Visits to Glasgow city centre fall by a million after Union Corner fire

The number of trips to Glasgow city centre by people including shoppers, workers and tourists has dropped by a million since the Union Corner fire in March, according to research.

Glasgow Chamber of Commerce said numbers were down on last year and lower than they were before the Covid pandemic.

It said footfall in April alone was down 300,000 people on the same month last year.

But consumer spending in the city centre was up - despite falls in many other cities.

A category B listed building on Union Corner - erected in 1851 - was gutted by the fire in March, with the surviving shell subsequently demolished.

Some of the nearby area - including the main entrance to Central Station and the crossroads at Union Street, Renfield Street and Gordon Street - is still closed off while work to make the site safe continues

Footfall measures the number of people in the city centre for any reason.

The figure fell dramatically for a few days after the fire when transport was badly disrupted and a large part of the area near the fire was completely closed off.

But hopes there would be a full recovery once the worst of the disruption was over have proved too optimistic.

The data is included in the chamber's latest Glasgow Pulse report. Overall the chamber said the total drop since the fire was now one million, including a 200,000 drop in May.

Daily footfall figures vary widely. The chamber said the average was about 175,000, but on a Saturday it can reach 210,000 while a Sunday might fall to about 150,000.

The chamber said monthly trends were more significant than the daily figures.

The drop of about 300,000 in April does however imply that there were 10,000 fewer in the city centre on an average day in April 2026 compared to April last year.

Glasgow Chamber of Commerce deputy chief executive Richard Muir said: "Falling footfall is a big issue and after a promising start to the year, since the Union Street fire footfall has fallen well short of figures of pre-pandemic and on last year.

"Since the fire, there have been one million fewer people in the city centre than last year.

"That is very worrying given the fragile nature of sectors reliant on passing trade."

The fire destroyed a historic building on the corner of Union Street and Gordon Street by Central Station.

The station was closed in the immediate aftermath. This meant many shoppers and workers stayed out of the city centre.

Disruption continued after train services got back to normal.

For several weeks a large cordon meant many shops in the surrounding area were closed, and pedestrians could not walk between Central Station and the city's main shopping street Buchanan Street.

The chamber is hopeful the second half of the summer could balance out the decrease since March.

The city centre has been busy during some World Cup games and the Commonwealth Games, which begin on 23 July, should also add to the numbers.

The chamber also said consumer spending in the city centre provided some ground for optimism. It was up 1.2% on the year in March and April.

Glasgow City Council said the remaining cordon around Central Station would be lifted before the Commonwealth Games.

This would mean the main entrance to Central Station and all the nearby roads and pavements could reopen.

The local authority has also appointed architects to find temporary ways of using the derelict site of the fire so it does not become an eyesore.