetime, the building has been home to the Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclay Stockbrokers, and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board as well as the University of Glasgow.20 India Street was once home to the former Strathclyde Regional Councils 12-storey headquarters, designed by FS Boyer and Partners, which was bulldozed in 2015.The neighbouring Elmbank Gardens, which has housed offices and a hotel, was completed in 1973 to designs by Centre Point architect Seifert and was supposed to be part of a wider masterplan for the area between Anderston and Charing Cross. Source:Michael Laird ArchitectsMichael Laird Architects' masterplan for Charing Cross Gateway, Glasgow (March 2024)Planning documents say retrofitting all three buildings, although considered, is financially and environmentally unviable, given the scale of adaptation needed to the structures to deliver the Michael Laird scheme.The proposal to demolish the buildingswas slammed by environmental campaigners, including Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN) Scotland and the Anthropocene Architecture School, when it was announced last August.In a press release last year, the schemes development team said the plans had the backing of Glasgow Chamber of Commerces chief executive, Stuart Patrick. He said: Its no secret that Sauchiehall Street has seen better days, and this application presents an opportunity to galvanise an iconic area of the city and re-establish it as a dynamic accommodation and business hub.Detailed plans of Michael Lairds scheme will be submitted in two phases of 27,500m2 and 40,000m2 respectively. If approved, demolition work is expected to begin later this year.There is no known timeline on the India Street scheme.Current site view