Glasgow City Council has opened a design competition to reshape two prominent sites at Albert Cross that were destroyed in separate major blazes. The move is intended to deliver new buildings that enhance the town centre character and respect surrounding built heritage.

In a first for Glasgow, the council will seek architect-led proposals for the plots. Councillor Ruairi Kelly, Convener for Housing, Development and Built Heritage at Glasgow City Council, who proposed the competition, said: "Through this competition, we will transform the sites at Albert Cross on which these distinctive buildings stood before being lost through fire. We will be looking for exceptional and exciting designs that will restore vibrancy to a location that has been a centre of Pollokshields' social and business life for generations."

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The B-listed tenement blocks, which contained several flats and businesses, were destroyed in November 2019 and April 2020 and subsequently demolished. The derelict plots have blighted the area since, and due to ownership complexities and high development costs, direct council intervention will be required to bring them forward for redevelopment in the short to medium term.

Councillor Kelly added: "Carrying out such a contest will not only restore Albert Cross and the homes and businesses lost but will also potentially provide a template for the redevelopment of gap sites in Glasgow, sites which are often found in areas with heritage buildings immediately adjacent or close by."

The competition will be delivered with the Glasgow Institute of Architects to ensure a design-led approach. Shortlisted design teams will receive funding to develop detailed proposals before a winner is chosen, with the winning practice then funded to finalise its design.

In parallel, the council will seek to acquire the sites either through voluntary agreement or by compulsory purchase.