Condition

The building is currently in a state of significant decay and is a victim of a myriad of ownership issues over the decades. The building was scaffolded to the front elevation over ten years ago to allow repair works to be undertaken, however no major repairs project has ever taken place. Glasgow City Council is considering serving a Defective Building Notice with a view to compelling the owner to carry out repairs to the front elevation. The owner has not provided proposals which would satisfy the Council that they will voluntarily undertake those repairs. Therefore, it is likely that a Defective Buildings Notice, requiring those works be carried out, will be served on the owner soon.

The owner has indicated that they will legally challenge any enforcement orders issued by GCC, and does not intend to finance repair works until a future use for the building has been identified. However, the owner does carry out basic ongoing maintenance and has installed a temporary felt roof which has arrested water ingress into the building.

The upper floors of the building have been unheated for nearly 40 years, and suffered from neglect for a significant portion of that time meaning that the interiors are in understandably poor condition - despite this original column capitals, plasterwork, paintwork and other interior details survive. The decay is most notable on the topmost floor where water ingress has started to lead to structural decay of the concrete slab and cast iron structure.

An independent structural assessment has been carried out by a conservation-accredited structural engineer who has found the buildings’s structural integrity to remain intact, and whilst remedial works are required, the building’s structure provides no major barrier to the future use of the building.