Plans for flat blocks near old Victoria Infirmary in Battlefield given go-ahead by councillors

More flats are set to be built in Battlefield after plans to develop empty land near the old Victoria Infirmary site were given the go ahead.

Glasgow’s planning committee has approved Sanctuary Scotland’s bid to provide three blocks of flats for over 55s on a former car park at Grange Road, despite almost 50 objections.

Residents in the area raised fears over the impact on Battlefield as well as potential daylight and privacy issues for neighbouring homes. There are expected to be two five-storey blocks and one, with four wings, which has five, six and seven-storey sections.

Planners at Glasgow City Council recommended the scheme was approved and councillors backed the project on Thursday. Permission was already in place for 36 flats on the site, but the owners returned to seek approval for 46 affordable homes.

Plans lodged to build three flat blocks in Battlefield LDRS

The land, which was once home to Queen’s Park School, is close to the former Victoria Infirmary, where over 400 homes are being constructed.

Cllr Paul Leinster, SNP, whose Langside ward includes Battlefield, said: “I know this site very well. It is a real eyesore right now. When it ceased operating as a car park, it has had hoardings up around it ever since. It is long overdue for development.

“I understand the concerns people have raised, there has obviously been a huge amount of work going on on the Victoria site, and that work is not going to be finished any time soon.

“I understand the disruption that people in the area have felt, what I don’t accept is that there is any overprovision of housing until such a point that social housing waiting lists no longer exist.”

He added: “In the Langside ward, and especially in this area, there is a real shortage of social housing generally. This is a great place to live, I would highly recommend it to anyone so I’m delighted that more people are getting to move into the area, especially into social housing.”

Objectors are concerned about the proposed height of the buildings, potential loss of daylight to nearby properties and the impact on the area’s historic character.

They also said parking and road safety concerns would be exacerbated and, alongside the Infirmary redevelopment, the project will put more pressure on local amenities.

Among the 48 objectors was the Battlefield Rest restaurant, which said visitors are already struggling to park in the area. Five letters of support were also submitted.

Cllr Leinster said residents’ concerns about the size of the development and the proximity to flats on Grange Road and homes on Prospecthill Road are “valid”, but planners had shown “the daylighting impact is going to be minimal”.

He added the former school had also been “quite a substantial building”.

Cllr Saqib Ahmed, Labour, said: “There is no overprovision of social housing and we need more and more social housing in Glasgow.”

Planners reported that while there is the “potential for daylighting impacts in some habitable rooms within some of the terraced dwellinghouses, the impacts are unlikely to be perceivable”.

They are also satisfied that the development would not lead to a loss of privacy for neighbours. Their report stated the site is in “an area of high accessibility for public transport” and residents “would not be eligible for a resident parking permit” under the proposed parking controls in Battlefield.

It added: “The addition of ten flats to an already permitted level of 36 flats will not be detrimental to the access and operation of local amenities and resources, such as schools.”

School buildings on the land, at Grange Road, were demolished between 1995 and 2006, with the site most recently used as a car park. It has been empty since October 2019.

Sanctuary Scotland bought the site in November 2019 and secured approval for 36 flats, which runs until February 25, 2027. It now plans to build 46 flats for rent for over 55s, with a private communal garden, 14 car parking spaces and publicly accessible green space.

Discussions will be held with the developers over the design of some of the building, with Cllr Sean Ferguson, SNP, saying there is a “lack of visual interest on portions of the proposed development”.