Tuesday March 3rd 2026
Mitchell Library (mage from plans by Collective Architecture)
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Drew Sandelands
Plans to replace a gas boiler and install solar panels at Glasgow’s Mitchell Library have been given the green light, following a grant of over £2m.
Glasgow Life, the council’s culture and leisure arm, has received permission for an energy retrofit project at the B-listed venue, which is one of the largest libraries in Europe.
It will include the installation of air source heat pumps and solar panels on the roof of the building. The scheme will secure low carbon heat for the library, the plans state.
The Mitchell Library, which has been on North Street since 1911, is “one of the city’s most distinguished public institutions” and holds “substantial architectural, historical and civic significance”, the application adds.
Plans also state all the works are “on or in the ‘extension building’ which was built between 1972 and 1980” and “no part of it is described within the listing record”.
A fire-rated service riser will also be installed to take the heat and electricity gathered at roof level to the ground floor and basement switch and plant rooms.
A grant of £2.4m was secured from Scotland’s public sector heat decarbonisation fund in November last year. At the time, it was announced that an existing gas boiler would be replaced with heat pumps and electrical infrastructure would be upgraded.
The Scottish Government fund aims to help schools, libraries and council buildings become more energy-efficient and cut carbon emissions. It provides cash for upgrades such as better insulation, new windows, solar panels and clean heating systems to replace old gas and oil boilers.
In November, Glasgow Life’s facilities manager Andy Taylor said: “We’re committed to achieving low carbon infrastructure that protects our cultural heritage and enables Glasgow Life to deliver valued public services more sustainably.”
He added the project “proves that large historic and complex buildings can be decarbonised at scale while remaining in public use, as we strive to create a greener, more energy-efficient Glasgow for generations to come”.
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