
Eyesore ‘People Make Glasgow' building set for major transformation
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
THE former Glasgow Metropolitan College building is reportedly set for a major transformation.
The iconic landmark - famed for its 'People Make Glasgow' branding - is being converted into a brand new living space.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
2
The former Glasgow Metropolitan College is set for an exciting transformation
Credit: Alamy
The tower has been branded an "eyesore" in recent years due to the deterioration of the building.
But it has now been snapped up by developers who are set to turn it into luxury flats.
It follows the recent completion of a similar project by construction firm Vita Group in Manchester.
Developers say the plan will support "a new community of city centre professionals" and boost the local economy, according to BBC News.
Max Bielby, the chief operating officer of Vita Group, reckons the proposal would breathe new life into the building.
He said: "We see a real opportunity to explore how our Union concept could bring much-needed accommodation to the heart of the city, supporting its employment base, culture, and social scene."
The renowned pink structure was previously branded as an "eyesore".
The signage was initially used for the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and was only meant to be in place during the event, but ended up remaining until now.
The building was previously branded one of the ugliest in the UK and a "crime against architecture".
Bruntwood SciTech bought the premises for £16.2m in 2022.
Iconic Glasgow Cineworld that's world's tallest cinema building set to close as staff face axe
The firm wanted to create 200,000 sq ft of office space and a "dedicated digital and tech hub in the heart of the city".
However Vita has now taken over - just weeks after transforming Glasgow's O2 ABC into a food hall.
The firm has also developed student housing throughout the city.
Glasgow City Council chief Councillor Susan Aitken hailed the new accommodation objective.
She said: "Vita's plans will bring what is an emerging accommodation concept to Glasgow, one that's been successful elsewhere and which can meet the needs of many younger residents."
"When it first opened in the early 1960s, the Met Tower was a symbol of a new and modern Glasgow.
2
A lion sculpture next to the cenotaph and People Make Glasgow sign
Credit: Alamy
"I look forward to it once again becoming a potent symbol of our changing city centre."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
How Morecambe FC faces possible EXTINCTION amid financial mess as fans despair with just 11 days left to find new owner
Fans blame the club's demise on Essex-based owner Jason Whittingham for not fulfilling his promise to sell the crisis-hit club BRING BACK THE SUNSHINE How Morecambe FC faces possible EXTINCTION amid financial mess as fans despair with just 11 days left to find new owner STARING at the giant Morecambe FC flag bearing the legend Bring Me Sunshine, tears fill club worker Colette Davies' eyes. 'There's no sunshine right now,' weeps the mum of three. 'It's more like dark, black clouds.' Advertisement 8 Morecambe have missed the final deadline and are on the brink of being kicked out the National League 8 Bring Me Sunshine — the signature tune of the town's most famous son, Eric Morecambe isn't likely to echo around the stadium any time soon Credit: Alamy 8 Colette, whose job is 'housekeeper' for the players, says she and other fans are experiencing 'absolute heartbreak' Belted out by fans on match day, Bring Me Sunshine — the signature tune of the town's most famous son, Eric Morecambe — is unlikely to echo around the Shrimps' stadium any time soon. Mired in a financial mess, the club has been suspended by the National League for its first three games this season. If the Lancs club is not sold by August 20, they may be kicked out of the league altogether. Possible extinction of this 105-year-old institution would be a devastating blow for a seaside resort that has seen its tourism industry decimated by cheap package holidays abroad. Advertisement Standing next to the club's well-manicured pitch, Colette, whose job is 'housekeeper' for the players, says she and other fans are experiencing 'absolute heartbreak'. For Colette and many who pack the Halo home stand on match days, the Shrimps are a family affair. Her dad Les Dewhirst has been the club's kit man for the last 30 years and her three children are all Morecambe mad. Les told me he is too upset to be interviewed, saying: 'It's hurting so much and my head won't settle.' Advertisement Ghostly sadness As seagulls wheel overhead, Colette adds: 'There's been lots of tears and anger. When I have to go home and tell my boys that I don't know what's going on at the club, there's absolute heartbreak. They're 14 and 15. This club is their life.' Like other staff at the club, Colette has not been paid since May. With tears rolling down her cheeks, she tells me that new school uniforms for her children are 'on hold'. Tyson Fury opens up on relationship with Joseph Parker and claims he's now his 'part-time manager and financial advisor' 'It's the school holidays, so there's been no fun activities really for my kids because we just can't afford it,' she adds. The giant Bring Me Sunshine flag — complete with a silhouette of a skipping Eric Morecambe, a shrimp and the red rose of Lancashire — stands limp in the sunshine at the back of the Halo stand. Advertisement Despite being born in the resort. the comic genius was famously a Luton Town fan and club director. As with a closed-down pub, a ghostly sadness haunts a shuttered football ground where laughter and emotion once reverberated. Planned weddings, wakes and school proms booked at the 6,241- capacity Mazuma Stadium this summer have all been cancelled. One corner of the stadium is occupied by local hero Tyson Fury's gym. Many in the town are hoping the former heavyweight boxing world champ will step in as a white knight to save the club. Advertisement As yet, there has been no word on a possible takeover from the big man. Colette shows me the empty changing rooms where everything is neat and tidy for when the players should be preparing to face Brackley Town next Saturday. Like today's away fixture at Boston United, it has been postponed. Playing in England's third tier as recently as 2021, only a world war has stopped the Shrimps fulfilling their fixtures until now. Fans blame the demise on Essex-based owner Jason Whittingham for not fulfilling his promise to sell the crisis-hit club. Advertisement On Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer said he was 'very concerned' about the plight of Morecambe FC and urged everyone involved with the club 'to do the right thing'. 8 .Season ticket holder Helen Coates, 56, buying a replica shirt for her grandson Coby, 5 8 Railway worker Russ Horrocks, 38, and son Noah, 11 8 Official kit supplier Terrace's director Carl Sewell says cash from the merchandise will not reach owner Whittingham's pockets Advertisement Supporters have this week been queuing at a pop-up shop on the promenade to buy this season's shirts, even though their team may never get to wear them. There was a forlorn sense of despondency along the usually jaunty seafront as hundreds waited for hours to make their purchase. Railway worker Russ Horrocks, 38, snapped up the away shirt for son Noah, 11, saying: 'Morecambe's a great atmosphere on match days. 'There's 4,000 on a good day, but the noise makes it sound like more. It's as much about meeting your mates as the result.' Advertisement Retired Alan McGinley, 62, whose brother John played for the club, revealed: 'The club is everything for this town now the tourism has been hit. My brother used to get a pork pie for playing and £1 if he scored.' A banner reading, 'Bring back the sunshine' was strapped to railings at the store run by official kit supplier Terrace. Its director, Carl Sewell, says cash from the merchandise will not reach owner Whittingham's pockets, adding: 'We sold around 1,500 shirts in just four hours.' Of the club's slip towards possible exclusion from the league, he said: 'It's horrendous. It will suck the blood out of the town and hit local businesses.' Season ticket holder Helen Coates, 56, buying a replica shirt for her grandson Coby, five, added: 'I don't know what I'm going to do with my Saturdays now. Advertisement 'I took my sons to watch Morecambe, I now take my grandsons. It was only £3 for little ones. It makes me want to weep.' With stunning views of the Lake District fells, Morecambe became a seaside destination for Yorkshire factory workers when a connecting rail line was built around 1850. The club is everything for this town now the tourism has been hit. My brother used to get a pork pie for playing and £1 if he scored. Alan McGinley The resort boomed in the 20th Century — with Scottish holidaymakers also being drawn to it — before no- frills flights to the Med dented its popularity. It had been home to the country's largest Pontins holiday camp, but the last Bluecoats left in 1994. Advertisement Morecambe's once iconic pair of piers are long gone, as is its famous Bubbles swimming pool and the Frontierland fairground. Hope is offered by an £80million scheme to construct a northern version of the Eden Project botanical garden on the seafront. Shrimps season ticket holder David Lambert, 63, points down the promenade and tells me: 'This town used to be packed out at this time of year. 'You couldn't walk along that prom for people. At least on Saturdays the football would give this place a buzz. Away fans would come and walk along the prom, go to the pubs and have fish and chips. That might all be gone now.' Advertisement 'Used to be packed out' Morecambe's once mighty fleet of shrimp fishing boats has also been in steep decline. Ray Edmondson still stocks his little fishmongers with shrimps caught from his boat, the Bernadette. The fisherman says there were 30 shrimp boats when he started out. Now there are just two. He blames 'too many rules and regulations'. Advertisement Ray, who has run his business for 47 years, adds: 'Away fans come in here to buy a few pots of shrimps and take them home with them.' Nearby, staff at Atkinson's Fish & Chips are worried they could lose a decent slice of trade if the football club goes under. The football helps many hospitality businesses through the lean winter months. Bernie Harkin, 52, who has grafted in the shop for 26 years, tells me: 'Fans love our chips with a bit of haddock. The football club is such an important part of the town. Advertisement 'We have our Christmas parties at the stadium.' 8 The club has been suspended by the National League for its first three games this season 8 One corner of the stadium is occupied by local hero Tyson Fury's gym Credit: Getty Barman Zac Rossall, 19, serving pints at the Eric Bartholomew — a Wetherspoon pub bearing Eric Morecambe's real name — says: 'It gets packed here on match day. Advertisement 'I'm not a football fan, but I'm a fan of what it brings to Morecambe. 'If the club closes, it will mean less footfall in the town.' So why is Morecambe in such a financial mess? In 2023, Jason Whittingham's Bond Group Investments announced it was selling the club to investment firm Panjab Warriors. The company loaned £6million to the Shrimps as the club descended into financial turmoil with unpaid bills, sackings and resignations. Advertisement Panjab Warriors are ready to take Morecambe off his hands, but Whittingham says he has an alternative buyer. 'Club is held hostage' Last month, Whittingham sacked the Shrimps' board of directors after they threatened to place the club into administration. Morecambe MP Lizzi Collinge has raised the issue in Parliament and said: 'Morecambe FC is being held hostage and it breaks my heart.' In June the Shrimps' players were only paid a third of their salaries. Many have now chosen to leave the club to pay their mortgages. Advertisement One player forced to quit, midfielder Tom White, 28, said: 'Morecambe Football Club is special. This institution needs to survive, and I'm praying.' A town that followed its football club to Wembley three times since 1974 now may lose its cornerstone. While a new Morecambe could rise from the ashes if the club is booted out of the league, it would then likely have to take its place at the bottom of the football pyramid. Bury FC, who were expelled from the Football League for financial difficulties in 2019, have invited Shrimps fans to watch their match free today 'in solidarity'. Advertisement Dozens are planning on making the journey. And they will be supporting another club that understands how football binds a community together.


Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Simple mistake could see your Universal Credit claim stopped – it takes minutes to fix
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MAKING this simple mistake could mean your Universal Credit payments are stopped. Universal Credit is paid out monthly to people who are struggling with day-to-day living costs - but you have to provide updates on any change in your circumstances. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 If you're on Universal Credit you need to tell the DWP about changes to your circumstances Credit: Alamy If you don't, you can have your payments slashed or stopped - also known as being sanctioned. Among the list of things you would need to give updates on is a change to your email address or mobile phone number. It seems like a small thing but you risk missing out on your payments if you don't share this update. When you claim Universal Credit or any benefit, you sign yourself up for commitments that you have to meet to get the financial support. This could be showing you're actively looking for a job or turning up for appointments. But if you fail to do what you promised in that agreement, you could see the benefit money taken away from you. Exactly how much you'll have taken off your claim depends on what you've done - or not done. These are the reasons you can be sanctioned if you're on Universal Credit: Not applying or looking for work Refusing a job offer (within reason) Quitting your job without good reason Being late to appointments and interviews Not updating your information. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said last month that 680,000 people on Universal Credit were sanctioned between February 2024 and January 2025. I lost 'everything' when UC stopped my £4.3k-month payment... now I've been sacked from my new job Over 581,480 claimants were penalised for not attending mandatory interviews with work coaches at Jobcentres. Another 16,440 had their payments cut for missing employment programmes, while 8,880 were sanctioned for not providing a valid reason for quitting a job. What other changes in circumstances do I need to tell the DWP about? YOU need to report any changes to your circumstances that might affect how much Universal Credit you should be getting. The DWP says you need to report changes as soon as they happen. Delaying could mean you receive too much money and then have to make a repayment. If you give the wrong information or don't provide an update on a change to your circumstances you could even be taken to court or have to pay a penalty. The changes can include: Finding or finishing a job Having a child Moving in with your partner Starting to care for a child or disabled person Your child stopping or restarting education or training, if they're aged 16 to 19 Changing your mobile number or email address Moving to a new address Going outside Great Britain for any length of time, if you live there Going outside Northern Ireland for any length of time, if you live there Changing your bank details Your rent going up or down Changes to your health condition Becoming too ill to work or meet your work coach If a medical professional has said you're nearing the end of life Changes to your earnings (only if you're self-employed) Changes to your savings, investments and how much money you have Changes to your immigration status, if you're not a British citizen. How to report a change in circumstances If you want to report a change in circumstances, the easiest way is to log in to your Universal Credit online. Go to the "Report a change" or "Journal" section and leave a message there. This should only take a few minutes to do. Someone will check your online journal during business hours and you should receive a response. Alternatively you can contact the Universal Credit helpline. Make sure you have your National Insurance number to hand when you call. Another option is to visit your local Jobcentre Plus and speak with your work coach. Can I appeal a sanction? If you think you've been sanctioned unfairly, you can contact the DWP and ask for a "mandatory reconsideration". You have one month from when you were notified about the sanction to do so. If you've been sanctioned unfairly, the first thing you must do is check the level of sanction and how long your money has been reduced for. You'll then need to contact the DWP for a mandatory reconsideration if you think they've made the wrong decision. Citizens Advice says you should have been told: Why you've received a sanction The level of sanction you've been given How long the sanction will last How much money will be taken away from your Universal Credit payment The date the sanction decision was made It's still worth applying for a mandatory reconsideration if you have missed the one-month deadline for a good reason, such as being in hospital. You can apply for a mandatory reconsideration in several ways, but you'll need to remember to include as much supporting evidence as possible. If you have an online Universal Credit account, you can write a message to the DWP explaining why you disagree with the decision. You can also print off and fill out the CRMR1 mandatory reconsideration request form on but remember to allow time for your letter to get to the DWP before your deadline window. You can also call the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644. Letters should be sent to DWP Complaints, Post Handling Site B, Wolverhampton, WV99 2GY.


Scottish Sun
12 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Eyesore ‘People Make Glasgow' building set for major transformation
It's not the first iconic city centre building the firm has transformed Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE former Glasgow Metropolitan College building is reportedly set for a major transformation. The iconic landmark - famed for its 'People Make Glasgow' branding - is being converted into a brand new living space. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The former Glasgow Metropolitan College is set for an exciting transformation Credit: Alamy The tower has been branded an "eyesore" in recent years due to the deterioration of the building. But it has now been snapped up by developers who are set to turn it into luxury flats. It follows the recent completion of a similar project by construction firm Vita Group in Manchester. Developers say the plan will support "a new community of city centre professionals" and boost the local economy, according to BBC News. Max Bielby, the chief operating officer of Vita Group, reckons the proposal would breathe new life into the building. He said: "We see a real opportunity to explore how our Union concept could bring much-needed accommodation to the heart of the city, supporting its employment base, culture, and social scene." The renowned pink structure was previously branded as an "eyesore". The signage was initially used for the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and was only meant to be in place during the event, but ended up remaining until now. The building was previously branded one of the ugliest in the UK and a "crime against architecture". Bruntwood SciTech bought the premises for £16.2m in 2022. Iconic Glasgow Cineworld that's world's tallest cinema building set to close as staff face axe The firm wanted to create 200,000 sq ft of office space and a "dedicated digital and tech hub in the heart of the city". However Vita has now taken over - just weeks after transforming Glasgow's O2 ABC into a food hall. The firm has also developed student housing throughout the city. Glasgow City Council chief Councillor Susan Aitken hailed the new accommodation objective. She said: "Vita's plans will bring what is an emerging accommodation concept to Glasgow, one that's been successful elsewhere and which can meet the needs of many younger residents." "When it first opened in the early 1960s, the Met Tower was a symbol of a new and modern Glasgow. 2 A lion sculpture next to the cenotaph and People Make Glasgow sign Credit: Alamy "I look forward to it once again becoming a potent symbol of our changing city centre."