Fire-damaged O2 ABC served demolition notice

A Glasgow music venue devastated by fire is set to be demolished before the end of the year.

The O2 ABC, which dates back to 1875, was badly damaged in the Glasgow School of Art fire in June 2018. The site has lain empty ever since.

In January, urban regeneration company Vita Group unveiled plans to turn the former venue on the city's Sauchiehall Street into a food hall and student flats.

A notice has been posted outside the fenced off entrance to the building, stating that all unstable areas of the building must be demolished.

Glasgow City Council said a recent inspection prompted the need for a dangerous building notice to be served to protect public safety.

A spokesperson said the areas of most immediate public safety concern were the façade and the supporting timber floor structure directly behind it.

Previous proposals to demolish the site entirely in 2019 were met with strong opposition from politicians, music industry representatives and conservation groups.

The council notice requires the owners to demolish and remove the front and side facades along with the attached floor and roof structures and "any other unstable, collapsed or affected and adjourning construction".

It says a building warrant is not required and the work must begin by the end of September and be completed by 9 December 2024.

And in a planning statement lodged at the end of July, the site's developers Vita Group set out the case for demolishing the site, pointing to the extent of damage and safety concerns around the building.

The firm noted that there would be "significant and complex challenges" in redeveloping the site.

The Vita Group wrote: "While it is widely agreed that the building is beyond rescue, there are a number of elements within the historic fabric which the client and the design team are looking to salvage and reuse.

"A ‘watching brief’ is being provided and will be available on site to review the demolition process, with a view to salvaging historic items, wherever and whenever it is safe to do so."

Architect Niall Murphy, who is also director at Glasgow City Heritage Trust, said he was "saddened" to see the notice served.

He said: "Though I am keen to see the ABC site regenerated and the blight affecting Sauchiehall Street addressed, I very much hoped that architect Charles McNair’s classical entrance could be saved.

"It is worth retaining because it is a great example of the architecture of Glasgow’s golden age of cinema and incorporates one of the best surviving Saracen Foundry cast iron building screens. Other examples of these include Selfridges in London.

"This grand entrance would be a handsome adornment to any new development while reminding Glaswegians of the ABC’s fantastic social heritage. It would also be an excellent fit with emerging plans to turn Sauchiehall Street into a new cultural quarter for Glasgow.”

Glasgow City Council said temporary restraints were installed to reduce external danger after the fire damaged the stability of the façade, but it remained the owner's responsibility to maintain the building.

It said a recent inspection prompted the need for a dangerous building notice to be served to protect public safety.

A spokesperson for the council said: "The areas of most immediate public safety concern are the façade and the supporting timber floor structure directly behind and the notice is therefore stipulating the need for these to be removed.

"After speaking with the building owners and their representatives, the dates within the notice are considered a reasonable time for the operations specified and aiming to complete at an appropriate point prior to the festive break.

"The dates can be varied should the necessity later arise."

A spokesperson for Historic Environment Scotland said: “In 2019 we objected to an application for the proposed demolition of the category C listed O2 ABC building in Glasgow.

"However, having reviewed further information regarding the condition of the building, we accepted that the majority of it, including most of the front elevation, could not be retained in a meaningful way. On that basis, we removed our objection.”

The Vita Group has been approached for a comment.