A repair plan for Tollcross Winter Gardens has been approved by Glasgow City Council.
The B-listed conservatory in Tollcross Park, which is on the Buildings at Risk register, is currently in a “dilapidated condition”.
It will not be returned to horticultural use but could be used to host events.
Funding for the project has previously been allocated from the Scottish Town Centre Regeneration Fund, with £1m awarded in August last year and an extra £250,000 in October.
The park’s Millennium Building, constructed in 2000, is being replaced with a nursery as part of the council’s efforts to meet the Scottish Government’s childcare provision target of 1140 hours.
A change of use has also been approved for the Winter Gardens – from a non-residential institution to assembly and leisure.
Despite undergoing major refurbishment in October 2000 as part of the wider Lottery-funded Millennium project, the conservatory was closed to the public in 2011.
“The primary focus of the project is to address the dilapidated condition of the conservatory through a comprehensive programme of repair and conservation,” the plans state.
“At present, the new use of the conservatory is not fixed, rather it is envisaged that the building will provide a range of possible uses that will benefit the local community and specifically users of Tollcross Park.
“Temporary café facilities with indoor seating accessible to park users are central to the re-purposing proposals, however the conservatory also naturally lends itself as a place of assembly for events, display and/or educational and community purposes.”
During the revamp, recessed plant beds and ponds will be removed to increase the amount of floorspace.
An engineering consultant’s report stated: “The existing building has degraded severely over the last eight years since the building was closed to the public.”
It adds the timber structure has “almost completely failed” and caused “accelerated deterioration to other parts of the structure”. Vandalism has also contributed to the state of the building.
The consultant said an ongoing maintenance regime, including annual visual inspection, should be set up.
The council’s education department is planning to knock down the Millennium building to provide a nursery for 87 pre-school children, between two and five years old.
It will include playrooms, a dining room, reception and administration areas as well as a car park and outdoor play area.
A council officer confirmed both projects will start in early 2021 and will be carried out by the same contractor. It is hoped work will be completed by the end of 2021.
Both buildings will share some facilities, including disabled car parking, bike storage and bin stores.
