Best commercial-led regeneration project

The long-term decline of Glasgow’s shipbuilding and warehousing industries had left the city’s waterfront in a state of neglect. That is until Glasgow council, Enterprise Network and BT Scotland launched the International Financial Services District in 2001. Conceived as a project that would reshape the waterfront area into an investment location for leading international financial services companies, it has been so successful that it has already attracted £600m of investment and brought more than 4000 jobs to the area. It is now home to Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Goldfish and Barclays Stockbrokers, among others, and boasts six new pre-equipped office complexes, four of which are already occupied. “This project has been a catalyst for wider regeneration in the city,” said the judges – and you can’t ask for a better outcome than that.

The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow is one of the key elements of the new district

Runners- up

The runaway success of the Spinningfields development means that it is easy to forget what a challenge Allied London faced when it took on one of Manchester’s most rundown areas. It has taken a site of ageing and largely vacant office blocks, devoid of pedestrians and visitors, and turned it into the commercial hub of Manchester. Of the 4.5 million ft2 masterplan, 1 million ft2 has already been completed and a further 1.5 million is on site. When completed the area will be home to more than 25,000 workers, and teaming with shoppers, visitors, pedestrians and residents. All of which means that it is not only one of the largest city-centre regeneration projects in Europe, it is also set to be one of the most successful.

Vanilla Factory, Liverpool – Urban Splash

The redevelopment of an old vanilla essence warehouse in the Rope Walks area of Liverpool, which involved the refurbishment of the 18th-century building and the construction of a glazed four-storey building, is a project close to Urban Splash’s heart. The firm undertook its first ever development in this part of the city back in 1992, and it liked its new Vanilla Factory so much it moved in. And it wasn’t alone. Even before completion, 40% of space was let and it is now 90% occupied. The tenants include a construction company and two architects: with this kind of industry support Urban Splash must be doing something right.