REDEVELOPMENT plans for a former Glasgow music venue have been approved by council planners, despite concerns over the potential impact on the nearby art school.
The site of the O2 ABC, partially demolished last year after receiving a Dangerous Building Notice, could be replaced by new student accommodation according to reports from the BBC.
The Sauchiehall Street venue was damaged by a fire from the Glasgow School of Art's (GSA) Charles Rennie Mackintosh building in 2018 and, alongside nightclubs Jumpin' Jaks and Campus, has been vacant since.
The city's planning committee is expected to rule on the plans on Tuesday and officials are recommending it goes ahead, despite around 130 objectors voicing concerns over the project.
Among the objectors are Labour MSP Paul Sweeney, Deputy Lord Provost Christy Mearns, the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland, Glasgow City Heritage Trust, Historic Environment Scotland and GSA .
Historic Environment Scotland said the new nine-storey building will affect the setting of the A-listed art school, obscuring important views to and from it, as well as the nearby Alexander 'Greek' Thomson-designed Centre for Community Arts building.
City council planners agreed the development would have a "negative impact on the historic environment" but believe the current "derelict" site is having a "negative impact… on the viability and vitality of the city centre as a whole".
Vita Group wants to deliver its 'House of Social' project on the site, which includes over 350 student beds, a courtyard and a public food hall that transforms into an events space in the evenings.
It has been backed by Glasgow's chamber of commerce, which said the proposal would "transform this blighted space into a dynamic and attractive environment", with a further 17 letters of support sent to the council.
Vita said the plan will provide "unique views" of the Mackintosh building while "maintaining appropriate distance and set back on the upper levels".
The firm's planning director James Rooke said the proposal would help revitalise Sauchiehall Street.
