The return of the Carbuncle Awards: Sauchiehall Street in the spotlight

After a near decade-long hiatus, the notorious Carbuncle Awards are making their return to Scotland, reigniting a controversial spotlight on urban planning and aesthetics.

Often dubbed the ‘anti-prize’ for architecture and development, the Carbuncles aim to provoke debate about Scotland’s most neglected or poorly designed urban spaces.

This year, Glasgow’s own Sauchiehall Street has been named as a frontrunner for the dubious honour.

Once one of the city's premier shopping and entertainment thoroughfares, Sauchiehall Street has faced mounting criticism in recent years over its perceived decline.

The closure of flagship stores, a rise in vacant units, and ongoing challenges related to urban regeneration have led many Glaswegians to lament the street’s fall from grace.

Controversial awards

The Carbuncle Awards, organised by architecture and planning publication Urban Realm, were last held in 2016.

Previous winners include towns like Cumbernauld and New Cumnock, highlighting issues such as poor planning decisions, failed regeneration efforts, and neglect.

The return of the awards has sparked a mix of reactions, with some praising their role in spurring public discourse and others criticising them as unfairly targeting struggling communities.

'It's a body blow for the street'

Editor of Urban Realm, John Glenday, told Clyde 1: "This is about raising awareness of forgotten places, places which perhaps are not firing at all cylinders, perhaps have lost potential and these are about elevating them and the broader consciousness to raise awareness of built environment issues.

"It's a topic which isn't given the airplay it deserves and demands and this is a window to open onto these issues and raise the debate and give people a voice on the ground as well who are perhaps championing local improvements, improved amenities.

"Sauchiehall Street has been one of the named candidates coming forward from our editorial panel so, I dare say, it really forms the crux of a lot of these issues and we see that on the ground.

"There's a lot of construction activity for the avenues, this is a well-meaning project from the council to address some of these issues with new public realm planting and active travel routes but there is some short-term pain at the moment in terms of all the disruption that's causing.

"It is compounding a lot of the issues which we've already seen and obviously with other issues such as the M&S closure, obviously the fire at the school of art, as well.

"These issues taken in isolation are a bitter blow but taken together, it's a body blow for the street.

"It's quite an important pivotal point for turning it around before things get too far it becomes irretrievable and asking how we stop the rot and make sure that what was a fantastic thoroughfare returns to what it was and being an important central piece of Glasgow's history, heritage and future as well."

Revitalisation efforts

Efforts to revitalise Sauchiehall Street are already underway, with sections of the thoroughfare benefiting from the Avenues Project, a multi-million-pound scheme aimed at improving public spaces and prioritising pedestrian and cyclist access.

However, critics argue that the changes have yet to tackle deeper issues, including economic struggles and a lack of cohesive planning.

As Glasgow waits to see whether Sauchiehall Street will claim the top Carbuncle prize, the nomination has already achieved one outcome: reigniting conversations about how to balance heritage, modernity, and economic realities in shaping the future of Scotland’s urban spaces.

For Glaswegians, it’s a reminder that while the Carbuncles may highlight failures, they also offer a chance to imagine a brighter, better-designed tomorrow.

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