Derelict former police headquarters in Glasgow to be turned into dozens of flats

A former police headquarters which has lain derelict for almost a decade in Glasgow’s East End is to be transformed into 31 new flats.

The dilapidated B-listed building, which sits on the corner junction of Turnbull Street and St Andrew Street, is to be turned into a stylish car free residential apartment block over four storeys and feature a communal garden.

The developer, Detail Residential, had wanted to create 45 apartments but this was reduced to 31 flats, ranging from one-bedroom to four-bedroom properties, following concerns over privacy.

The building was designed by Architect A B McDonald and opened in 1906 as Glasgow District Court, Central Police Office and the Police Museum.

As the site sits within the conservation area and the building is listed, the proposal has been carefully considered in order to retain and rejuvenate as much of the existing fabric as possible.

MSP Paul Sweeney welcomed the news citing it as a “positive outcome of the preservation of Glasgow’s heritage.”

Sweeney said: “It is welcome news that after 20 years of dereliction, the conversion of the former Central Police Headquarters and Court on St. Andrew’s Square into 31 flats has finally been approved.

“Designed by City Engineer Alexander B. McDonald in 1903 and completed in 1906, it is a fantastic renaissance-style building in red brick and sandstone that highlights Glasgow’s Edwardian municipal pride.

“Whilst the approval of this restoration scheme is good for Glasgow and a positive outcome for the preservation of our built heritage, this B-listed building has languished on the Buildings at Risk Register for far too long and a number of proposals, including a hotel, have been rejected by planners over the last decade.

“The latest plan for 31 flats has only been approved after planners insisted on the demolition of the link block surrounding the courtyard.

“It has now taken 14 months to secure planning consent from initial submission, which is simply an unacceptable delay, and one which the developer, Detail Residential, has expressed frustration about.

“It is also regrettable that the decorative boiler house chimney will be unnecessarily demolished but I am pleased that planning officers have included my request for the decorative stonework from the chimney to be salvaged as a planning condition so it can be rebuilt as a landscaping feature within the development.

“I look forward to seeing the restoration project of this handsome historic building getting underway without any further delay.”