April 11 2025

Inverclyde Council is to belatedly commence demolition of a condemned Port Glasgow residential district to progress a regeneration masterplan.

A fire-gutted former school and church at Clune Park are first in line for the wrecking ball, both of which are set to come down in a matter of weeks. These will be followed by a further 15 tenement blocks comprising 138 flats lining the western side of Bruce Street and connecting section of Robert Street and both sides of Wallace Street.

The B-listed Clune Park School and Clune Park Church are both owned by Inverclyde Council, the former going up in flames in 2023. It had been hoped to pursue a facade retention scheme for the school to retain a focal point for the area.

Demolition contractor Caskie has been lined up to carry out the six-month contract from late April, clearing the way for a new residential masterplan prepared by Hypostyle Architects.

Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, said: “It’s important to remember that the former school and church buildings and the residential properties are being demolished in the interests of safety based on professional advice following extensive investigations."

A further 30 tenement blocks are subject to further investigations to identify dangerous buildings. Ultimately it is proposed to replace 430 substandard tenement flats with 165 affordable homes for social rent. 

10 Comments

#1 Posted by KB on 11 Apr 2025 at 12:42 PM

Another wasted opportunity.

#2 Posted by Juli on 11 Apr 2025 at 15:31 PM

Utter disgrace that these buildings get left to rot them demolished rather than trying to reuse them.

#3 Posted by Lovely on 12 Apr 2025 at 09:51 AM

It’s standard architectural practice these days, don’t you know?

Bleat and bleat and bleat about retrofit being the 'new' big thing and the way forward then don’t actually do it.

Small owners apply for minor changes to listed buildings and don't get permission.

Big owners including councils want to destroy listed buildings and they are allowed to do it.

Eat, sleep bleat, bleat, repeat....

#4 Posted by Ben on 13 Apr 2025 at 20:33 PM

Where are the Malcolm Frasers and Alan Dunlops bleating about sustainability, retrofitting and the housing emergency? Why do these architects only speak up to save concrete post war architecture like Wyndford in Maryhill (thankfully they failed), yet they don't seem to care about historic vernacular Scottish architecture?

#5 Posted by Ghetto King on 14 Apr 2025 at 10:01 AM

It's important to remember that a lot of these dwellings were owned by private landlords not just the local council.
If we do not want the same waste happening again and again then surely a root and branch review of land and property ownership needs to take place regardless of anyone's political view point.
Otherwise , the local community and its people will be the primary parties that stand to lose everything again and again.

#6 Posted by Malcolm Fraser on 15 Apr 2025 at 10:17 AM

Ben, there's only so many hours in the day; I've campaigned for many, many historic tenements and schools - the Dalmarnock tenements and Boroughmuir and other schools, for instance, and made myself very unpopular with those I need to get work from. The principles are the same for your "historic vernacular Scottish" as post-war cerncular modernist. I'd love to have had the time to do the same for Clune Park - good, sturdy construction - a great community at one time and, with a bit of care and investment, again - the like of which we don't do now. But it doesn't have to be me/Alan, would have been good for others to have taken the time to, as you say, "bleat". So what did you do in the carbon wars, Ben?

#7 Posted by Mansartarchi on 15 Apr 2025 at 13:53 PM

https://www.urbandonedteam.com/reports/clune-park-estate

#8 Posted by Pedant Tic on 15 Apr 2025 at 14:31 PM

Ben owned by Malcie there

#9 Posted by Tammy Scoosh on 17 Apr 2025 at 09:45 AM

The loss of that Art Nouveau church is a huge crime. Inverclyde council a dead set on demo at every opportunity - the current proposals to demolish the hector mcneil (greenock library) is also a shocker. It should really be listed! A fantastic example of brutalist architecture.

#10 Posted by alibi on 21 Apr 2025 at 10:53 AM

#5 makes an important point. Is this the future for our tenements? There are huge maintenance issues out there, you see it everywhere.

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