Council leader vows to explore 'art of the possible' in wake of Glasgow fire
Plans for partial reopening of rail station later this week
The leader of Glasgow City Council is to convene a group of experts to explore the “art of the possible” for the future of the fire-ravaged site adjoining Central Station, and revealed she has asked her officers to develop a masterplan for the area.
With work ongoing to demolish the unstable remains of the B-listed Union Corner building devastated in last Sunday’s blaze, Susan Aitken said she plans to meet with key figures to develop a long-term “civic response” to what she described as a “huge loss” for the city.
The aftermath of fire, which took hold in a vape shop on Union Street, is continuing to cause extensive transport disruption, with Central Station’s high-level platforms set to remain closed until at least the middle of this week.
Ms Aitken said it was hoped there would be a partial reopening of the station by Wednesday, but described the situation as a “moveable feast” in a “challenging area.” She said the demolition team was working “round the clock” to make the site safe and then clear it, explaining: “It is a really challenging site, and they will be working out as they go along exactly how the demolition has to take place, and how much time it’s going to take.
“Everyone is conscious of the need to try and get the area around Central Station back up and running again, but equally, our first priority absolutely must be public safety and the safety of the crews who are on the site as well.”
In an interview with BBC Radio Scotland’s Sunday Show, Ms Aitken said the work of determining the long-term future of the site was underway, but she stressed that there was no consensus as to what that should look like.
She said she would be meeting on Tuesday with a group of “prominent” individuals experienced in the fields of design, architecture, development and business to help look at the next steps for the prestigious city centre location.
She explained: “There’s lots of different opinions out there and it’s clear that there is no single approach and no single view on what exactly should replace that missing building.
“What I’ve asked my officers to do is to masterplan that wider area - Glasgow City Council is already in there, we’ve already started the compulsory purchase process for the Egyptian Halls, and we also have public realm works scheduled for Gordon Street, so there’s a lot of work already planned for that area. What’s happened makes that job bigger but it also means that we want to involve a range of people and expertise in making that plan and exploring the art of the possible, I think.”
Ms Aitken also defended the council amid criticism of regulatory work, insisting that its statutory duties in relation to vape shops were “very limited.” Any changes in the law, she said, would be a matter for MSPs to consider.
However, she called for greater powers for local authorities to take action against owners who fail to care properly for heritage buildings under their care.
“We use compulsory purchase orders more than all the other local authorities in Scotland put together, but they are legally challenging and they are expensive as well, so there is a lot that is beyond the reach of the council,” she added.
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