Glasgow’s Buchanan Bus Station could be rebuilt as part of a transformation bringing more than 300 apartments, new offices and improved passenger facilities to the city centre.
The masterplan for the city centre location envisages a 60-bay transport hub alongside around 250,000 sq ft of office space, with shops and leisure uses helping turn the surrounding site into a destination in its own right.
Glasgow City Council approved the masterplan in April 2026. Delivering the vision would require demolition of the existing station and neighbouring Concert Square multi-storey car park.
The concept Masterplan for the bus station and surrounding city block was produced by Glasgow City Council and SPT (Strathclyde Partnership for Transport) and proposes a mixed-use development with a modern and flexible bus station and mobility hub at its heart.
Potential other uses for the site - which will feature improved public realm and new greenspace - include flats, student accommodation, shops, offices and a hotel. Provision around the replacement of Concert Square Car Park will also be a consideration for the Masterplan as it further develops.
AtkinsRéalis says the proposals would support Glasgow’s ambition to increase its city centre population to 40,000 by 2035. Its vision combines bus services with improved walking and cycling connections and the potential to accommodate future mass transit systems.
The Masterplan was guided by the council’s City Centre Strategic Development Framework, which identified Cowcaddens and Townhead as districts with transformational potential, where urban repair could help drive the re-densification and re-population of Glasgow city centre.
The concept has five key themes that were identified by extensive public engagement with a variety of groups and subsequent workshops:
- A 21st Century Mobility Hub - the bus station is envisioned as a modern, sustainable and resilient multimodal transport interchange that supports seamless connectivity across Glasgow and beyond;
- Enhanced User Experience - passenger comfort, safety, and convenience are central to the design;
- Quality Development- the development will be underpinned by high-quality architecture and placemaking;
- Future of Cowcaddens - the bus station will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of Cowcaddens, contributing to its transformation into a lively, mixed-use urban quarter; and
- Integrated Glasgow - the station will be a key node in Glasgow’s integrated transport network, supporting active travel and public transport interchange.
Other city centre strategies identified both the underperformance of areas around the bus station, and that it could be integrated more effectively into surrounding areas. Better integration with such an important hub would deliver considerable multimodal transport benefits.
George Gillespie, Executive Director for Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability at Glasgow City Council,said: “The Masterplan for the Buchanan Bus Station signposts the future development of this key city centre block, offering the chance to not only create a state of the art transport interchange, but a mixed-use development that helps drive the future regeneration of Cowcaddens, Townhead and the wider city centre.”