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Sawtooth homes to unlock Anniesland canal potential

July 24 2020

Sawtooth homes to unlock Anniesland canal potential

CCG have extended their planned housing pipeline with a planning submission to create 46 flats in Anniesland, Glasgow, including 24 amenity flats for older residents.

Industrial land bounded by Bearsden and Crow Roads has been earmarked for the sawtooth build, which will be delivered on behalf of Partick Housing Association and Hanover Scotland. The Sawmills will require demolition of the historic Canal Bar and forms part of a range of housing initiatives to promote the Forth & Clyde canal corridor for residential development.

CCG director Calum Murray said: “The proposals for ‘The Sawmills’ were derived after an extensive period of assessment by our design team who tested and exhausted every avenue to retain the building – a part of which is category C-listed.

“Our assessment evidenced that, because of the significant state of disrepair, the retention of the building in any form was not economically viable. Instead, the building will be replaced by a contemporary and sustainable low-carbon development that will address key strategic objectives of Glasgow City Council by improving the supply of affordable housing in the west of the city."

Construction on the Mast Architects designed build is expected to commence by mid-2021.

A staggered facade will break up the apparent massing
A staggered facade will break up the apparent massing
The C-listed former canal bar is the sole survivor of the Temple Saw Mills
The C-listed former canal bar is the sole survivor of the Temple Saw Mills

13 Comments

Fan of Art Deco
#1 Posted by Fan of Art Deco on 25 Jul 2020 at 10:37 AM
Shocked to see the potential loss of the old Art Deco building, formerly the Canal micro brewery which closed about 15+ years ago.
More architectural heritage lost!
nathan wright
#2 Posted by nathan wright on 25 Jul 2020 at 11:54 AM
"A staggered facade will break up the apparent massing". Eh, no....The "apparent" massing is still massing no matter how much you pretend otherwise.
Having one mass penetrating another simply gives the impression of cramming as much as possible onto the site - i.e. the opposite of what is desired.
David
#3 Posted by David on 25 Jul 2020 at 15:10 PM
As new builds go, this is actually quite nice, and seems to be an appropriate contextual response to what is a very difficult site.
HOWEVER
The proposed loss of this building is staggering. There are so few examples of Art Deco buildings in Glasgow, and Scotland as a whole. I really hope that Historic Scotland and GCC refuse permission for demolition. What is the point in listing buildings if developers continually try to knock them down?? I understand that there are financial implications, but the facade could have easily been retained. Shocking display of complete disregard for our built heritage, which in my view invalidates any other architectural praise for what is quite a nice new scheme in the design and access statement.
Complete hypocrisy.
Thomas Crapper
#4 Posted by Thomas Crapper on 25 Jul 2020 at 23:27 PM
I really like that building for some reason, especially the wee turret with the small window along the top, looks a bit like an air control tower, something unique about it, hope they don't get permission to demolish it. If they don't get permission to demolish it what are the odds of there being a mysterious fire like what seems to happen to so many old buildings which would be expensive to repair in Glasgow.
James Hepburn
#5 Posted by James Hepburn on 26 Jul 2020 at 10:46 AM
Why is it all our house builders are so pedestrian. They all churn out these featureless little boxes that people have to spend their lives in. Is there no talent in Scotland?
Mick
#6 Posted by Mick on 26 Jul 2020 at 18:41 PM
Not bad proposal but by no means worth destroying an art deco gem just to get this site.
Thomas Crapper
#7 Posted by Thomas Crapper on 26 Jul 2020 at 20:20 PM
Yes James is a disgrace that flats are so small. I think the legal minimum flat area is only around 37m2, that's a disgrace it should be at least 50m2 per bedroom.
Stephen
#8 Posted by Stephen on 28 Jul 2020 at 19:46 PM
I worked on the Canal micro-brewery project during my year out back in 1997. At that point it was brought back from the brink of dereliction with a substantial refurbishment and the addition of a new wing. A fantastic project to work on as a year out student. I was very sad to see it close after the demise of the Big Beat Group and then laterally after a failure as a nightclub. Such a shame to see an application suggesting the demolition of this interesting little Art Deco building. We should be retaining these elements of our unique built heritage rather than erasing them.
Gordon
#9 Posted by Gordon on 29 Jul 2020 at 22:13 PM
What would be really helpful in these news stories would be to have a link or at very least list the planning reference number so we can go and have a look at the actual plans, and not just rely on the visualisations.
John Glenday
#10 Posted by John Glenday on 30 Jul 2020 at 07:18 AM
Hi Gordon - the application is not currently available to view publicly but the property history for 380 Bearsden Road can be viewed here: https://publicaccess.glasgow.gov.uk/online-applications/propertyDetails.do?activeTab=relatedCases&keyVal=00OIE4EXDT000
B. Fuller
#11 Posted by B. Fuller on 30 Jul 2020 at 15:40 PM
I'll take one of the ground floor flats that faces right onto the mega-busy road please... Why build to the street edge when the immediate context is a main road, petrol station, and windowless builder's merchants?
Ostara Campbell-Crawford
#12 Posted by Ostara Campbell-Crawford on 29 Jan 2021 at 18:10 PM
This building proposal doesn't have a trace of creativity and innovation about it! Every time i walk past this building i admire the features which make it such a great example of the much loved , elegant , stylistic and grandeur art deco style. This was back when buildings were art in their own right as well as practical. If these people had any sort of creative vision they might propose the building to be a lively creative hub , where this spacious three story building could potentially rent out rooms as studios for artist's as well as various activities such as dance , theatre and arts and crafts. Alongside their could be a cafe and shop where artists could sell their work as well as a cinema too .Situated On another floor could be a club with a bar and stage for bands ,theatrical performances and comedy shows.The vast surrounding land could further brighten up the area with a new landscaped garden , including benches and picnic tables ,which i think the community would appreciate far greater than another block of flats to add to the mundane scenery already around. Further use of this space could include markets and mini festivals during the festive times of the year.This is what you call an exciting, beneficial addition to the community , it is something new and there is a great demand as most entertainment is located in the city centre of Glasgow.It would also provide great business opportunities for creatives and provide the community , especially young people with exciting and fun new opportunities.
Steven Roulston
#13 Posted by Steven Roulston on 20 Feb 2022 at 15:31 PM
They can't be serious demolish a building of character and replace with utter garbage !!

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