Anger over lack of progress at Union Corner after fire

She pointed out the local authority had already begun the process of buying the nearby A-listed Egyptian Halls, designed by celebrated the nineteenth century architect Alexander 'Greek' Thomson.

The Commonwealth Games start next month in Glasgow and large parts of the area around Union Corner are still boarded up with questions mounting on what is being done.

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• Investigation launched into Glasgow fire on Union Street
• Union Street vape shop not inspected for health and safety

Many visitors to Glasgow for the Games will arrive at Central Station where the main entrance, and a second on Union Street, is still closed.

Leading architect Alan Dunlop, who designed the Radisson Blu Hotel in Argyle Street and worked on the restoration of Central Station in the 1990s, said little progress had been made.

"I would be good to have an update on what is going on as it doesn't look like much is happening," he told The Herald.

"The main entrance to the station under the canopy in Gordon Street is still closed and commuters and shoppers heading to the station form the city centre still have to access the station from Hope Street."

He said he would like to see progress on the compulsory purchase of Union Corner to progress can be made in the area.

The Union Corner building was gutted after the fire (Image: Colin Mearns)

"They are carrying out a compulsory purchase element of the Egyptian Halls and in my view the Egyptian Halls building is less of a significant building, even though designed by a leading Glasgow architect, than the Union Corner building.

"The Union Corner building is more important because of it's location at the corner of Union Street and Gordon Street , at the heart of the gateway into the city for visitors.

"As far as prominence in the city centre, Union Corner is more important even though it was not built by one of Glasgow's famous architects. For me that should be the priority rather than the Egyptian Halls.

"I would like more Glaswegians and people who visit the city know more than the Union Corner building than the Egyptian Halls."

Speaking to The Herald in March, Ms Aitken suggested that the site could eventually house a five-star hotel, saying the city centre "is short" of the highest calibre tourist accommodation.

Mr Dunlop dismissed this plan saying he would prefer that the new building accommodated small businesses as it had before the fire destroyed it.

"In my view what should go in there is something that reflects how it was previously used, small businesses and shops. It doesn't have to be an international class piece of architecture. It just has to reinstate the significance of the corner and bring back the businesses, entrepreneurs and the artists," he said.

"As a modernist architect I think it should be a new building. If there was a push for the original facade to be restored I wouldn't argue against it. But my view is it should be a new building and sensitively done, taking cognisance of its location. Businesses in the area must be suffering.

"The whole thing is compounded by the fact the Commonwealth Games are starting next month."

The fire began in a vape shop at 105 Union Street on Sunday, March 8, and spread through the building and around the corner, where only the facade of the B-listed building at the junction with Gordon Street was left standing. It later had to be demolished with the site now lying vacant.

Ms Aitken told The Herald on March 12: "I am formally inviting key people to create a civic response to this. I personally have a view that I would like the council to be able to be in a position to carry out a compulsory purchase of that site.

"I suspect that at least some of the owners [of the building] would welcome that because what are they now going to do with part-ownership of a cleared site?

"Then we are starting from a position of public control over the site and we can then work with partners to plan its future.

"We are already doing quite a bit of work in the Central Station area. We have started the CPO for the Egyptian Halls, we have public real works planned for Gordon Street.

"What we should now do it masterplan the Central Station area. This was a job that was already underway, it's now a considerably bigger job."

She said the council is already reaching out the design and architectural community.

"I think we should be ambitious," she said. "I've heard a hotel mentioned. We are not short of hotel accommodation but we are short of five-star hotel accommodation."

Glasgow City Council established a fire recovery fund in the aftermath of the blaze to help companies affected after First Minister John Swinney announced a financial package worth up to £10 million to help the council, businesses and agencies rebuild and renew the part of the city affected by the Union Corner fire.

Glasgow City Council has held several meetings of its recovery group looking at the future of the site.

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “We are continuing to work on making the site safe – at this point, focusing on works on the western gable wall – with a view to reopening Union Street as quickly as possible. 

"Beyond that, we are working with the owners on how the site will look and feel and how it could be used in the short, medium and long-term.”