HES Report on Cumbernauld Town Centre

From 12 May to 12 June 2022, Historic Environment Scotland (HES) asked people about the potential special architectural or historic interest of the 1960s Cumbernauld Town Centre. 

Built 1963-72, the building in the town centre was designed as a ‘megastructure’ – a single structure with a range of different uses – and included shops, offices, civic buildings, a bus station, hotel and apartments. At the time of its construction, it won recognition as an outstanding example of town centre planning and modern innovation. 

In more recent years, the building has divided opinion and has been altered extensively. Now there is a proposal to regenerate the site currently occupied by the megastructure to provide a multi-purpose town hub and other community and commercial developments. 

We launched a public consultation because we were asked by a member of the public to consider designating the 1960s Cumbernauld Town Centre as a listed building. We did this to help to inform our listing assessment.  

Following the initial consultation period, we also considered detailed responses from the owners of the Town Centre and North Lanarkshire Council who are currently planning to acquire and regenerate the site.

We were delighted to have over 2,000 responses to our consultation. We were very pleased to hear from local residents with over three quarters of respondents noting they were from Cumbernauld. We also heard from key stakeholders who are responsible for the management and future development of the Town Centre. 

The responses included views about the special architectural and historic interest of the Town Centre and you also told us about how you valued the site and whether you think it should be recognised and protected in the future. You also told us about your aspirations for the redevelopment of the town centre. 

While many of the responses we received provided detailed evidence and arguments for and against designation, only a small number engaged directly with the criteria of special architectural or historic interest, the principal factors for listing.  The responses were largely focused on condition and future use as well as the experience of the place both past and present, which for some was negative and others was positive.  Over three quarters of the responses to our consultation were against listing. 

The level of engagement was very positive reflecting the interest in the discussion about listing but also in suggestions made about how to recognise the history of the place as part of any proposals for change. 

We have published a summary report on the consultation which was compiled for us by an independent company. This report shows a range of opinions on the proposal both for and against listing. It also includes a full transcript of all the responses submitted to us where the respondents agreed to publication. 

The response from the majority owner note how much the Town Centre has changed since it was first constructed. In their response, North Lanarkshire Council provided information on the nature and progress of their regeneration proposals. We have published these reports at the links below.  

We have considered the case for listing and have found Phases One and Two of the Town Centre meet the criteria of special architectural or historic interest. This is because the building is an early exemplar of its building type, known internationally as an icon of post-war megastructural design theory. We note that the structure and the plan form of the original phases are largely intact despite later additions and alterations.  

But while we have found the building to be of special interest in listing terms, we have also decided not to proceed with listing at this time. This is because of our policy which takes into account the individual circumstances of development proposals affecting the site. 

We have published an account of our decision-making in our Report of Handling. This report includes a detailed assessment against the selection guidance for listing.