January 17 2017

USP and USI, ground and upper floor owners of Glasgow’s at-risk Egyptian Halls, have brought forward proposals for a façade retention scheme at the A-listed landmark after deciding that restoration is now ‘ all but structurally undeliverable ’.Past attempts to restore the Halls stumbled after the Heritage Lottery Fund ruled out grant funding which would have seen the historic building refurbished for a hotel operator , casting doubt on the delivery of this latest scheme which still requires ‘some’ grant funding to progress in addition to agreement with NCP.Should a stalemate continue USP have left a ‘new build’ option on the table although full preservation scheme could still be delivered, including a rebuilt rear wall and roof, if funding is confirmed.The latest plans would establish a mews through route connecting Union Street to Mitchell Street, helping to reinforce the legacy of two of the city’s greatest architects; Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson, by creating a direct pedestrian link from The Lighthouse through to Central Station.In a statement USP wrote: “It’s been documented that the Rennie Mackintosh Lighthouse building is seriously underused and therefore financially compromised due to its cul-de-sac like and out of the way location. Also, the 36-year delay to reconcile the Egyptian Halls repairs issues has certainly curtailed the now long overdue regeneration of Union Street and arguably this continually deteriorating building makes an increasingly negative contribution to the urban realm. This project reconciles this.”Plans drawn up by The Morrison Partnership envisage a street level ‘concourse’ threading through a central atrium with a hotel, restaurants and retail populating newly built accommodation behind a retained façade to a ‘modernised’ NCP car park.