O2 ABC redevelopment plan approved by Glasgow City Council

A popular Glasgow music venue devastated by a fire is to be turned into student accommodation.

Glasgow City Council approved the proposal for a nine-storey accommodation block on the site of the former ABC building on Sauchiehall Street.

The project received 130 objections, including from heritage organisations.

They claimed it would damage the views of any future redevelopment of the Glasgow School of Art's (GSoA) Mackintosh building, which was destroyed in the same blaze.

However the majority of councillors agreed any negative impact was outweighed by the benefits of redeveloping the derelict site.

The decision came a day after the owners of the ABC building and Jumpin Jak's next door criticised GSoA over its attempts to block the redevelopment.

James Patterson, director of property investment firm Urban Pulse, said the school was "standing in the way of progress" by objecting to the plans.

Councillors voted 8-2 in favour of granting planning permission, which will see the building turned into a 'House of Social' project by urban regeneration developer Vita Group.

It will feature 356 student beds, a publicly-accessible food hall - which would become an events space at night - and a courtyard.

Planning committee chairman Cllr Ken Andrew said he supported the move "with some regret" and added it could take 15 years for the Mackintosh to be restored.

Cllr Jill Pidgeon said the objections were "worthy" but felt she had to encourage bringing part of the street back into use.

SNP councillors Mhairi Hunter and Eva Bolander voted against the plan and said they could not ignore the impact on the Mackintosh building.

James Rooke, planning director with Vita Group, said the firm was delighted with the decision.

He added: "Our aim has always been to regenerate this anchor site by bringing forward exciting plans which celebrate the city's best independent food and minds.

"The beautifully designed destination food hall will breathe new life into this iconic location."

A spokesman for the GSoA said it was "clear on our commitment to the rebuilding of the Mackintosh building" and the ABC development would put those plans "at significant risk".

Stuart Robertson, director of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society, said he hoped the Scottish government would step in and overturn the decision.

Historic Environment Scotland had objected to the plan, and as a public body Scottish ministers must be notified of the ruling.

Mr Robertson added: "This approval places the commitment to the rebuilding of the Mackintosh building at significant risk and will set a dangerous precedent for our built heritage.

"Glasgow City Council have missed a trick here, there was an opportunity to create something truly special on this site. The Scottish government needs to step in and overturn this decision. Mackintosh and Glasgow deserves better."

Mr Patterson, speaking on behalf of the ABC owners OBARCS, said there were no concrete plans or a timeline for the refurbishment of the Mackintosh building.

He argued the new proposal would would help protect the future for the area while leaving space for the Mackintosh to make a "potentially glorious return".

However he also accused the GSoA of "a dereliction of basic neighbourly duty" by refusing to engage constructively with OBARCS since the fire.

He added: "GSoA can't have it both ways.

"They've contributed nothing but delay, while the community around them has paid the price.

"It's time to move forward."

Mr Patterson said the GSoA had been previously warned about the devastating impact of another fire in the area, following an initial blaze in 2014.

There was a point in the early 20th century when the ABC and the Mackintosh School of Art were the best of neighbours.

Then known as the Hippodrome, it was home to a circus, where the animals were frequently escorted up Dalhousie Street and into a drawing class.

Today, both buildings are gone, devastated by a second fire at Glasgow School of Art in 2018.

The shell of the school remains under wraps while an arbitration process with the insurers continues. The remains of the ABC were demolished last summer.

Today Glasgow City Council approved plans to build nine-storey student accommodation on the derelict site where the ABC stood.

It's an emotive issue for a conservation area, blighted by two fires and concerned about what comes next.

A total of 130 individuals and organisations objected to the plans including Glasgow School of Art, who said the new building would reduce the light and compromise the views of the school they plan to faithfully reinstate.

For many of the councillors it was difficult to make a decision based on the needs of a building many years off completion, if at all.

They agreed it was a deeply emotive subject – and while it might impact on the neighbourhood and the existing historic buildings either side, it was "an acceptable impact" which could unlock the regeneration of the area.

The meeting heard that far from encroaching on the art school's boundaries, scaffolding from the Mackintosh was currently on the ABC site. But that's as far as the neighbourly relations go.

In a statement released on behalf of the owners of the site they criticised Glasgow School of Art for blocking the proposal, and for failing to think of the wider community.

They point to a new courtyard, which would offer public access to a previously unseen site, as well as leaving space for the Mackintosh rebuild and creating a fire safe separation between the buildings.

Glasgow School of Art disagree. Like many of those who objected they believe Glasgow City Council has failed to see the wider picture and has put their plans to rebuild the Mackintosh at "significant risk."

One of the conditions imposed by the committee today was that the Vita development include some of the decorative features of the original venue including the distinctive cast iron door frame.

A reassuring glimpse of the old, amid the challenge of the new, for a community which lives too close to each other to be anything less than good neighbours.