Glasgow Fort is a large out-of-town shopping and leisure park located in Glasgow, Scotland, just off Junction 10 of the M8 motorway which runs to the south, surrounded by the residential areas of Provanhall, Garthamlock and Easterhouse. It was opened in 2004[1] built on land which had been part of Auchinlea Park (previously the site of two quarries)[2] which still exists to its immediate east.[3]
Description
The concept is unusual when compared to other local out-of-town shopping centres such as Braehead and Silverburn, in that it is uncovered and therefore the spaces between units are open to the elements, therefore technically categorising it as a retail park. The design of the area incorporates a "two-sided mall design" intended to recreate a traditional high street.[4]
The scheme opened in October 2004 with Phase 1 of the development providing 390,946 sq ft (36,320.1 m2) of retail accommodation.[4] There are currently over 100 retail units and two additional kiosks. Retail range in size from small single floor 570 sq ft (53 sq m) spaces to large multi-floor units that are over 22,000 sq ft (2,000 m2) in size. There are approximately 2,500 car parking spaces for the park.[5] In 2016, a new multi-storey car park opened with over 600 spaces in it.
From 2012 to 2013, an extension to Glasgow Fort Shopping was under construction. It opened in October 2013, with hundreds of Glaswegians attending the grand opening. The extension included five new restaurants: Chiquito; Prezzo; Wagamama; TGI Friday's and Harvester, alongside an eight-screen Vue Cinema.[6]
Between 2014 and 2015, another large extension began. With various new restaurants, shops and a large Marks and Spencer,[7] the extension opened in late 2015.[citation needed]
Stores
The centre from the air showing its horseshoe design and car parking in the middle, as well as Auchinlea Park and the Provanhall neighbourhood in the foreground (2015)
Below are just a few of the many stores, as of May 2023:
There is also a Morrisons supermarket in the vicinity, completed about the same time (2005)[8] and sited to the east of the main centre across Auchinlea Park towards Easterhouse, but this is not considered to officially be part of the Fort.
There is also a McDonald's opened in 2021 located in the car park of Morrisons[9]
A New Parking Lot was opened to insure customers that their parking worries would be less of a stress
Transport
Buses and trains run regularly to Easterhouse railway station (2 miles away) from Glasgow City Centre, in addition to buses from the city to the complex, making Glasgow Fort easily accessible by public transport.
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