The condition of Scotland’s high streets has become a topic of intense debate in recent weeks.
The decline of Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street recently drew a scathing attack from journalist and broadcaster, Andrew Neil, who declared it “a shambles and a disgrace to Scotland’s biggest city” and a “national scandal.” Visiting the street for the first time in over a decade, Neil expressed his “anger and indignation” that the street, which “used to be world-famous, Glasgow’s equivalent of Oxford Street,” is now a “ghost of its former self”.
Similar concerns have been raised about Edinburgh’s Princes Street, long lamented for its decline from one of Europe’s finest thoroughfares. What can be done?
Informed and measured analysis
The revival of these two iconic streets was the focus of a very well-attended event Tale of Two Streets: Regenerating Princes Street and Sauchiehall Street hosted by the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust on Wednesday evening at Riddle’s Court. The atmosphere beforehand was buzzing with engaged conversation. Everyone has something to say on this subject.
The speakers – Terry Levinthal, of Edinburgh World Heritage, and Niall Murphy of Glasgow City Heritage Trust – offered a highly informed and measured analysis. Their tone sharply contrasted with the often heated and poorly informed online debates, which are dominated by those with strong declinist narratives, according to which these streets have been destroyed by the council and there is very little hope of regeneration. In contrast, the speakers concluded that while much work is required (and much investment required), we shouldn’t give up hope.
Sam Gallacher, Director of the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust, opened the event by citing Patrick Geddes’s view that historic buildings are not isolated objects but “part of a local context, an ecosystem”. He emphasised the need to consider how historic buildings can coexist with these “arteries of commerce”, given dramatic changes in shopping and leisure habits.
Princes Street – a history of change and market pressures
Terry Levinthal outlined how Princes Street (or Prince’s Street, as it was originally known) had seen “change from its inception.” James Craig’s initial New Town plan intended it to mirror Queen Street as a residential area, with George Street as the premier commercial thoroughfare. However, Princes Street rapidly evolved into a mixed-use street, attracting major institutions such as the New Club and numerous commercial ventures, overtaking George Street as the city’s principal commercial street within its first sixty years.
A major driver of this transformation was the influx of hotels, accelerated after the building of Waverley Station (which for several years was the largest rail station in the world), which “drove” tourism. This rapid, piecemeal development produced a street that was rather “higgledy piggledy” contrasting with the uniformity of its original design.
Throughout the 20th century, many plans – including the Abercrombie Civic Survey of 1949 and Alan Reiach’s 1955 proposals—sought to “rationalise” the street, often through wholesale demolition and reconstruction aimed at restoring the uniformity of the New Town. These plans, along with more outlandish proposals such as the first-floor walkway or the late 1990s idea for large underground shopping areas, did not proceed. As Levinthal noted, had they gone ahead, “we would now be facing even more unwanted units”. He identified a key shift: the rise of “Zone A” where the highest-value parts of the street were exclusively on the ground floor. This drove attempts to expand ground-floor retail spaces, often through radical alterations. In contrast, the upper floors – despite their spectacular views – were neglected, with staircases sometimes removed entirely, creating a complete waste of space.
Recent years have resulted in further disruption. The creation of St James Quarter has led to the “stripping out of Princes Street” with “fast foot retailers” (phone repair shops, convenience stores) filling many vacancies. Hotel development is again surging, this time on a much larger scale. Levinthal argued that there must be far greater emphasis on quality, remarking that some new builds were only “not quite horrible enough” to fail the planning process. Ironically, some of the most coherent parts of Princes Street today are the sections rebuilt in the 1960s, such as the New Club frontage.
Levinthal concluded that the underlying cause of these changes was a form of “market success” with economics acting as the determining factor. He called for a much stronger focus on “architecture and design” led by empowered public authorities. Yet he lamented that these authorities had been “hollowed out” and lacked the necessary resources. He stressed that “we couldn’t rely on the market” to resolve the issues, especially since many building owners are not based in Scotland. Determined public intervention was essential, he argued, as the commercial world made for “appalling policymakers”.
Sauchiehall Street – loss, disruption, and flickers of renewal
Niall Murphy began his discussion of Sauchiehall Street by quipping to Levinthal: “you think you’ve got problems”. He focused on the 1.6 km retail stretch, detailing its history as both a commercial street and a hub for theatres, such as the Empire Theater, making it “very much embedded in the social history of Glasgow.”
Murphy described the significant impact of lost buildings, including the Empire Theater itself. The Comprehensive Development Plan of 1960 also resulted in widespread demolition and a substantial decline in central Glasgow’s population density. The construction of the M8 motorway further “severed” parts of the city.
Out-of-town shopping centres and the shift to working from home during the pandemic have reduced footfall. The major fires at the Victoria Nightclub in 2018, and at the Glasgow School of Art and the adjoining ABC, have had a huge physical and psychological impact, creating a “huge blight on the street” and “underscoring the perception of decline”.
Murphy highlighted the problem of poor quality shop-front designs that “brought down the tone”. Large department stores- such as the BHS building, empty since 2016 -pose major challenges, often proving difficult to repurpose due to extensive internal alterations. He felt there were also several “irredeemable” buildings, citing the Sauchiehall Centre (formerly housing House of Fraser) as the prime example. In contrast, he pointed to fine modern buildings such as the former C&A store, asking rhetorically: “how can they be vacant?” Despite the difficulties, Murphy noted “shoots of life” including a number of buildings repurposed as flexible office spaces.
Shared challenges, structural issues, and the search for solutions
Both speakers demonstrated a clear passion for architecture and a cautious optimism that revival was “very much possible, though not easy”. In the concluding Q&A session, Sam Gallacher summarised the chief threats as “death by mega Hotel and by shoddy shop front.” An audience member observed that high streets across the UK are struggling, noting that the issues are “deep and structural, not primarily local”.
Transport concerns were also discussed. While some have suggested that attempts to shift Sauchiehall Street toward active travel were disruptive, Murphy clarified that most roadworks focused on deep underground infrastructure to prevent flooding. He expressed enthusiasm for the expansion of the Clyde Metro, which aims to improve public transport with light rail and trams: “just get on with it!” was his plea.
The speakers also highlighted successful nearby models. In Glasgow, Buchanan Street demonstrates how a combination of high-quality architecture and pedestrianisation can deliver success.
In Edinburgh, George Street offers another model through its high-quality, often niche retail, reflecting contemporary trends that have overtaken the traditional department-store approach. There was broad consensus between Levinthal and Murphy: both criticised the respective city councils not for overreach, but for being disempowered and thus unable to counteract negative trends. Their view suggests clear scope for further devolution to Scotland’s cities.
Regaining control and the path to revival
The current state of both Princes Street and Sauchiehall Street reflects deep structural challenges that extend far beyond local issues, driven largely by market economics and a weakening of public authority. The consensus among experts like Levinthal and Murphy is that revival is very much possible, though not easy. Success depends on moving beyond declinist narratives and embracing proactive governance.
The central threats were memorably summarised as “death by mega Hotel and by shoddy shop front”. Ultimately, the speakers argued that city councils have been disempowered and cannot rely on the market alone. The path forward lies in re-establishing strong public leadership, prioritising design quality, and drawing on successful models such as Buchanan Street and George Street to guide a renewed vision for Scotland’s great urban streets. In short, the current state of these streets should not define their future.
Scottish Historic Buildings Trust works across the nation to save at risk historic buildings. The Trust collaborates with local communities and specialists to preserve significant properties at risk in Scotland. With a small team and no public funding they have already restored over 30 buildings and raised in excess of £30 million.
