Move to turn former public toilets into short-term lets
LOCAL DEMOCRACY REPORTER
TOURISTS could stay the night in former public toilets after an unusual attempt to stop one empty block from going to waste. Plans to convert the Cathedral Square toilets into short-stay accommodation have been submitted to Glasgow City Council. Visitors would be able to spend a lot of pennies to sleep in the “distinctive” two-bedroom property near the Cathedral and Necropolis. The developers had gained permission to turn the toilets into a cafe but have altered their proposal due to “a changing business model and a revision of the local market”. Glasgow Boys Corporation Ltd now wants to provide “short-term rental, self-catering tourism accommodation”. “The former public convenience on Cathedral Square has been leased from Glasgow City Council on a 25-year lease ,” a planning report reveals. “It is proposed it could be converted into an distinctive and highly individual short-term holiday let that would easily fit into the applicant’s developing network of sites that are being developed across the country.” The company’s “main business is property management”, with a “sizeable existing management infrastructure for short term letting”. Bosses feel “the building is more suited to this usage and could be brought into use within a short timescale”. They plan to advertise the accommodation as a “unique location” within walking distance of the city centre and all major transport hubs. The standard residency restriction, for one person or group, is 90 days but the applicant would be willing to accept additional restrictions such as “limiting the duration of any letting to 14 days”. “We would envisage a minimum of two nights booking and a maximum of 10 days.” “Glasgow does not have the same housing pressures currently as, say, Amsterdam or Dublin, which have introduced bans on short-term letting of existing housing stock, but we feel that re-energising existing built heritage, unsuitable for permanent housing, that has been overlooked presents multiple benefits,” the report adds. This includes “creating unusual and characterful places to stay – something emerging tourism markets are demanding”. “Bringing the building back into use is an obvious benefit however finding the right business model for it has been challenging. “We feel that the proposal will be a unique asset to Glasgow and will greatly add to the experience for all those visitors using this facility.”