Plans to transform one of Glasgow's 'ugliest buildings' shelved over huge £60m bill

Plans to transform one of Glasgow's ugliest buildings have been shelved due to its huge £60m bill.

The city centre Met Tower was due to be overhauled and turned into a "digital and tech hub", costing millions of pounds, but it may now be scaled back to a residential option due to the challenging economy.

News of the u-turn came as incoming First Minister John Swinney cited economic growth as a top priority, the Daily Record reports.

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Glasgow Labour MSP Paul Sweeney said: "With rival cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool powering ahead with such investments, Glasgow is at serious risk of falling further behind in its growth and development."

The Met Tower, known for its pink 'People Make Glasgow' display, used to be owned by City of Glasgow College but has been unused since 2014.

Owners Bruntwood SciTech brought forward striking plans to refurbish the eyesore and build an interconnecting second 10-storey tower at the site.

The company said at the time 200,000 sq ft of office space would serve as a "dedicated digital and tech hub in the heart of Glasgow."

Glasgow council approved the plans and SNP council leader Susan Aitken hailed the £60m investment. But a source told the Record projects costs have proven to be a major challenge.

The insider said the company would consider alternatives including a residential option.

A spokesperson for Bruntwood SciTech said: "Since our acquisition of Met Tower in 2022, there have been significant changes to the economic climate and construction market caused by inflation and high interest rates, both of which have created viability challenges.

"Like any responsible developer we have to be flexible and respond to changing circumstances, which means accepting our original vision for the building to create an office workspace is not feasible in the current climate. It is a difficult decision and one we have not taken lightly.

"From our first day in the city, we have been made to feel so welcome by the Glasgow community, and would like to extend specific thanks to Glasgow City Council and Glasgow Chamber of Commerce.

"We recognise the iconic position of this building, the opportunity it provides for the city, and the need for it to be brought back to life as soon as possible. We are grateful to all those who have supported us with the planning to date and are working with us to look at all the available options for Met Tower's future."

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Sweeney added: "It is dismaying to learn that Bruntwood SciTech have decided to suspend their investment in the redevelopment of the iconic Met Tower, one of the city's most admired modernist buildings.

"Transforming the landmark B-listed former College of Building and Printing as a digital and tech hub would have massively improved the city's position in the life sciences and associated technology industries, generating hundreds of high quality jobs.

"I will be meeting with Bruntwood SciTech in the coming days to see if there is anything that can be done to help them find a way forward and to realise this ambitious project for Glasgow."

Aitken last year described the investment as a "huge vote of confidence" in Glasgow's "growing reputation as an international centre of innovation, creativity and opportunity".

The Met Tower dominates Glasgow's skyline, but the towering structure is not known as an architectural gem.

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A photography website named the eyesore as the second ugliest building in the UK in 2023.

The people at ParrotPrint said at the time: "This multi-story building, unfortunately, dominates the skyline of Glasgow. To make it worse, a giant pink sign was added to the building, which adds an unwanted blinding pop of pink to the view of Glasgow."

A Glasgow City Council spokesman: "While it is disappointing that the proposed Met Tower project will not now take place to join the series of recently completed developments in the city centre, we will be working with partners with a view to do all that we can to help deliver a sustainable redevelopment of the building and site as quickly as possible."