5 days ago
Pictures show how new plan for Glasgow's O2 ABC will look
However, locals have called the plan 'detrimental', saying it will 'wipe out' views of historic buildings.
The plan, submitted by Vita Group, the site owners, shows a mixed-use student accommodation and hospitality site.
A concerned local, Christopher Bowen, has created a render of the plans to show how the proposed development would look.
Heritage organisations have criticised the plan, saying it will 'overshadow everything on the street'.
The site has recently been branded an 'eyesore' by locals (Image: Colin Mearns) READ MORE: Here's what could replace Glasgow's O2 ABC as plan submitted
Chair of The Alexander Thomson Society, Dominic d'Angelo, said: "The current proposal is substantially larger in height and therefore in volume than the proposal that was rejected eight years ago by the council on the grounds that it was too big."
"The new proposal completely overshadows the historic buildings in the area.
"The size of the building right next door to Alexander Greek Thomson's Grecian Chambers, which are currently largely occupied by the Centre for Contemporary Arts, is a big concern.
"It also completely hides the back of the Mackintosh School of Art, which is currently visible, even though shrouded in scaffolding, from the south."
Over eight floors - including a basement - House of Social would include student accommodation, as well as a food hall, a public courtyard, a bar, a gym and more.
Pictures show how new plan for Glasgow's O2 ABC will look (Image: Christopher Bowen)
A new guide launched by Glasgow City Council this week has identified areas in Glasgow suitable for skyscraper development.
The Tall Buildings Design Guide outlines regions like Charing Cross, Anderston Quay, Trongate, and Cowcaddens as potential sites for taller structures.
READ MORE: Historic Glasgow venue is an 'eyesore' say furious locals
The O2 ABC site is outside of these areas, and while the plan doesn't qualify as a skyscraper, Dominic says the proposed height is too high.
He said: "The council risks completely breaking up the scale of buildings along Sauchiehall Street.
"Building huge blocks of buildings in the middle of the street actually just starts to overshadow everything on the street frontage.
"The proposal that was rejected eight years ago by the council on the grounds that it was too big." (Image: Christopher Bowen) "It's inappropriate to the nature of the street, and it's overscaled. It's unnecessarily large and detrimental to the overall impact of the street.
"Shops don't like operating in darkness, people won't want to sit on the new benches and areas that have had so much money spent on them if they're always in the shadows.
"It also wipes out any view from the south of the School of Art, meaning that views from, say, Blythswood Square, looking north across the city past the School of art, would be lost."
READ MORE: I was given a tour of Sauchiehall Street by the council team who redesigned it
The proposal includes a 'back garden' between the new building and the School of Art, but Dominic, who lives across the street, says this isn't a replacement for obscuring the view.
He said: "Visitors would stand at basement level and look, craning their necks up to the back of the building, which was never intended by Mackintosh to be seen from that vista.
"It's false to claim that it's a cultural advantage. It would make much more sense if any viewing platform were at a higher level so they could appreciate the upper reaches."
The O2 ABC in Sauchiehall Street when it was still open (Image: Archive) The Glasgow Times previously reported that locals branded the historic Glasgow music venue an 'eyesore'.
The half-demolished O2 ABC site has been dormant for months after initial demolition works were completed at the end of last year.
