Friday July 17th 2026
George Square north carriageway sett laying 28 May 26
Written by Glasgow View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Families will take over city centre streets to celebrate the next milestone in the transformation of George Square.
A phased reopening of the Square, which has been under development since May last year, is already underway – with the first section, along the north carriageway, coming back into use last month.
Now plans are being put in place to welcome Glaswegians back to George Square and surrounding streets to mark completion of the western section.
Roads will go traffic-free, with streetplay and other activities for all ages, as fences come down at the Queen Street end of George Square.
Council leader Susan Aitken said: “It has been fantastic to see the new Square start to emerge – and we want to welcome people back and let them see what this space is going to look like as soon as we can. This will be a weekend where people can walk, play and start to get to know their new square, as the biggest section yet reopens.”
Work at the western end of the Square is due to be complete at the end of August – with the event taking place on the first weekend in September.
Further sections will continue to be opened to the public as it is safe to do so – with the final fences expected to be removed by the end of October.
Cllr Aitken said: “People are going to see a lot of progress over the weeks ahead – with statues returning next month, as well a lot of work on paving and planting. Rather than keeping the entire site closed until every element is complete, we will continue reopening sections in phases – allowing Glaswegians and visitors to start enjoying the new spaces as they are finished and ahead of the full reopening in October.”
It was hoped that all work would be completed to allow an official opening in early September. However, number of factors have contributed to the review of the programme of works that has led to the new completion date.
Many of these challenges have centred on the discovery of uncharted underground services that were not present on any existing plans for the area.
David McEwan, Divisional Director for Property, City Deal & Major Projects at Glasgow City Council, said: “As with any project of this scale – and in the heart of a historic city centre – there are complexities which can arise in delivery which construction teams need to respond to and work through. Contractors have encountered various challenges, including the discovery of underground pipes, cables and other infrastructure that were not identified in any existing records – all of which required additional work to address.
“While it is now clear that this will mean that the full reopening of George Square will take place slightly later than originally planned, our focus remains on opening as much of the Square as possible as soon as it is safe to do so.”
As of today, footways on all four sides of the Square are largely complete – with the north carriageway having reopened to traffic on 26 June.
The Square’s 11 bronze statues will return in early August, with restoration work on the Sir Walter Scott Monument nearing completion.
The laying of granite paving has now recommenced on the western side of the Square and will continue until the statues return, ahead of a two-week pause to allow the statues to be relocated onto their plinths.
Works are also progressing well at the Eastern portion of the Square and at the Cenotaph, with stone repairs ongoing before a final clean.
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