Gordon Street Glasgow Pavement Reopens After Union Street Fire

Gordon Street Pavement Reopens as Union Street Fire Recovery Continues

The north pavement on Gordon Street has fully reopened today, 21 May, allowing people to walk along the full length of the north pavement without needing to use diversions via Drury Street or Renfield Lane.

The reopening marks another step forward in the recovery work following the Union Street fire and the subsequent demolition and safety works around the affected site.

Access restored for pedestrians on Gordon Street

Pedestrians moving through this part of Glasgow city centre can now use the north side of Gordon Street again, helping to improve access around Central Station and nearby businesses.

Earlier this week, controlled access was given to affected food businesses on Gordon Street. This allowed business owners and staff to remove spoiled food, inspect their premises and carry out cleaning ahead of reopening.

Support was also provided by Glasgow City Council’s refuse collection and environmental health teams.

Recovery work continues after Union Street fire

Glasgow City Council has said it will continue to work with affected residents and businesses as recovery work progresses over the coming weeks.

Good progress has been made on stabilising the gable wall on the western side of the fire-affected site. Work to fill voids in the wall is expected to begin shortly.

Stabilisation work around Central Station Hotel

Work is also underway to stabilise the gable wall adjoining the Central Station Hotel. The wall was exposed following the collapse and demolition of the building damaged by the Union Street fire.

With most of the rubble now cleared from the site, stabilisation works are expected to continue until early July.

Until this work is complete, the gable wall remains in a dangerous condition and there is still a risk of further collapse. For this reason, the current safety cordon on Union Street and Gordon Street must remain in place to protect the public and those working on the site.

Could more pavements reopen?

Progress on the stabilisation work will continue to be reviewed. If work moves ahead well, the council will assess whether parts of the safety cordon can be relaxed sooner, allowing more footways around the site to reopen before all work is complete.

This could also help restore access to some buildings currently within the cordoned area.

However, access to affected buildings that form part of Central Station or the Central Hotel is not expected to be possible until all stabilisation work has been successfully completed.