Glasgow City Council could force sale of Egyptian Halls after lying derelict for three decades

Glasgow City Council will consider forcing the sale of an “architectural treasure” that has lain derelict for 30 years.

Councillors will look at the possibility of using Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) powers to acquire Alexander “Greek” Thomson’s Egyptian Halls on Union Street.

It comes after the Council was approached by an interested buyer, a consortium led by The List and Ediston, who had previously put in an unsuccessful bid to buy the building from the current owner.

CPOs are legal tools that allow local authorities to support development by purchasing private property either for their own use or to facilitate development by another party.

The Egyptian Halls has been covered in scaffolding since 2010. Google Maps

The Egyptian Halls have been vacant and derelict in the upper floors for more than three decades, with only the ground floor being partially occupied.

The building has also been on the National Buildings at Risk Register since 1990.

The council claimed that despite having scaffolding in place for 15 years, it is not being used for repairs, conversion or maintenance and is causing “environmental, social and economic blight”.

It added that two recent engineering reports state that the continued decline in the overall building fabric arises from a prolonged lack of occupation and ongoing maintenance.

Before it can promote a CPO, the council will determine if there are other interested parties and consider any proposals the owners might bring forward at this stage.

However, there have been no applications for planning permission for reuse submitted by the current owners since 2012.

If successful the CPO will transfer the property to a party who has best satisfied the brief and come forward with a viable plan for the future of the Egyptian Halls.

The council said the CPO can secure the future of this “masterpiece of Alexander Thomson’s architectural legacy” in Glasgow.

Councillor Ruairi Kelly, convener for built heritage, development, housing and land use at Glasgow City Council, said the Egyptian Halls are an “architectural treasure of national importance” in the city.

“Yet the pursuit of solutions leading to its repair and restoration has dragged on for decades,” he said.

“While there remains no indication of a viable plan coming forward from the building’s owners, the concern is the Halls continue to deteriorate.”

He continued: “councillors are being asked whether the time is right for the City Council to look at how we use Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) powers to acquire the Halls.

“CPOs can be lengthy and complex legal processes but this would be the first major step towards the repair and reuse of this beautiful building, bringing part of Glasgow’s heritage back into city life, with so many positive impacts for our city centre.”