Tuesday June 16th 2026
Hillhead Baptist Church
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Drew Sandelands
Plans to demolish a B-listed Glasgow church have been given the go ahead despite more than 300 objections.
Wemyss Properties has secured permission from the city’s planning committee to knock down Hillhead Baptist Church and build 32 flats.
Objectors called for the façade of the Cranworth Street building to be saved at a hearing today. But the developers said it was a “last chance saloon”, adding their plan is the “only economically viable option” for the site.
The decision to grant both planning permission and listed building consent for the project came down to the casting vote of Cllr Ken Andrew, SNP, the planning committee chair, after a 3-3 tie.
While he had “some concerns” over the design of the planned six-storey development, he said there is “every likelihood the building is just going to continue to deteriorate” if the application was refused.
“Potentially it may have to be demolished anyway, just to protect the surrounding tenements,” he added.
Council planners had recommended the scheme was approved, and there were 19 letters of support for the project, but 332 objections had been received.
Glasgow MSP Paul Sweeney, Labour, told the committee he was “not convinced” that “at least partial façade retention can’t be achieved”.
“There is developer interest in taking the building on with a view to retaining and saving the facade at least,” he added. “We could get a compromise here with a revised approach.
“This building has stood for 150 years in Glasgow — through world wars and all sorts of other economic strife — give it six months to see if we can get someone to come forward and take it on.
“We should be showing as a city that we value these heritage assets.”
The applicant’s agent, Tim Ferguson, of Ferguson Planning, said: “All of the investigations concluded the building is unfortunately not viable for redevelopment.”
He added façade retention is “not economically viable”.
Dr John Boyle, director of research at property firm Rettie & Co, added: “Viability is the biggest issue in development today. Since 2019, construction cost inflation has risen by over 40%.
“Average house values have only gone up by 26% and this gap is growing. This is what is leading to enhanced development risk.
“The developer in this case is willing to take on this risk for the demolition and the rebuild option and, in our view, this is the only economically viable option for the site.”
Cllrs Imran Alam, Saqib Ahmed and Thomas Rannachan, all Labour, voted against the plan. Cllr Ahmed said: “We are going through the housing crisis in Glasgow, I would like to see more houses built.
“But I wouldn’t like to see houses built at the expense of such a beautiful building. I would support the application if the facade is saved.”
Cllrs Mhairi Hunter and Paul Leinster, both SNP, supported the application alongside Cllr Andrew. “This is a hard one,” Cllr Hunter said.
“We all recognise the virtue of converting or retaining elements of heritage buildings for new housing. The question here is how viable that would be in this specific case.
“We have heard directly from the developers today that refusal of this application would not result in them submitting a fresh one. Given that the building no longer has a roof, it would just deteriorate further and more quickly.
“We have to make our decisions based on what is put in front of us. We can’t posit a third option where someone might come along who is willing to bear the cost of retaining the facade.”
The church was designed by Thomas Lennox Watson in the Greek revival style and built in 1883. The main church hall has not been in use since 2004, with the rest of the property vacant since 2017.
Earlier redevelopment plans were ended by the 2008 recession and a later scheme, which included façade retention, failed “due to the financial viability”, according to a council report.
Progress stalled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and, in 2022, the “emergency removal” of the “unstable” church roof was carried out.
After the meeting, Glasgow MSP Paul Sweeney said: “Today’s decision is deeply regrettable and a depressing outcome for Glasgow’s heritage.
“The Hillhead Baptist Church is a fine Greek Revival Victorian landmark by Thomas Lennox Watson, one of the finest architects of the period and it remains an important part of the city’s architectural story. It sits in one of our premier conservation areas and remains capable of sensitive repair and reuse.
“Despite presenting compelling evidence that viable options exist — including façade retention, which has been successfully delivered on other listed buildings across Glasgow — the Committee still chose full demolition.
“I am particularly concerned that approval rested on the Chair’s casting vote after a tied decision.
“Glasgow is losing too many of its historic buildings. We should be finding creative ways to retain and repurpose them, not knocking them down on such a contrived and flimsy basis.”
