Monday January 5th 2026
The proposed new stone paving for the entrances of Argyll Arcade.
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Drew Sandelands
Businesses in a high-end Glasgow shopping arcade are appealing to the Scottish Government after planned improvements were branded “inappropriate” by the council.
One of Europe’s oldest covered shopping arcades, the A-listed Argyll Arcade — home to over 30 jewellers and diamond merchants — is currently at the centre of a planning row.
Officials at Glasgow City Council rejected a bid from the precinct’s co-proprietors to replace the stone paving at the Buchanan Street and Argyle Street entrances.
They have claimed the works include “inappropriate materials” which “fail to preserve or enhance the special architectural and historic interest” of the arcade.
But the applicants argue they want to invest in the mall, which was built in 1827, to “enhance the general appeal of its entranceways”. They have called for the Scottish Government to step in and grant listed building consent.
A reporter, appointed by the government, is expected to make a decision before the end of this month [January].
The appeal states “high-quality and hard-wearing” Porphyry paving would be installed, which mixes four colours to give “a varied but reddish overall appearance”.
It adds the co-proprietors respect the “heritage and listed status of their building and have no intention to harm its character by making insensitive or inappropriate alterations to its physical fabric”.
The statement claims the “tasteful alteration” will “attract public footfall and improve the user experience”. It adds the application was refused due to the colour, but it is not the role of the council to “specify a colour palette given they are not commissioning the proposed work”.
The applicants believe the current surfacing “does not exhibit any qualities which make a positive contribution to the listed status of the building”, with “numerous instances of damage and patch repairs”.
However, a council response states a “violet mix” made up of “greys, violet hues, and yellowish-brown tones, laid in a random pattern with dark grey grout joints” is proposed.
It adds the mix would introduce a “strong and incongruous visual contrast in both colour and texture when set against the historically muted tones and refined finishes that define the entrances and interior of the arcade”.
“The proposed paving has a noticeably harder, more rugged finish compared with the smooth, high-quality, and carefully detailed floor surfaces elsewhere within the internal space,” the response continues.
The council believes the “standard of existing finishes does not justify introducing new materials that are inappropriate to the historic context”, adding replacement works “must still preserve and enhance the listed building’s special interest”.
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