The Merchant City Initiative

 

 

Townscape Heritage Initiative logo

 

The Merchant City Initiative aims to improve the environment and economic base of Glasgow’s Merchant City, which is the historic core of Glasgow City Centre and situated immediately east of George Square. Two strands make up the work of the Initiative: 

  • programme of improvement grants
  • implementation of Glasgow City Council’s Five Year Action Plan which runs from 2003-2008

 

The Merchant City Initiative runs a programme of grants to improve the quality of the built environment in the area through its Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) programme (funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Glasgow City Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund). £3 million of grants are primarily aimed at owners of historic buildings within an area of the Merchant City bounded by High Street/Glasgow Cross in the east, Ingram Street to the north, Glassford Street/Stockwell Street in the west and the Trongate in the south.

 

Grants awarded so far include:

  • restoration of the medieval Tron Steeple
  • restoration and reuse of an ‘A’ listed warehouse built by the famous Glasgow architect JT Rochead to form an apartment hotel
  • improvements to the Trongate’s public realm
  • reinstatement of a number of historic shopfronts near Glasgow Cross

 

To date over £1 million of grants have been awarded and it is hoped that the THI will shortly be awarding grants to refurbish the exterior of the historic Britannia Music Hall and the A listed City Halls amongst others. The grant programme has been running for five years from June 2000-2005. The Initiative also runs a smaller programme of grants through Historic Scotland’s Townscheme programme.

 

The Merchant City Initiative is also charged with much of the implementation of Glasgow City Council’s Five Year Action Plan - running from 2003-2008. This seeks to build on the area’s renewal through a multi-faceted approach, looking at such issues as the refurbishment and pro-active marketing of a number of vacant shop units, which are in Glasgow City Council ownership and an innovative partnership between creative retailers and the City Council’s Cultural and Leisure Services section. Their aim is to refurbish and reuse an underused warehouse as a centre for the creative arts so marketing the area (including the production of the leaflets and a CD) to encourage additional investment and tourism.

 

For more information, please contact:

 

Merchant City Initiative
20 King Street
Merchant City
Glasgow
G1 5QP

 

Phone: 0141 552 6060
Fax: 0141 552 6161
E-mail: info@glasgowmerchantcity.net
Visit the Merchant City web site