The fragmented urban grain has resulted in piecemeal land ownership spread between many individual landlords, many still connected to the historical marketeering families. As a result the regeneration of the market has been an incremental process, as the public sector owns very little land or property in the Barras, with council’s interventions limited to minor public realm upgrades and initiatives to encourage local enterprises and community groups to bring activity to the area.

The Barrowlands Ballroom opened in 1934, an iconic dance hall and music venue. The Barrowland building includes large street-level halls used for the weekend markets, with a sizeable weatherproof hall above. Since the 1960’s ballroom has become a major concert venue with a capacity of around 2,100 people.

Barras Art and Design, opened in 2016, was one of the first of a new wave of creative projects in the area which received public funding. An events venue that includes a mix of shops, studios, a restaurant and bar, it inhabits the large atrium of the Green Central Building, a large market hall built by the McIvers in 1928.