AS any history of Glasgow – not to mention those of a certain vintage – will tell you, Sauchiehall Street was once the jewel in the city’s shopping crown, a major attraction for retailers and shoppers alike.

Granted, it is a generation since the famous thoroughfare could be described in these terms, but the loss of BHS in August 2016 felt at the time like the nail in the coffin for a once-bustling section of the street. Posterity may record, however, that the real low point came last week, when fire ripped through the properties opposite the empty and decaying BHS store.

Following surveys, Glasgow City Council moved decisively to order that the damaged buildings be demolished.

Just days later, meanwhile, it has emerged that the developers in charge of the plan to build a new commercial block on the BHS site are keen to get on with demolishing the old store.

Whether the fire will delay their plan is unclear. What we do know, however, is that this already run-down part of Sauchiehall Street is about to look even more dilapidated. We must hope, however, that the blaze and its aftermath is an instance of things getting worse before they get better, rather than the beginning of a further downward spiral for this part of the city centre.

Indeed, city planners must act quickly and equally decisively to make sure that something positive comes out of the fire.

Those behind the BHS development, which includes a 12-storey office block, must also play their part by ensuring they move as quickly as possible to build stage.

Knocking down the old store and leaving an ugly gap site for an untold period of time would be disastrous, as the city already knows. The Selfridges debacle in the Merchant City is only one cautionary tale; the company took ownership of the land but failed to develop it, then sold up, leaving Candleriggs with an unsightly gaping hole for nigh on 20 years.

Indeed, as Glasgow Labour MP Paul Sweeney has reiterated, the fire must be a catalyst for the sort of real and lasting change that this stretch of Sauchiehall Street has long been crying out for.

The positive progress already under way nearby could also provide further impetus. Work recently began on the promising £7 million “Avenue” project a few blocks west, which will transform the area into a tree-lined walkway for pedestrians.

Meanwhile, the iconic Willow Tea Rooms are due to re-open in June just a few hundred metres further up Sauchiehall Street from the site of the fire, following a major £10m revamp that is likely to attract thousands of tourists and locals alike. The return of much-loved Mackintosh landmark, complete with new visitor centre, should provide a genuine boost.

With this in mind, it is imperative that a strategy is put in place to tackle the lower side of the street, particularly since the section affected by the fire and due to be demolished contained some of the last few high street draws, including a busy Greggs cafe, Holland and Barrett and Specsavers opticians.

The £1billion City Deal signed three years ago has given new focus to urban planning in Glasgow, although there has been criticism from some that progress has been too slow.

In the aftermath of this terrible fire, however, a rethink is surely needed. It is high time for those divvying up the funds to consider the bottom end of Sauchiehall Street as well as the top. No part of the city centre is more in need or deserving of financial investment.

By bringing public and private sector partners together, retailers, creatives and city planners can surely find a new way forward for a street that is still so synonymous with Glasgow itself. Let a phoenix rise from the ashes.