More than 12,000 people are calling on the council to ensure that a much-loved Victorian park attraction stays under public ownership.
Members of the Save the Queen’s Park Glasshouse campaign are once again urging Glasgow City Council (GCC) to secure the future of the 130-year-old facility.
At the end of June, the local authority stated that the historic Southside landmark had been given reprieve from closure after “positive engagement” with local residents, campaigners, and council officers.
It had been set to shut in August as part of a cost-cutting measure, agreed in 2023, as the council attempts to plug a near-£50 million gap in its budget.
Less than two months ago, the Glasgow SNP Group vowed “to work to find a permanent solution” which keeps the facility open and “accessible for all”.
At present, the areas that remain open include the foyer and toilets. It is understood that the koi carp are still in the pond, but that all other animals were previously rehomed.
Despite this, campaigners claim that there are reports that GCC is ‘already in discussions with a potential external tenant’.
The group say they want the council to commit to keeping the building as a ‘publicly owned, publicly managed, and freely accessible community asset’ and to publish a fully costed report for retaining and investing in the Glasshouse.
Their petition is to be heard by councillors on Thursday, with campaigners hoping the closure can be prevented and that local representatives will formally recognise the strength of public support for a ‘much-loved civic asset with a unique role in the life of the Southside’.
Despite having gathered more than 12,000 signatures, the council states that a report presented to its wellbeing, equalities, communities, culture, and engagement city policy committee says the petition had 100 signatures.
Claire Hastings, a member of the Save the Queen’s Park Glasshouse campaign, said: “More than 12,000 people have signed our petition because they don't want to see Queen's Park Glasshouse disappear from public life.
“This isn't simply a building full of plants. It is somewhere generations of Glaswegians have grown up visiting, somewhere families have made memories, somewhere people have found warmth and shelter, somewhere children have learned, and somewhere people can simply be together without having to spend money.
“We are not asking the council to ignore the challenges facing the building. We are asking it to properly investigate the options for saving it, to be transparent about the information it already has, and to give the community a meaningful say in what happens next.
“The Glasshouse was created because Glaswegians wanted access to it. More than a century later, Glaswegians are once again saying that they want this place to belong to the public.
“12,000 signatures should be the beginning of a serious conversation about investment and renewal — not the end of the Glasshouse's story.”
The campaign, which was kickstarted in June, has so far seen volunteers spend more than 600 hours collecting signatures, holding events, and speaking to thousands of people across the Southside and beyond.
Supporters are to hold a demonstration outside of Glasgow City Chambers from 12.30pm on Thursday, arguing that the Glasshouse’s future ‘should not simply be treated as the consequence of a budget-saving decision’ agreed more than three years ago.
They claim there has been no meaningful public discussion about issues including free entry, opening hours, public toilets, the plants and fish, community access, or what uses would be appropriate in a public park.
The campaign says the council now has an opportunity to ‘choose investment and renewal rather than managed decline’.
It is also asking for the Glasshouse’s future ‘to be returned’ to the appropriate council decision-makers with ‘the full information and community voices needed for a genuinely democratic decision’.
A GCC spokesperson said: A spokesman for the council said: “Following the Full Council meeting held in June this year, Queen's Park Glasshouse remains open to the public.
“Discussions remain ongoing as we seek to identify a tenant, operator or partner that can support the building’s long-term future use, while preserving its heritage value and public benefit for future generations.
“As part of this process, we have committed to engaging with local stakeholders, including local elected members and the Queens Park Working Group
“Any future proposals will be considered through appropriate council processes.
“A petition in relation to Queen’s Park Glasshouse has been received and validated and will be considered by committee.”
