CELTIC'S bid to demolish an Edwardian school and build a club superstore, museum and other facilities has been given the go-ahead.
The proposals were approved after civic planners decided the arguments for retaining the B-listed building near the football club's ground in the east end of Glasgow were outweighed by economic spin-offs generated by the new development.
Glasgow City Council's planning committee agreed to the plans without dissent, despite one councillor calling for Celtic to include a roof garden in the scheme.
It will now be sent to Historic Scotland to approve or refuse the demolition. It is theoretically possible, although highly unlikely, that the Scottish Government could block the bid. Usually only structures of national or regional importance fall under the remit of Government ministers.
Further applications for the site are expected in the coming weeks.
It emerged during the meeting that the timetable for the scheme was already behind schedule and it will not be completed in time for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which will see the Queen attend the opening ceremony at Celtic Park.
The proposals will see the London Road Primary School sold by Glasgow City Council to Celtic for around £300,000. It will be demolished and replaced with a superstore, museum, cafe, theatre and ticket offices.
The proposals also include the formation of a landscaped walkway from a revamped Dalmarnock railway station, past several key 2014 venues, to Celtic Park.
The building itself will be two-storey, metal and glass. Part of the old school wall will be retained as a "historic link" and anything of architectural worth recycled in other developments.
Historic Scotland had reservations that not enough was done to market the building and assess all options. It said the structural report did not support the case for demolition.
But the committee was told the authority accepted that the wider area would benefit economically from the demolition. Planning officer Blair Greenock said: "The council believes the case for demolition is necessary for economic growth and the good of the wider community."
Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell said: "This really is fantastic news for the club and is something which will allow us to completely transform Celtic Park, providing a stunning new public realm area for the benefit of our supporters."
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