Council give Rangers go-ahead for fan zone and museum

Rangers have been given the go-ahead for plans to build a fan zone and museum on the Edmiston House site.

Glasgow councillors approved the club’s application for a two-storey multi-use venue at a meeting on Tuesday.

The development will include shops, a café and an events space, which will be used as a fan zone as well as for dinners, conferences, weddings and exhibitions.

It is set to open in 2022 and will be a “major milestone” in the club’s 150th year.

A council report said the development would “enhance the match day experience of supporters”, offering new uses which have “citywide benefits, such as conference use and live entertainment”.

The design “acknowledges Govan’s industrial heritage” and will benefit the local area, the report adds.

A council officer said the current Edmiston House is now at an “advanced stage of demolition”.

The building will host dinners for up to 500 people, sit an audience of 750 and put on gigs and events for up to 1300.

Permission has been granted for the venue to open until midnight. The fan zone is set to shut three hours after the final whistle at weekends, with no entry after kick-off during midweek games, when it would close at 10pm.

The club’s application added: “The proposals to redevelop the site of the former Edmiston House fit into a broader ambition to expand the experiential offer at Ibrox Stadium, and to raise the quality of facilities on-site.

“In bringing forward a bespoke fan focused development, Rangers FC seek to capitalise on an increasing trend for similar spaces across leading European football clubs, which offer pre and post-match destinations.

“Fan zones in general can provide a venue where families, fans and the community can come together to experience pre and post-match events.”

Nine objections to the plans were submitted to the council, with concerns included the impact on privacy for nearby residents, increased traffic congestion and a lack of car parking.

But the council report stated the venue will be a similar size to the old building and the capacity of the local road network is considered “sufficient”.

Reporting by local democracy reporter Drew Sandelands