Moremoneyneededfor school restoration plan

A MULTI-MILLION pound restoration of a former school in Parkhead requires more than £700,000 of additional funds to complete after asbestos and rot was found in the building.

A total of £4.1million was previously granted to Glasgow Building Preservation Trust (GBPT) to renovate the derelict building and transform it in to a local enterprise centre.

However, GBPT is to approach Glasgow City Council to ask for £500,000 after a survey found more problems in previously unexplored areas of the building.

In a report to go before the council’s executive committee tomorrow said: “Prior to works starting the condition of the building had been assessed by the design team as far as the existing structure and site constraints would allow.

“Certain areas remained unexplored due to the derelict nature of the building such as the collapsed roof in the east wing.”

The report went on to say that as work progressed and more areas started to open up to contractors, it was found that the building needed “extensive” removal of asbestos and guano – bird and bat droppings.

Extensive rot was also found in the east building which led to emergency work to prop the roof up.

The additional survey also identified a lot of stone work also had to be carried out.

The discovery also means the additional work required to revamp the listed building will delay the completion of the building to April 2018.

It was originally due to open this year.

The total cost of the additional works comes to £733,857 with GBPT having already secured £146,033 of funds from Historic Environment Scotland and £20,000 from the Hugh Fraser Foundation, according to the report. Councillors sitting on the committee will decide on granting funds to make up the remainder of the required amount.