Cathedrals of consumption. Mecca for the suburban shopper. Grand naves of glass and luxury vinyl tile, comfortable temperatures and clean illuminated logos. The shopping centre is a non-place. A homogenous destination in which to disappear into the arms of your favourite fast fashion retailer or mediocre fast-food outlet.

In Canada as a preteen in the early noughties, I loved the mall. It was one of the only places my friends and I were allowed what felt like total freedom. We would get our allowances and beg a parent to drop us off, promising not to go outside until it was time to be collected. We could spend what felt like hours in our favourite stores, dreaming about all the Paul Frank T-shirts and Ty Beanie Babies we would put on our Christmas lists. Then it was time to stretch the meagre sums we earned from hoovering on an Orange Julius and $1 surprise bag from Claire’s Accessories. Simpler times.

It was around this period when Greater Glasgow started seeing a boom in suburban shopping centres. Glasgow Fort opened in Easterhouse in 2004, followed by Silverburn Shopping Centre in Pollok three years later. Braehead had opened in 1999 and fears were rife that the centre would strip retail turnover from Glasgow city centre, along with nearby Paisley and Renfrew town centres. At the time, a Strathclyde Regional Council official told a Herald reporter it was “Scotland’s worst-ever planning decision” and that privately, the concerns were very real.

READ MORE MARISSA MACWHIRTER 

In 2007, perhaps to compete with the threat of Silverburn, developers lodged plans for a huge expansion of Glasgow Fort that would see an additional 175,000 sq ft of floor space, including a Marks and Spencer and food hall, added to the shopping centre. The application was approved in 2013 but only the groundworks were completed before the expansion was abandoned.

But the plans are back! Hercules Unit Trust has submitted a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) for the “Erection of retail and leisure development with associated works” at Glasgow Fort. But what could the burgeoning development of these consumption palaces mean for our attempts to resurrect Glasgow city centre? Businesses have clearly spotted opportunities at these centres. A two-storey Primark is opening at The Fort on December 5. Harrods Beauty will be taking over a 22,500 sq ft unit at Silverburn. Braehead is getting Popeyes.

On the surface, it seems obvious. The city centre has developed a bad rap with motorists who compare the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) with Stephen King’s Under the Dome. Parking charges are another sore subject for many. And those who wish to take public transport are forced to deal with an expensive, unreliable and fractured bus network. The trains have been a bit better lately, but the habit shift away from them caused by months and months of disruption will be tough to rectify. There is no need to belabour the current state of Sauchiehall Street (or Union Street, for that matter).

So why bother coming into the city centre when you can bundle up the kids in the car and have your pick of thousands of parking spaces? Even better, you won’t need to crack your umbrella under the auspicious skylights of your favourite mall (unless you’re at the Fort which is uncovered).

For those who prefer the warm bosom of a shopping mall, godspeed. Nearly two decades have passed since my mallrat days and I have changed my tune. The city centre is where it’s at. Some call it manky; I call it textured.

In case you haven’t heard, we’re getting a Uniqlo. The city’s first & Other Stories will be opening in Princes Square soon. And we’re getting a new Mango and revamped Nike shop. Next just celebrated its first Glasgow city centre opening in 25 years, taking over part of the former Debenhams on Argyle Street.

There is an increase in demand for large flagship stores in the city centre and confidence is growing in its recovery. Landsec recently dropped plans to demolish Buchanan Galleries, signalling a bit of faith in the footfall trends. A spate of new restaurant openings like Margo, Sebb’s and Zibbibo add to that confidence. Rumour has it, Dishoom could also be moving into Scotland’s largest city. Placid shopping centres will never be able to compete with the energy of the city centre.

I think that transportation is the real sticking point. Flourishing shopping destinations in outlying areas are not as big of a threat to city centre recovery as a poor public transport system is. As we plunge headfirst into the festive shopping season, it was a bit disappointing that the extent of Glasgow’s plea to get people out of their cars was a “Choose Public Transport” campaign. The extent to which was posing on a bus with a sign and telling people in detail about the existing transport landscape. We’re still stuck with peak rail fares, expensive and disjointed bus services and tickets are not transferrable between the Subway, ScotRail and the various private bus companies. Only the Subway promised to change things up by extending its hours on a Sunday until 8.30pm. This begs the question, why doesn’t the Subway always run until 8.30pm on Sunday?

As for the motorists, you can actually still drive to the city centre. Councillor Ruairi Kelly, city convenor for neighbourhood services and assets, tells me that the council is working with Glasgow Chamber of Commerce to “get better” at communicating with drivers. “We have loads of multi-storey car parks that are not particularly expensive to park in and are convenient to the major shopping districts,” he says. “It’s the naysaying and the negativity around the city centre that can become a self-fulfilling prophecy if people aren’t careful or cognizant of that.”

And as for my naysaying about shopping malls, I do not despise them altogether. A day spent meandering around an ambient retail cathedral is still a day well spent to me. Braehead, the Fort and Silverburn are all huge employers for people and have brought hundreds of jobs to the areas they were built in. An expansion of the Fort could bring even more jobs and opportunities to Easterhouse. The city centre is still cooler, though.

Marissa MacWhirter is the editor of The Glasgow Wrap. Each morning, Marissa curates the top local news stories from around the city, delivering them to your inbox at 7am daily so you can stay up to date on the best reporting without ads, clickbait or annoying digital clutter. Oh, and it’s free. She can be found on X @marissaamayy1