A MULTI-MILLION pound grant will now be available to the city council for restoration work on one of Glasgow's oldest buildings after councillors agreed to enter a new £1 per year lease with the National Trust.

The authority has decided to renounce its existing lease of Provan Hall, which ran until 2032, and take up a new 25-year agreement, a move which was required to access Heritage Lottery funding.

Provan Hall, an A-listed 15th century building in Auchinlea Park, Easterhouse, owned by the National Trust for Scotland, requires "significant repair and investment" to improve its condition and safeguard its future, a report to councillors revealed.

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Glasgow City Council has been working in partnership with Glasgow Building Preservation Trust and the community since 2005 to "improve the visitor experience" at Provan Hall.

However, further work is needed to "help realise the property’s potential to become a high-quality, attractive and informative visitor destination".

The Heritage Lottery Fund offered the £4.5m for the Seven Lochs Wetland Park Heritage Project, and some of the money will be used for work at Provan Hall now the condition to enter a fresh lease has been met. The hall is seen as a "key gateway" to the the park.

Once the repairs are complete, the Provan Hall Community Management Trust, a charitable organisation, will manage the hall to "further develop the visitor experience for both the local community and visitors from across Scotland".

The trust was set up in 2017 to run and promote the hall as a community-ran visitor centre. Both the National Trust for Scotland the council are trustees.

Councillor Mandy Morgan welcomed the decision to agree the new lease. "I'm glad to see this coming forward and look forward to seeing the restoration," she said.

The city council recently granted permission for renovations to be carried out, including repairing the fabric of the building, re-surfacing the courtyard and forming a new welcome hub and office.

A planning report stated: "Investing in the visitor experience and community engagement at Provan Hall will enable the building to fulfill its potential as a visitor attraction, and ensure that it is protected into the future.

"The building is completely unique within Glasgow and it is essential that a wide range of visitors are welcomed to the building and that they can experience it in a safe and comfortable way."