Dear readers, we hope you enjoyed your weekends in spite of the dreich excuse for summer we’ve been experiencing. Fleeces and flooding in June, plus ça change. Calum was in Fife defending his reputation at a biannual village pub quiz (devastatingly, he came second). To console his loss, he made some spectacular dan dan noodles. Beth was in the Netherlands, luxuriating on the canals and learning about the Dutch resistance. Robbie was over east for Porty Pride on Friday, enjoying some female post-punk in the community-owned town hall. He also taught a bit of beginners foraging in Linn Park yesterday. All (two) attendees survived; success!
Onto your briefing.
Glasgow in Brief
🔄 Has Glasgow city centre escaped the doom loop? That was the question we posed last Thursday to a packed crowd at St George’s Tron. Before the event, council leader Susan Aitken told us she disagreed with the entire premise of the question (fair), but when the panel discussion kicked off she was open and honest on all manner of issues, from student accommodation and homelessness to the status of Union Street. On the Union Corner site, she told the audience that the current phase of planning and consultation is expected to last for five years at least, “Until we have a clear understanding” of what will fill the site, with a possibility of spades breaking ground by 2031/2032. She also distanced herself from a previous idea of a five star hotel, floated in the immediate aftermath of the blaze. Part of the reason for the long timeframe, she explained, was due to the ownership of the building (Stelmain manages the property on behalf of Dunaskin, with Afton Estates owning the ground floor retail unit at 105). The council will endeavour to find an “in between” use for the gap site while a decision is made on its future. “That’s just how long these things take,” she said, to a few audible groans in response. She also said the council will use the opportunity to redevelop the wider Union Street area, making it safer and more welcoming for all.
On student accommodation, both Aitken and Nicola Lunn of Savills said the city would continue building until demand is reached, surprising for the many people who believe Glasgow is already oversupplied with purpose built student accommodation. There was also a heated debate about homelessness provision, in which Aitken echoed previous statements she has made, namely that UK asylum policy is to blame for the soaring costs of homelessness provision.
There was clear demand for a follow-up among attendees. Let us know what you’d like us to discuss at the next Bell live event.
🐟The anticipated but nonetheless disheartening closure of the Queen’s Park Glasshouse was confirmed last week following the withdrawal of its long-term tenant, the Scottish Rural College (SRUC). The glasshouses, which date back to 1895, will now close indefinitely in August. The Category B building was completed in 1905 by Simpson and Farmer of Partick, who also built the Kibble Palace in Glasgow’s Botanics. Queen’s Park was laid out by Joseph Paxton, who built Crystal Palace in London, as well as the Botanics. The dome above the south entrance was taken down and dismantled in 2020 following questions about its structural integrity. The decision to close the glasshouses dates back to 2023, when Glasgow City Council announced plans to make £49m of budget savings.
Today's briefing, like every Monday edition, is free to read. To do so, just sign up to our mailing list where you'll also receive an in-depth midweek read as well as a weekend edition so you basically know everything there is to know about Glasgow. Sign up now to find out about the koi carp yearning for a new home as well as our worrying increase in youth knife crime. No card details required.
This story is free to read. You just need to sign up to join The Bell's mailing list. And why wouldn't you? You'll get our journalism in your inbox the second we publish, keeping up-to-date on this and all our stories. No card details required.
Already have an account? Sign In
