The Scottish building 'masterpiece' covered by scaffolding for 15 years to be sold under force

The Egyptian Halls, designed by famed Glasgow architect Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson, was put up for sale in March last year.

The building has sat derelict for 30 years and now Glasgow City Council could force a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to allow new owners to take over the Union Street building.

The council has been approached by a consortium led by The List and Ediston, which have previously lodged unsuccessful bids for the building.

The use of a CPO will be considered at the council’s contracts and property committee meeting on February 6. The council must first determine whether there are any other interested parties and consider proposals from the existing owners.

If the consortium’s bid is successful, the CPO will transfer the property to a party who has best satisfied the brief and come forward with a viable plan for the future of the Egyptian Halls.

The building has had a controversial past, having been hidden by scaffolding since 2010. The council claims the scaffolding is causing an “environmental, social and economic blight” as it is not being used to facilitate repairs, conversion or maintenance or serving any structural need.

Councillor Ruairi Kelly, convener for built heritage, development, housing and land use at Glasgow City Council, said: “The Egyptian Halls are an architectural treasure of national importance right in the heart of our city, yet the pursuit of solutions leading to its repair and restoration have dragged on for decades. While there remains no indication of a viable plan coming forward from the building’s owners, the concern is the Halls continue to deteriorate.

“What councillors are being asked is whether the time is right for the City Council to look at how we use compulsory purchase prder powers to acquire the Halls. CPOs can be lengthy and complex legal processes, but this would be the first major step towards the repair and reuse of this beautiful building, bringing part of Glasgow’s heritage back into city life, with so many positive impacts for our city centre.”

No planning applications have been lodged for the site by the existing owners since 2012.

Glasgow City Council said the CPO “can secure the future of this masterpiece of Alexander Thomson’s architectural legacy in Glasgow”. Recent engineering reports suggest the building has undergone a continued decline in recent years.

The building, designed by architect Thomson from 1870 to 1872, is considered to be the pinnacle of the renowned architect’s work.