A NOTORIOUS 'hotel' used to accommodate homeless men has been denied a three-year permit and given several months to carry out a programme of repairs.
Owners of the Bellgrove Hotel were given a one-year House in Multiple Occupancy (HMO) licence, with six months to install new toilet and bathing facilities.
The hostel in Glasgow's east end has been regularly criticised for its slum-like conditions and the fact its private owners take in as much as £1.5 million a year in housing benefit.
One source at Glasgow City Council said the authority's licensing committee was keen to keep the hostel "on a tight leash" but admitted it had limited scope to deal with the property.
Unlike care homes, which are monitored by the Care Inspectorate, local authorities and the Housing Regulator, the Bellgrove is technically a private hotel and requires only an HMO licence to operate.
Owners Ron Barr and Kenneth Gray's firm Careside Hotels Ltd had applied for the three-year HMO. Instead, an inspection will be carried out at the Bellgrove on the Gallowgate next March to ensure additional electrical sockets, toilet, shower and bathing facilities have been installed.
Lawyers for Careside said a programme of refurbishment was continuing.
Glasgow Shettleston's MSP, John Mason, appeared before the committee, expressing his concerns that the hostel, which houses up to 160 men, is subject only to the same regulation and control as student accommodation.
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