Glasgow's low emission zone generated £1.7m since 2023
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by The Herald found that drivers racked up £756,990 in fines between April 1 2024, and March 31 2025.
The sum decreased by 23% from the LEZ's first year of operation, when drivers breached the eco-friendly restrictions more than 38,000 times between June 2023 and March 2024, accumulating £982,415 in charges.
READ MORE: Glasgow Charity received £50,000 boost from LEZ penalties
The number of fines issued by the local authority has also decreased by 22%, from 38,294 during the 2023/24 financial year to 29,834 in 2024/25.
As such, the two-year total currently stands at £1,739,405, generated from 68,128 fines.
Revenue is used to support operating costs in the first instance, with excess money being allocated to various projects which 'tie in with LEZ objectives', such as lowering emissions or improving air quality across the city.
The LEZ was implemented in June 2023. (Image: Image taken by Newsquest staff) According to our sister title, The Herald's FOI request, Glasgow City Council spent £36,340.42 on 'signage' during the 2024/25 financial year, with disbursements being recorded in July 2024 and February 2025.
The LEZ sparked controversy in the wake of its implementation two years ago.
Labour councillor George Redmond said at the time: 'The SNP administration has chosen to bulldoze ahead with the introduction of the LEZ into Glasgow's city centre, despite stark warnings from businesses, residents and charities."
READ MORE: £732k from LEZ penalties help fund for 18 projects
A vehicle repair business even took the council to the Court of Session over the ban, which prohibits high-polluting cars and lorries from designated streets.
At the time, Advocate Lord Davidson KC noted that nitrogen dioxide levels had decreased in 25 out of 27 monitoring stations across the city centre.
He said: 'It is unreasonable of the council to have imposed an LEZ of the entire area because of the exceedances in these two areas. The council's decision was unlawful."
But the motion was thrown out in October 2023.
READ MORE: Glasgow taxi driver receives licensing decision over LEZ
In its first year of operation, the council spent more than £1.3m on developing and maintaining the LEZ scheme.
While the majority of this sum was funded through Scottish Government grants and capital expenditure, £234,904 was taken from revenue generated by fines to make up the balance.
That left around £700,000 to be used for community projects relating to clean air and the climate.
Glasgow taxi drivers raised concerns over the ban (Image: Colin Mearns) Cllr Angus Millar, the City Convener for Climate noted: "So far, eighteen organisations including volunteer groups, community councils, housing associations, and those advocating for a cleaner, greener and healthier environment have secured vital funding totalling £620,409 from the LEZ Community Support Fund.
'We expect to re-open the scheme for a fresh round of applications later this year."
The 'Plugged In' initiative, which is run by the North West Glasgow Voluntary Sector Network, received a grant of £50,000 from the scheme.
The group organises the donation and reuse of phones, laptops, tablets, and other technological devices.
Working with other local charities, the staff identify people who could benefit from the refurbished equipment. Over the last half-decade, 2,000 devices have been donated to those in need, and 22 tonnes of equipment has been saved from landfills.
Martina Johnston-Grey, Network Manager at North West Glasgow Voluntary Sector Network, said: "I'm delighted to receive the funding as it will allow us to employ someone full-time and roll out the project to another area of Glasgow.
"Our aim is to equip Glasgow citizens with a device that will help them learn, find employment, contact family and friends, and take more control of their lives. It will also give us more time to develop our donations work, where we ask citizens, fellow charities and businesses to give us their unwanted IT equipment. More donations will allow us to help get more people online.'
Martina Johnston-Gray helps to manage the Plugged In project. (Image: Supplied) In response to our findings, a Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: 'The income generated from Low Emission Zone penalties, after deducting scheme operating costs, is funding a variety of environment-enhancing initiatives across the city.
'This year, £732,000 was allocated to the council's LEZ Community Support Fund which is supporting a wide range of local climate action projects.
'Taking into account the £250,000 previously committed to tree planting and greening activities, nearly £1 million of LEZ income will be reinvested back into Glasgow.'
Other projects which received funding include the Cassiltoun Housing Association's Get Active in Castlemilk Park, Govan Community Project's Bike Library, and the Wheatley Foundation's Urban rewilding project.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
7 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Regulator probes charity over funding of St Mirren execs' court claim
The ruling has been described by Mr Wardrop's lawyers as setting a "crucial precedent" for free speech in Scotland. The claim for damages surrounded comments made by Mr Wardrop around the legality of an application on behalf of Kibble for public funds for a regeneration project including a well-being centre on what appeared to be club land. There were claims that Mr Gillespie and Mr MacMillan had a conflict of interest. The total costs of the case are thought to run to over £400,000 - and a future hearing is expected to thrash out who pays. Mr Wardrop's legal team say they would be surprised if they do win their costs in the case as the Mr Gillespie and Mr MacMillan's damages claim was dismissed. Court papers seen by The Herald confirm that the action brought by Mr Gillespie and Mr MacMillan is being funded by Kibble, the charity that cares for children with complex needs at sites across Renfrewshire. Mr Gillespie is the chief executive of the charity, while Mr MacMillan is director of corporate affairs and both are Kibble representatives on the St Mirren board. According to court papers seen by The Herald, the judge Lord Clark said of the funding that "this rise to some degree of concern". READ MORE by Martin Williams St Mirren land dispute damages judgment a 'crucial precedent' for Scots free speech 'Cover up' over nine-year failure to probe Rangers fraud arrests & state power abuse Why the failed Rangers fraud case scandal has cost the taxpayer over £60m The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) has said that it was "aware of the situation and is in the process of carefully considering the judgment as part of our ongoing inquiries into the charity". It is understood that there were concerns raised with the regulator about the funding of the case by the charity. And is believed that the regulator will look at whether the case funding was in the best interests of the charity. Alan Wardrop (Image: .) Kibble is one of two that has "significant control" of the Scottish Premiership club according to Companies House with more than 25% but not more than 50% of the shares. St Mirren became fan-owned in the summer of 2021 when the St Mirren Independent Supporters Association (SMISA) bought out the remaining shareholding of chairman Gordon Scott to become majority (51%) owners of the Buddies in what it called "a historic day". The move to fan ownership of the Paisley club came after Kibble became part-owners in March 2020. It purchased a 27.5% stake in the club. SMISA said the deal helped to safeguard the future of the club – formed in 1877 – by placing it in the hands of its supporters, "the people who care for it the most". An OSCR probe into the charity was believed to have been put on hold pending the outcome of the defamation case but has now been reignited. The judge dismissed Mr Gillespie and Mr MacMillan's claim for damages, which might have amounted to £80,000 because he believed that Mr Wardrop's comments were in the public interest and were honestly held based on the evidence he had at the time - both defences under the Scottish law around defamation damages. Mr Wardrop said: "I, like many, would question how it was ever appropriate for charitable funds to be used in that manner, particularly where the action was destined for failure because of the defences available to me. It is quite frankly an astonishing waste of charitable money." In a statement, David Nairn, chairman of Kibble said: "We are extremely pleased that the judgment underlines the facts in this case and vindicates the board's unanimous decision to support Jim and Mark in what was an important action to protect their reputations and that of Kibble. 'Kibble is a very highly regarded national charity, which takes its responsibilities extremely seriously. The board has acted with the utmost propriety in this matter at all times and has, of course, kept regulators fully abreast of our actions and will continue to do so.' Key to the case were remarks made by Mr Wardrop in a row over what was alleged was a "secretive" plan for the project including a well-being centre on St Mirren land. Part of the so-called 'St Mirren' regeneration plan (Image: NQ) Alan Wardrop, a lifelong Saints fan who made the step up to the club's board in July 2016 after championing club ownership spoke out two years ago as concerns arose over Kibble's partnership with St Mirren and an alleged plan to develop a wellbeing centre in Ferguslie Park. According to documents sent to the Scottish Government, Kibble – which cares for children with complex needs at sites across Renfrewshire – appeared to want to build a £13.4 million wellbeing hub next to St Mirren's SMiSA Stadium. A map of land supposedly earmarked for the Kibble project submitted by Renfrewshire Council was alleged to have pinpointed St Mirren land - while seeking £2m of public money by way of grant from the Scottish Government. But an email seen by The Herald from Mr Gillespie and shared with candidates standing for election to the board of the St Mirren Independent Supporters Association (SMISA) said that the council had "wrongly shaded in an area of land owned by St Mirren" and gave a "categoric assurance" that club land would not be used. As the dispute emerged, Kibble said Mr Wardrop's concerns over the legalilty of the bid titled "St Mirren Regeneration and Wellbeing Masterplan" were based on the "entirely false premise that there was ever any intention to build on land owned by St Mirren". The spokesman for the charity went on: "There simply was not." But Renfrewshire Council did not agree that areas of land indicated on a submitted map were produced in error and said the area earmarked in the application to Scottish Government was pinpointed by Kibble. St Mirren's board insisted at the time that the application was "unspecific" as to the precise location and that it was "not on land owned by St Mirren". But the row spilled over into an annual general meeting of SMiSA which is the majority owner of the club and which called for an investigation. The judge in a ruling decided it could not accept a council officer's evidence that said the Mr Gillespie and Mr MacMillan had identified St Mirren land for the project. He decided therefore that the "central claim" that Mr Gillespie and Mr MacMillan had a plan to build on St Mirren land was not established. He described it as a "false application" that was "in reality poorly worded and wrongly expressed but with no actual intention to gain public money on a false basis". Happier times: The St Mirren Championship-winning board. They are from left to right David Nicol, Gordon Scott (chairman), Mr Wardrop, Chris Stewart and Tony Fitzpatrick, But Mr Gillespie and Mr MacMillan failed in a bid to win a total of £80,000 in damages over what the judge decided were defamatory comments arising from the row after he decided that there were defences to breaches of the Defamation and Malicious Publication (Scotland) Act 2021 which were met. They included that Mr Wardrop reasonably believed that comments complained of about the funding application made in a campaign statement and in the Herald were in the public interest. The judge said the issues around the applications for millions of pounds worth of public funds "certainly raised issues on matters of public interest" and that Mr Wardrop "reasonably believed" that published comments were "in the public interest". There was also a defence of "honest opinion" on other comments made in the Herald that was also met with the judge stating that it was "genuinely held" based on the evidence he had before him at the time. Details that the charity was funding the case emerged in evidence from Duncan Sloan, a Kibble trustee. According to the judge, Mr Sloan "confirmed that the pursuers' conduct of the present litigation is being funded by Kibble". He adds: "As submitted for [Mr Wardrop] this action has not been raised on behalf of Kibble, but charitable funds have been used to facilitate this action. This can also give rise to some degree of concern, but ultimately it is a matter for the board of Kibble to determine how and when to spend funds and the very fact of this financial involvement does not undermine the evidence given." In the wake of the land row, Mr Wardrop received a stadium ban by the club. He had previously been credited with making fan ownership possible by teaming up with SMISA to initially begin a buyout process in 2016. When SMISA became majority shareholders, they asked Mr Wardrop to remain on the board as one of their representatives and he willingly agreed. Mr Wardrop was the mastermind behind the 1877 Club in the main stand of the SMISA Stadium and has also contributed several items to the mini-museum inside the club from his personal collection of memorabilia. When he announced he was quitting the board in October 2022, a SMISA spokesman said: 'Everyone at SMISA would like to thank him for all his time and effort on the board, both before and after he agreed to become one of our representatives." 'Everything he ever did was undoubtedly with the best interests of St Mirren at heart.' It emerged that Mr Wardrop had resigned in a row over the project. At the time of the Kibble's share purchase in 2020, St Mirren said the charity which had been based in Paisley since 1840, "will bring its commercial expertise to St Mirren, helping bring in new income to be reinvested in the team, while working with the club to create new training and employment options for the young people in their care". Mr Gillespie said at the time: "This new partnership will allow us to grow the business of St Mirren and at the same time increase Kibble's opportunities for employment, training and education as well as access to sport, health and wellbeing support. "Kibble will bring our commercial expertise to St Mirren, creating a dynamic partnership and complementing the existing set up by offering the support and expertise that a large charity has in areas such as HR, finance, marketing and communications. The strength in this partnership will help bring in new income to be reinvested in the team, which in turn will generate more non-footballing income to create a sustainable business model for the club going forward." Video: How St Mirren became a fan-owned club... featuring interviews with Mr Wardrop and St Mirren chairman John Needham. Kibble's roots date back to 1840 upon the death of Miss Elizabeth Kibble, heiress to a large textile fortune. On her death she left a portion of her wealth to 'found and endow in Paisley, an institution for the purpose of reclaiming youthful offenders against the laws'. According to Kibble, it has evolved for more than a century and a half from this point and has "always stayed true to its original mission: supporting young people facing adversity". The OSCR is the independent regulator and registrar for Scotland's charities and plays a crucial role in maintaining public trust and confidence in the charity sector. A non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government, it is tasked with ensuring charities comply with the legal requirements under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005. Among its tasks is to ensure funds are used appropriately and that charities are governed properly. In 2023, OSCR investigated several charities following complaints of poor governance and spending irregularities. In some cases, trustees were suspended and funds were frozen while investigations were carried out.
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
Inside the fightback against student flats in Edinburgh
This is a place as rich with history as it is character. In a past life it was frequented by highwaymen as the first stop and changeover point for the horse-drawn stagecoach to London, with its name referenced as far back as 1650. Over time, the village that occupied this crossroads has been absorbed into the growing sprawl of the capital. Cars replaced the humble wagon and tenements rose, laying the foundations for a new community. Impressively, the essence of its origins has remained. Now, that's fading slowly before the eyes of locals who feel defeated by developers. To this day, a pub still sits on the site once home to the coaching inn which gave this area its name, its single-story structure and double gable roof matching the original building's style. Soon, however, it will be gone. The Willow's windows are boarded up with metal sheets; inside, a pint hasn't been pulled for over a year. This watering hole, along with the Indian takeaway, disused recording studio and another pub next door to that, is destined for the bulldozers. In their place will rise seven storeys of student flats described as an 'imposing monolithic block'. Read more from our series, The Future of Edinburgh: So far, so typical for Edinburgh where the relentless expansion of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), against the backdrop of a 'housing emergency', ranks high on the list of peoples' peeves. However, at Jock's Lodge, this may just be the beginning of a wholesale transformation into a student village, some residents fear. Next door to the properties awaiting demolition, The Ball Room, a popular sports bar and pool hall which covers an even larger site, is being pursued by student housing developers, with a preliminary planning proposal sent to the council. Owners maintain there will be 'no change to our business for a very, very long time'. Slightly further along to the west and set back from the street is St Margaret's House, a 1970s office block that now houses community arts spaces. The prospect of this being replaced mostly by PBSA also looms large; planning permission has already been consented for its demolition to make way for 361 student beds and 107 flats for sale. The building was put up for sale earlier this year. Jock's Lodge (Image: The Herald) A growing sense of the community here being chipped away only deepened in February when the Church of Scotland announced it was going to close and sell Willowbrae Parish Church, which sits just off the junction. 'I think the pace and scale of change is obviously understandably really uncomfortable for a lot of people,' Danny Aston, SNP councillor for the area said. 'One of the things that's concerned me the most throughout all of these multiple applications has been that this area around Jock's Lodge is designated in the last local development plan, and the new one, as a 'local centre' which effectively means it's the closest thing to a high street this area has. Taken together these applications will really seriously undermine the value of this place for the community. 'This used to be somewhere where people came to meet up, have a drink, maybe have something to eat - and that's being greatly diminished. And I certainly wouldn't blame anyone on the other side of the road for feeling concerned about suddenly seven stories appearing in front of them, and the effect that will have on this really busy junction.' Martin O'Donnell, who lives just around the corner on Willowbrae Road, points out the closure of the pub has meant more than locals simply losing a place to have a drink. 'A lot of community groups met there, and it hosted public meetings,' he said. 'One of the main issues is the community having some facility to go to, be it shopping or hospitality. I would like to see more space in the development devoted for public amenities. 'If you come down Willowbrae you get a nice perspective of Jock's Lodge, the Willow pub and that's now going to be a huge block.' More from the Future of Edinburgh investigative series: The approved plans for a 191-bed block on the corner of Jock's Lodge and Smokey Brae were initially refused by councillors in 2023 after hundreds joined a local campaign opposing the development, arguing it would 'change the nature of the community'. However, this decision was overturned on appeal by the Scottish Government, in line with other similarly unpopular PBSA projects across the city that have gained consent. Other arguments made against the plans when they were considered in the City Chambers included that the building would be too tall and 'imposing', and as the site wasn't close to any university campuses it wasn't the 'right site for student accommodation'. Cllr Aston said at the meeting held two years ago: 'In the place of six commercial units – including the two pubs – there will only be one pub and the common room of the student accommodation which does not contribute to the local area.' This month he said there was now a 'question mark' over whether a bar and restaurant on the ground floor would still form part of the new development. 'I went to the planning committee and made the case on behalf of the community against the application,' he added. 'The committee agreed with me on that occasion, I think they made the right decision. I think the government reporter looked at it and made the wrong decision.' Kirsty Pattison from the Save Jock's Lodge campaign said: 'It does feel this area is completely under threat. I do get we need development, I understand that. I've grown up in this area. Cities change, but it just feels like we've been forgotten about for so long - Jock's Lodge, Craigentinny, Lochend have been forgotten about for so long. 'Now they're going to change the whole of Jock's Lodge, if all of it becomes student flats that's a material change. 'The church is going up for sale, that is a listed building so at least that can't be turned into PBSA.' She added discussions were ongoing about the possibility of pursuing a community buyout. Cllr Aston added: 'It's really important to protect the church. I've had conversations with local people who are really keen to make sure that it remains a space available to the community. 'There's been some quite positive developments which I can't unfortunately go into at this time, so it's really important and I am hopeful ultimately that it can remain open to the community in one way or another. A community buyout option is one of the options that's being discussed, but there are other options available.' The Edinburgh-based artist and activist known as Bonnie Prince Bob, who grew up at Jock's Lodge, said the council had 'allowed private developers to once again change the entire aesthetic of an area that's been the same way for a long time'. He said: 'I grew up here on the front street, at first glance it's not the most, you know, salubrious, inspiring area. It's a main thoroughfare - it's actually the main road to London. But it actually has a good community vibe. It's got a lot of charm, this area - there's a lot of people who have lived here for a long time. 'It's going to change. The Jock's Lodge pub has always been that single elevation pub on the corner. It's been a watering hole, a libation hole for a long, long time. When you approach this junction, whether it's from Smokey Brae, Willoebrae Road, whichever side you approach this junction from, it's going to change dramatically how that is. It's going to become much more closed in. Bonnie Prince Bob and Shaukat Ali (Image: The Herald) 'If you approach this junction, there's space - there's airspace. And I don't think people appreciate how important that is until that's gone. 'When that's gone you're suddenly faced with this imposing monolithic block. It's depressing, it changes the vibe entirely. I feel sorry for the people who live opposite it.' 'I believe this area does have a bit of charm, a bit of character at the moment and it will become this amorphous place. If you poll the people who live here, pretty much everybody is opposed to it.' Connor Robertson, an academic from Leith, told The Herald that the situation at Jock's Lodge is a perfect example of gentrification in action. He argued the proposed changes will push out local residents and businesses in favor of wealthier newcomers, eroding the area's traditional character and community ties. 'The universities themselves and other multinational conglomerates play an active role in gentrification of certain areas,' he said. Read more: 'There's a transient student population and there's a homogeneous, lukewarm, vacuous aesthetic to the whole place. There's nothing genuine or real or authentic to what parts of the city used to be and it all just ends up looking the same. 'With every single new or proposed PBSA block every one I speak to is like 'oh more student housing, when's there going to be enough student housing'. No one I know wants to have more. 'They've completely mismanaged the city, Edinburgh is another symbol of a wider global problem. Gentrification of areas that once were producers and now, the whole thing is based on consumption. And who can consume? The middle class can consume, so the working-class people are if not displaced then marginalised.' Properties on the west of The Willow were sold to developers by Shaukat Ali, who runs a corner shop across the road. He said student accommodation was not his preferred option for the site but 'no person ever came wanting to build houses'. He said: 'If there was an alternative, if there were different people who say 'we want to do this, we want to do that' I would go for something different. 'It's the council's fault and the government's fault. You can't blame that on people who want to make a lot of money. It's not my fault - it's the system that's wrong. 'If the council or the government said we'll buy this site - they had lots of time to do it - and will make it affordable housing. But they didn't want to do it.' Cllr Aston added: 'This shows us that the incentives that are stacked up in favour of developing purpose-built student accommodation are significant for developers. 'Some of the obligations that are placed on mainstream housing developments simply don't apply to student accommodation; there's much lower space standards in terms of the living arrangements for the students.' Edinburgh Council is in the process of drawing up new non-statutory planning guidance for student housing developers, which it says will 'seek to ensure the provision of good quality PBSA in appropriate locations whilst protecting the character of existing areas'. However, Councillor Aston said he wasn't getting his hopes up that it would have the desired effect. 'In the new city development plan the classification for PBSA is commercial, and I can understand some of the reasoning behind that. 'It's not treating it as housing because I think it's pretty clear it does belong in a different category from that. But, I'm concerned that potentially undermines some of the arguments that can clearly be made against applications like the one here at Jock's Lodge - that it's undermining the commercial heart of the community. If it's then possible to point at the most important piece of planning guidance, the City Plan, and say actually that categorises it as a commercial development, I have concerns about that.' In response to the growth of student accommodation, Leith Central Community Council (LCCC) recently called for a moratorium on further PBSA developments in Leith, highlighting the area as being home to a third of Edinburgh's PBSA beds (6332) and 67% of all the city's PBSA buildings. The approved plan for Jock's Lodge PBSA (Image: Allumno) In a statement the group said: '[We] oppose any new PBSA developments in the Leith area, citing the absence of a local university, the oversaturation of current PBSA's in Leith, and the pressing need for housing that serves long-term residents and diverse community needs. 'Leith is a vibrant, mixed community, and further PBSA developments risk upsetting this balance by increasing transient populations and reducing the availability of housing for families, key workers, and long-term residents.' Speaking to The Herald, LCCC chair Charlotte Encombe said: 'I'm not a planning expert but I can feel something in my bones when something is just not right. 'We have no problem with students, we're all very happy with students. But I think we really need to concentrate on getting affordable housing in the centre of Edinburgh. That is mainly the reason we've gone in quite hard. 'Enough is enough. All we do is PBSAs, PBSAs, PBSAs. 'It is a very profitable activity. It's just very difficult for a community council, a group of volunteers with mixed expertise, to try and stem this flood of more and more.' Cllr Aston said he believed a moratorium on new student accommodation blocks in areas already heavily concentrated with such developments is 'something we should very seriously consider'. He said: 'I suppose I would expect there not to be a shortage of communities that would put themselves forward. 'It would then be a matter for councillors to decide, if we were going to pursue that, which of those communities that felt they were oversaturated with student accommodation would be part of the moratorium. Or indeed, if we would look more widely than that.' Restrictions on PBSA are not unprecedented in Scotland. In Glasgow, new PBSA developments were effectively put on hold from 2019 to 2021 while the council engaged with various stakeholders to gather their views on student housing in the city, responding to concerns about an over-concentration of such provision. Following this consultation, the authority introduced new planning guidelines specifying that new student housing would no longer be supported in two areas: South Partick and Yorkhill, and Cowcaddens and Townhead. Read more: Meanwhile, The Cockburn Association, Edinburgh's heritage watchdog, warned last month that across Edinburgh, the "continued proliferation of PBSA" was "reshaping both the physical character of neighbourhoods and the daily life of the communities within them'. It said: 'From the tightly packed crescents of Marchmont and the Southside to the narrow streets of the Old Town and city fringe, developers are increasingly targeting former commercial premises, brownfield sites, and even viable historic buildings as opportunities for large-scale student accommodation.' Rather than 'relying on speculative delivery and developer-led policy formation,' it added, "it may be time to reassert a civic-led approach that places the needs of communities, students, and heritage on equal footing'.
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
Landmark building by renowned Scottish architect sold
When Glasgow City Council put the Martyrs School on the market for sale last year, it had to move to reassure heritage experts concerned over its future in a city struggling with its difficult-to-keep heritage. External features are in view. (Image: Newsquest) The A-listed Martyrs' School, completed in 1898 and named after Church of Scotland Covenanters executed in 1684 at Townhead, is one of the earliest buildings attributed to Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Now, in an exclusive article by Craig Williams, it is revealed the building that last operated as a school in the 1970s and was most recently used as offices, is to be sold to the Bishops' Conference of Scotland and will become a public museum of Scottish Catholic archives, housing artworks and artefacts. The sale is set to be approved by a committee within days. Also building will be sensitively refurbished through a £1.75 million works programme, funded by the Bishops' Conference of Scotland, who will pay £250,000 in the sale. The Bishops' Conference of Scotland also owns St Mungo's Church and retreat on the opposite side of Parson Street. READ MORE: Craig also pointed to the negotiations over the use of another Mackintosh building - the Lighthouse, which was home to The Herald for 112 years - as a location to help climate tech firms grow after a committee gave the green light to the proposal. The council said it was to begin talks with Sustainable Ventures (Scotland) Limited on a long-term. The Lighthouse is one of Mackintosh's most celebrated architectural gems. Stuart Robertson, director of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society, said that "on paper, this sale looks a good fit for Martyrs' School and being used as a public museum'. He also told The Herald: "I am delighted to see that it will be sensitively refurbished through a £1.75 million works programme, funded by the purchaser. It would be good to see more details of this and the planned timescale." Dominic d'Angelo, chair of the Alexander Thomson Society, celebrating another renowned Scottish designer, raised an interesting idea when he wrote in The Herald last month that: 'Maintenance, especially for listed properties, comes at a cost, as the council has identified in recent discussions in Westminster, identifying some 60-plus properties that could benefit if the requirement for repairs to be subject to VAT could be lifted. 'Doing so could enable re-purposing older buildings to address Glasgow's – and other cities' – urgent housing needs and to repopulate the city centre, as well as benefiting organisations such as ours seeking to ensure a positive outcome for buildings by the many talented architects that have contributed so much to Glasgow's urban environment and streetscape.' He also said: 'As a society, we have consistently raised concerns with the council over the church's condition and future, alongside that of other buildings, including planned development next to Grecian Chambers in Sauchiehall Street and current repairs to the Buck's Head Building in Argyle Street.' Maintaining public buildings brings its own set of challenges for councils. So, the new arrangement for the former Martyrs' School building looks like a positive long-term move.
