Plans for new music venue beside Celtic Park building up a 'head of steam'

Plans for a new music and events venue beside Celtic Park are still in the pipeline, with the developers reportedly building up a “head of steam”.

Glasgow City Council has been considering an application to create a 940-person capacity premises on empty land on the corner of Dalriada Street and London Road since March 2023.

When that planning bid was launched, a licence to sell alcohol had already been secured. On Friday, the city’s licensing board agreed to extend the provisional premises licence as a four-year limit was about to be reached.

Michael McDougall, representing the developers, told the board that progress had “stalled” due to “end of covid issues” and “some issues around planning and access”.

There are plans for a music and events venue near Celtic Park. LDRS

However, he added that, while “matters have not progressed as quickly as my client would like”, they are “working very closely with the council”.

G40 Events Ltd, a company owned by Barry Nicholls and Paul McNiven, wants to create a venue to host events “ranging from live music, corporate dinners, weddings, fashion shows, food and drink events”, the planning application states.

Mr McDougall said a “head of steam” had been built up, with exploratory works carried out. Around £3.5m will be invested in the area, he added, describing the project as an “incredible opportunity for the regeneration of the east end”.

He secured a 30-month extension for his client but suggested work on the site could begin within 12 months. The alcohol licence, initially granted in March 2022, had been awarded to One Star Leisure Ltd, a firm also owned by Barry Nicholls.

Planning permission had been granted in March 2020 for a venue with space for 700 people, but the 2023 application extends that to 940.

Documents submitted at the time state the site was owned by AGHOCO 5011 Ltd, with ownership to be transferred to G40 lTD upon the “stopping up of Dalriada Street”.

They added the proposal is to “provide a modestly sized venue of 940-person capacity that is to host primarily commercial music events but with the dual purpose of becoming a recreational space for the immediate Parkhead community”.

It also includes yard space for temporary street food outlets or music events.

When the licensing board initially considered the application, members were told it could be “something akin to a smaller version of the SWG3 type operation in the west end”.

They heard that the applicant was a “very experienced operator”, with outlets in North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire.