Planning & Licensing
Merchant City and Trongate Community Council
Our Role in Planning
Community Councils are statutory consultees for planning applications submitted to local authorities in Scotland. As such, we are able to ensure that the views of the community are heard for any developments in our area.
Generally, MCTCC will only comment on major developments or work that will impact on the area. Representations made by MCTCC in relation to any planning application will be recorded on the Council’s planning portal.
We are also consulted on licensing applications for bars, restaurants and shops, and will discuss these at our regular meetings.
If you’d like to comment on a planning application, the Planning Democracy website has very useful guides to help you.
Current Planning Applications
COMING SOON
We will shortly start updating our site weekly with current planning applications for our area, with links to allow you to view more details and make representations, via the Glasgow City Council online planning portal
Student Accommodation
As a Community Council, we seek to create a community in our area which is part of the historic heart of Glasgow as well as being an important social space for shopping, eating out and entertainment. We need to establish a permanent residential community in order for our area to flourish. Students comprise a transient population who will move on after three or four years of study. It is generally recognised by the City Development Plan that the City Centre is already at saturation point with the construction of student accommodation buildings.
The Draft Supplementary Guidance to the already adopted City Development Plan states that development must “not result in an unacceptable concentration of student accommodation in the locality that would be harmful to the maintenance of a balanced community” and makes clear that purpose-built student accommodation will not be suitable in areas where the population is low density, a fact also accepted by the Council’s City Centre Living Strategy. This strategy seeks to promote the development of a mixed, balanced residential population in the City Centre.
Short Term Lets
Glasgow City Council’s policy on short term lets is contained in Glasgow City Council’s Supplementary Guidance “SG10 – Meeting Housing Needs”, Section 4B, paragraphs 4.12 to 4.16.
If you rent out your entire apartment on a frequent short-term basis, Glasgow City Council planning regulations do not permit this activity in buildings where there is a common entrance and common facilities.
Owners who frequently rent out their entire apartment via short-term letting services are likely to be in contravention of those planning regulations, as this represents a material change of use. Offending owners may be fined by the Council, and be served with notice to cease the activity. In addition, owners may be contravening the deed of conditions attached to their apartment, which only permit the property to be occupied by one family.
If you rent out a room in your flat on a short-term basis, and live in the property, there is not likely to be a material change of use. Equally, traditional secured tenancies are not affected.
Licensing
Licensing Applications
Glasgow City Council Licensing Board are responsible for issuing licenses. Any new applications are displayed on their website for a period of 7 days.
Local Place Plan
Our Local Place Plan reflects what our Community values most and the changes we would like to see for the future.
We believe the Plan will make the Merchant City and Trongate a more attractive place to live, thereby helping to achieve the aims of Glasgow City Council’s City Centre Strategy and enhancing the vibrancy and inclusivity for which it is already known.
MCTCC’s Local Place Plan fully supports Glasgow City Council’s historic environment guidance and placemaking principles, which aim to preserve the character, safeguard the heritage, and protect the amenity of Merchant City and Trongate, while also ensuring public safety, inclusion, and accessibility.
Our Local Place Plan
The plan has three sections:
- Projects associated with land, either used or disused (PL1, PL2 etc).
- Projects associated with places. Buildings that are empty (PP1, PP2, etc.)
- Policy Statements, associated with Planning Policy (PS1, PS2 etc.)
Each project submission has three components:
What – what we are asking for
Where – the Land or Building associated with the project, where it is known or has potential for such development.
Why – the rationale for the Project and alignment with planning policies
Policy Statements
Our Local Place Plan includes a number of Policy Statements. These are intended to give Glasgow City Council and potential developers clear guidance on what the Community Council expects in terms of developments in the area, covering topics as:
- Architectural aspirations
- Quality, Traditions and Historical Context
- Tall Buildings
- Improvements to Public Facilities
- Local Environment Improvement
