Sale of former Glasgow school set to be approved

Demolition of the old Haghill School building has already started and councillors will be asked to approve a deal with Milnbank Housing Association on Thursday.

Plans for the demolition show some of the stonework will be retained for future use on the Marwick Street site.

Situated within the Dennistoun conservation area, the B-listed Haghill Primary School and schoolhouse were in an “extremely poor” condition, according to council officials.

The red sandstone three-storey school and two-storey schoolhouse, designed by A Lindsay Miller in 1904, have been listed on the buildings at risk register.

A council report stated: “Due to the dilapidated condition of the subjects, Glasgow City Council has commenced the demolition of the school building, with the costs being part funded by the seller and Milnbank Housing Association.”

It added the estimated demolition costs of the school are £500,000.

New social housing is set to be provided on the site and Cllr Ruairi Kelly, SNP, said a previous sale to a private developer had been prevented.

He said the proposal lacked “adequate protections” should the building need to be demolished.

“I am delighted the site will now have social housing, built by a local housing association, on it and will incorporate parts of the school’s architectural heritage.”

Cllr Allan Casey, SNP, who represents Dennistoun, added the plans would provide “much needed social housing in the local area.”

He added it was “extremely disappointing” the building was “left in such a state of disrepair” but the council had worked with the housing association to “salvage elements of the old school building”.

These will be “incorporated into the design of the new housing scheme, retaining some of the building’s heritage for years to come”.

In demolition proposals submitted to planning officials, a briefing note from a council director stated “metal thieves stripped the roof of valuable non-ferrous metal flashings” not long after the school had closed in 2004.

This caused “the building to suffer from increased and sustained water ingress thereby hastening its dilapidation”, the note added.

Two surveys, in 2011 and 2014, were carried out but the business case for conversion to residential accommodation was “not able to stack up”, the director reported.

The school’s roof partially collapsed in June last year and work to remove areas of the structure cost around £100,000. There are also “holding costs” for maintaining security and safety of between £10,000 and £15,000 per year, the council has said.

A specialist contractor reported that temporary works to provide structural protection to the building for two to three years while a future use was found would cost around £900,000, the planning official said.

The note added: “Whilst there may be a small number of people who would like to see this building preserved and refurbished, with virtually no prospect of this happening, the vast majority of the local community would now welcome the demolition of a building that is now causing a blight on the local community and many have concerns over its deteriorating condition.”

It stated work would be carried out to identify which portions of the buildings could be retained and if parts could be “sympathetically salvaged”.