Over 200 Homes Planned at Former McVitie’s Factory Site: Glasgow 2026

Key Points

• Housing Redevelopment Proposed: The land previously occupied by the iconic McVitie’s biscuit factory in Tollcross has been formally designated for residential redevelopment in Glasgow City Council’s new draft City Development Plan.
• Over 200 Units Target: Local authority drafts specify that the sprawling industrial brownfield site has the structural capacity to deliver more than 200 new homes to address regional housing demand.
• Delivery Timeline Envisaged: The residential scheme is categorized as a long-term project, explicitly scheduled for delivery within the final three years of the municipality’s 10-year development master plan.
• Private Sector Partners Secured: Clowes Developments, who acquired the land holding in 2024, alongside Keepmoat Homes, have been formally listed as the key delivery partners for the housing infrastructure.
• Public Consultation Scheduled: The strategic draft plan, which shifts the site’s classification from industrial to residential, is slated to go out for comprehensive public consultation later this year.
• Industrial Era Formally Closes: The land use amendment marks the end of a century-long manufacturing legacy at the historic Victoria Biscuit Works site, following its highly contested closure by parent company Pladis in 2022.

Glasgow (Glasgow Express) May 23, 2026 – The historic site of the former McVitie’s biscuit factory in Tollcross has been formally earmarked for a major residential redevelopment that could yield more than 200 new homes, according to the newly released draft development plan for Glasgow. The strategic document, which outlines the local authority’s spatial priorities over the next decade, signifies a definitive shift from the site’s historic manufacturing purpose toward high-density community regeneration. As documented by local government correspondents, the land use re-classification forms a central component of Glasgow City Council’s upcoming framework, which is scheduled to undergo a statutory period of public consultation later this calendar year.

What Are the Official Details of the Redevelopment Plan?

As reported by Drew Sandelands of Glasgow Live, the transformation of the former Victoria Biscuit Works is currently structured as a long-term infrastructure project. The local authority has designated the delivery of these residential units to occur specifically within the final three years of the comprehensive 10-year city development timeline. Documents verified by municipal planners confirm that two major private sector entities, Clowes Developments and Keepmoat Homes, are officially listed as the delivery partners tasked with executing the residential master plan.

This follows the strategic acquisition of the site by Derbyshire-based Clowes Developments in 2024, which subsequently initiated extensive demolition works to clear the industrial remnants.

Why is the Site Transferred from Industrial to Residential Use?

The decision to alter the site’s zoning baseline reflects changing macroeconomic realities in the local property sector. As detailed by Councillor Ruairi Kelly, the Scottish National Party (SNP) convener for housing, development, built heritage, and land use, keeping the vacant site locked under industrial constraints no longer aligns with commercial demands. Speaking directly on the policy shift, Councillor Kelly stated:

“At the minute, it’s zoned for industrial use, but nobody is going to build a factory now. We’re looking at these areas where there is a classification of land use that no longer fits what is likely to be delivered.”

The administration’s stance underscores an explicit municipal strategy to convert redundant, post-industrial urban eyesores into active, high-yield housing assets rather than waiting for an industrial tenant that may never materialize.

Background of the Tollcross Factory Development

The contemporary re-zoning proposal concludes a turbulent multi-year saga that began in May 2021, when global snack foods conglomerate Pladis announced its intention to shutter the Tollcross facility. As noted in corporate disclosures from Pladis at the time, the decision to close the plant was driven primarily by a requirement to address “excess capacity” within its wider United Kingdom manufacturing network and to streamline operational efficiencies across its remaining commercial sites.

The announcement initiated substantial institutional resistance across Scotland. As detailed in the official parliamentary record of the House of Commons (Hansard), the factory had operated continuously in the East End of Glasgow since 1925, acting as a crucial intergenerational employment anchor for the local population. At the point of the closure announcement, the Tollcross facility employed 468 specialized workers from across the Glasgow East constituency.

In June 2021, David Linden, the Member of Parliament for Glasgow East, presented a formal public petition to the House of Commons signed by more than 52,000 citizens. The petition declared that the loss of the factory would deal an incredibly harsh economic blow to an already fragile local economy.

Local labor organizers, including Richie Venton of the Scottish Socialist Party, highlighted that multiple generations of the same families had simultaneously worked within the plant’s walls over its 97-year operational span.

Despite the formation of a high-level Action Group co-chaired by Kate Forbes MSP (then serving in the Scottish Government cabinet) and Glasgow City Council Leader Susan Aitken, commercial counterproposals to save the site were ultimately rejected by Pladis executives.

The factory formally halted all manufacturing operations in 2022, resulting in approximately 500 redundancies. Following two years of vacancy and ongoing discussions surrounding structural remediation, the land holding was sold to Clowes Developments in 2024, paving the way for the demolition process that finalized the site’s transition from an active manufacturing hub into an open brownfield plot.

Prediction: How This Development Can Affect Local Residents and First-Time Buyers

The proposed re-zoning and subsequent injection of over 200 residential properties will alter the socio-economic and structural landscape of the Tollcross area, directly impacting local residents, neighboring business operators, and first-time buyers within the Glasgow East housing market.

For first-time buyers and growing families in the East End, the addition of a substantial housing stock by an established developer like Keepmoat Homes is highly likely to introduce a mix of affordable and modern energy-efficient housing options.

This segment of the market has faced intense supply constraints, meaning a targeted long-term development of this scale could help stabilize local property price inflation by absorbing pent-up demand.

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Stimulation of the Local Micro-Economy

For existing Tollcross residents and remaining small commercial businesses, the transition from a dead, vacant industrial plot to a vibrant residential neighborhood will alter footfall patterns. While the immediate loss of 500 manufacturing salaries in 2022 severely dampened the day-to-day spending power within the immediate vicinity, the introduction of hundreds of permanent households will create a predictable, localized consumer base for neighborhood shops, supermarkets, and public services along Tollcross Road.

Increased Strain on Public Infrastructure

Conversely, the addition of more than 200 homes introduces logistical considerations for the community. The influx of new residents will inevitably apply increased pressure on localized public infrastructure. Municipal services—most notably primary school enrollments at local facilities, appointment availability at neighborhood general practitioner (GP) surgeries, and traffic volume capacity on nearby transport links—will face heightened demand.

Local planners will need to address these capacity constraints during the upcoming public consultation period to ensure that the long-term delivery of housing does not outpace the expansion of essential community services.