NOBODY KNOWS GLASGOW BETTER Wednesday June 9 2010 EVENING TIMES FACES £18m plan for derelict ‘Greek’ Thomson building IN THE NEWS New crown for mag Queen Cole Cheryl Cole’s status as the nation’s celebrity queen was cemented after being crowned Woman of the Year. The TV and singing star, 26, scooped the Glamour magazine award at a glitzy ceremony in London last night. It’s been a busy year for Cole, but both her X Factor role and her solo album were overshadowed by her split from husband Ashley. Cowell tribute to Bethany, 5 Britain’s Got a-LISTED Talent judge Simon Cowell has paid tribute to a “very special little girl” who died of a brain tumour days after fulfilling her “big ambition” to sing for him. Bethany Fenton, 5, from Gloucestershire, performed hALLS TO Twinkle Twinkle Little Star for him on Saturday. She died yesterday with her family at her side. Birthday blues for Kym’s beau BE Hbeing at risk.OTEL The firm has all the other owners agreed EXCLUSIVE agreed that Derbyshire- to sell up and Union Street CorRIE star By VIVIENNE NICOLL Kym Marsh based Longrose Buccleuch Properties now owns the has put her and GRAEME MURRAY will manage the building entire building. wedding to N £18 MILLION with the hotel franchise The company, Historic former being taken over by the Scotland and the council plan will see the Accor group. It already looked at options for the Hollyoaks transformation of actor Jamie operates 850 hotels in nearly Halls including keeping the Lomas on hold due to work one of Glasgow’s 100 countries. facade and demolishing commitments. architectural Derek Souter of Union everything behind it, adding The former Hear’Say gems into a 136- Street Investments said: a rooftop extension, or singer said: “The wedding Abedroom hotel. “This is fantastic news for flattening the building and was to take place during the For 30 years the Egyptian Glasgow and Union Street redeveloping the site. same week as Coronation Halls in Union Street have and would also be a signifi- Street’s 50th birthday, lain mostly empty and partly cant boost for Glasgow’s which would have meant I’d derelict. construction industry. have been very busy.” But all that is about to “As well as creating more The council is anxious change with plans to convert than 60 construction and 80 to see this Grade A building the A-listed Alexander full and part-time jobs when returned to productive use Fortuna waltzes ‘Greek’ Thomson designed trading, it will preserve The part of the hotel in the without external funding former warehouse into a Scotland’s architectural A report to councillors, existing building would be support.” swish hotel. heritage.” says: “Given the status of the three star with the new Union Street Properties is off dance show Cash will come from the The Egyptian Halls are building and its importance extension four star. in the process of raising Better Glasgow Fund which considered by many to be to the heritage of Glasgow, The report adds: “Historic £17m and has asked the US star Brian was set up two years ago to architect Alexander ‘Greek’ city council to provide the Fortuna is to USP has been advised Scotland appears to accept fund regeneration and the Thomson’s finest building. demolition/redevelopment compromise is necessary other £1m. quit the BBC’s protection of historic Over the past 30 years, Steve Inch, the council’s Strictly Come would not be supported by and that without some buildings. It is hoped the various plans to refurbish the council or Historic radical design changes to executive director of Dancing show hotel will act as a spring- the Halls have been frus- development and regenera- after changes Scotland.” the building no refurbish- board for the wider regen- trated by the fact it had a But studies show no other ment will take place and the tion, said: “The council has to the format. eration of Union Street. large number of individual deterioration will continue. been anxious to see this The BBC has recruited options are financially On Friday, Glasgow owners. viable. The option which “The initial development important Grade A listed three new male dancers to councillors will be asked to The city council eventu- building restored and the show this year, with shows the smallest financial appraisal suggests the contribute £1m towards the ally stepped in on behalf of loss involves shops at development will cost returned to productive use Fortuna offered a role in a cost of the scheme from the majority owner Union Street for many years. new professional group, basement and ground floor approximately £18m but will Better Glasgow Fund. Properties and began levels and a hotel on the first show a loss of £5m based on “We hope our proposed which would have seen him preparing compulsory financial support will removed from the mentoring Union Street Investments to fourth floors with the the estimated returns. own the historic building purchase orders for the rest addition of a rooftop “There is therefore no bolster the regeneration of role which saw him of the building. As a result Union Street.” partnered with celebrities. which is now regarded as extension. prospect of proceeding EVENING TIMES Wednesday June 9 2010 367,000 WEEKLY AUDIENCE IN PRINT AND ONLINE  aims to put new heart into city centre site Probe told of pressure on inspections But care home had more than 20 visits

A BUILDING control expert told the inquiry into the deaths of 14 OAPs at a care home the process of inspect- n The plan would create a hotel from the building ing buildings had ROSEPARK which has lain derelict for almost 30 years become “devalued” by pressure to rush INQUIRY through applications. But Thomas Sorbie processing applications. s a i d R o s e p a r k Ca r e “There just isn’t the Home in Uddingston same emphasis on inspec- – wh e r e t h e d e a t h s tion as there was before,” occurred in 2004 – had he said. received more than 20 Mr Sorbie said the site inspections, an unu- inspections at Rosepark sually high number. appeared mainly to have Mr Sorbie had told been early in the con- a Fatal Accident Inquiry struction process, mean- i n M o t h e r w e l l t h a t i n g m o st t o o k p l a c e council league tables before ventilation and p u t p r e s s u r e o n o t h e r f i r e - s t o p p i n g inspectors. measures would have He said site visits by been in place. inspectors had reduced He had earlier told the dramatically over the inquiry that a site inspec- years from the early tor appeared to have 1990s and this was a missed problems with major problem by the the building’s ventilation start of this century. syst e m , su c h a s t h e One chief executive he absence of any fire damp- knew had quipped that ers, the automatic clos- “warrants (for new build- ing systems that could ings) mean jobs”, the have blocked the passage inquiry was told, and o f h e a t a n d s m o k e t h a t w i t h l i m i t e d through the premises. resources inspectors T h e i n q u i r y , i n w e r e p u s h e d i n t o Motherwell, continues. Autism link to babies born a week early BABIES born a week The results “suggest early are more prone to deliveries should ideally develop a series of learn- wait until 40 weeks of ing difficulties such as gestation because even a autism, and deafness. baby born at 39 weeks... A study of more than has an increased risk of 4 0 0 , 0 0 0 c h i l d r e n by special educational needs researchers at Glasgow compared with a baby University showed that born a week later”. those born at 39 weeks Around a third of UK The council is likely to were more likely to need births take place at 37 to draw up a legal agreement help at school compared 39 weeks as mothers allowing it to claw back cash with babies who spent 40 choose earlier deliveries if the building costs are not weeks in the womb. for non-medical reasons. as high as expected or if it is sold on for above its estimated cost. Garin Davies of Longrose I WILL BUY Buccleuch said: “We assess I WILL BUY many project opportunities YOUR PROPERTY and this is one which is near the top of the list we want to YOUR become involved with.” Neil Baxter, secretary of n the Royal Incorporation of Derek Souter PROPERTY says the project Architects in Scotland, said: Phone Janice at “This is a building of the first will create more importance, not simply in than 60 Glasgow or Scotland but in construction Property Freedom European terms.” jobs and 80 jobs once completed 0141 404 7844