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Date confirmed for full reopening of Union Street following major fire

News imageGetty Images Fire fighters and fire engines at the scene of a major fire in Glasgow city centre - it is daytime and smoke from the blaze billows around the bottom of a building near Central StationGetty Images
The huge fire in March destroyed part of the building on Union Street near Central Station

Glasgow City Council has confirmed that Union Street will fully reopen on 17 July following a months-long closure as a result of a devastating fire.

Parts of the street, which is a major bus route in the city centre, have been blocked off since the blaze wrecked a B-listed Victorian building on 8 March.

It will reopen fully to pedestrians and vehicles at 13:00 on Friday 17 July before the Commonwealth Games begin on 23 July.

The Union Street and Gordon Street entrances at Glasgow Central Station - Scotland's busiest railway station - will also reopen on the same date.

News imageUnion Street cordon. The street is quiet. There is a van parked on the street and shops line both sides.
Union Street is normally a main route for buses but has been cordoned off since the blaze in March

The building on Union Corner - erected in 1851 - was gutted by the fire, with the surviving shell subsequently demolished.

The council said work to stabilise the western gable wall are now complete and the scaffold has been removed.

Final works within the site as well as pavement and road works will also be finished by the reopening date.

The site will then be handed over to the owners.

Last week the council announced that an architect had been appointed to develop plans for the area in the short to medium term.

It is understood the site will be brought back into use later this year but council leader Susan Aitken has said a permanent structure is not expected to be built for five or six years.

The council is also considering proposals to transform the area around Central Station.

Councillor Angus Millar, convener for city centre recovery at Glasgow City Council, said: "I am pleased that the reopening of Union Street can now be confirmed, following the extensive work undertaken to clear the site after the fire earlier this year.

"This is a key stage in the recovery of the area around Central Station and will allow people and vehicles to move far more smoothly through this part of the city centre."

News imageGlasgow Central station will boards around its main entrance
The main entrance to Glasgow Central Station has been boarded off since March but will reopen on 17 July

Network Rail said the full station concourse at Glasgow Central will reopen on 13 July when the exclusion zone is removed.

The main entrances on Union Street and Gordon Street will reopen on 17 July.

The Hope Street carriage driveway - which has been in use since the station reopened to the public on 18 March - will close when the remaining entrances are available.

Liam Sumpter, managing director at Network Rail Scotland, said: "The reopening of the Union Street and Gordon Street entrances is a significant milestone in Glasgow Central's recovery and means the station will once again be fully open to passengers.

"With the Commonwealth Games just around the corner, it's fantastic to be able to fully reopen the station and help Glasgow welcome visitors from across the world."