Glasgow Times calls on city to save our vital public venues

The list of facilities that will not re-open stretches across the city in almost every community.

It includes 11 community centres and halls, 10 bowling centres, five Libraries, four pitch and putts, three museums and two Glasgow Club Gyms.

The Coronavirus pandemic hit Glasgow Life hard with venues closed and a loss of income through hall hires, memberships and service charges.

The impact on the budget is undeniable. It has been put a tens of millions of pounds in the last year by the council.

A financial package has been agreed that the council will subsidise the organisation with a guarantee of £100m.

It will allow the re-opening of a number of venues including cultural, community and sports venues.

In total around 90 out of 160 are planned to reopen, leaving dozens with an uncertain future.

But the list of venues not planned to re-open is a serious concern.

Libraries in Baillieston, Elder Park, Milton, Parkhead and Woodside will be able to re-open.

But Barmulloch, Couper Institute, GoMA, Maryhill and Whiteinch Libraries will not.

All the city’s swimming pools will re-open but several other sports facilities are left off the list.

It affects communities where there are not a lot of facilities and who rely on the city to provide resources.

The financial impact of the lockdown is obvious. Glasgow Life lost almost £40m in 2020/21 as a result of the lockdown and relied on more than £75m funding from the council to say afloat.

So why should it mean that people in Balgrayhill, Garrowhill, Ruchill, Shettleston and Tollcross among others could lose their community centre.

The £100m guarantee has meant that more venues have been added for reopening.

They will need it more than ever as we look to rebuild communities help each other build back.

Kelvingrove Bowls will re-open but why should it mean the people of Bellahouston, Dennistoun, Castlemilk and Drumchapel could lose their bowling greens.

A number of sports pitches are on the list. People will be desperate to play team sports again, whether it is children now or adults when contact sport is allowed from next month.

But facilities like Halgreen Avenue playing fields in Drumchapel, Kelso Street Pitch in Yoker and the Lochend Football Centre are not listed for re-opening.

It is hoped that some of these venues will be able to re-open in the future as Glasgow Life recovers from the last year but while they remain closed there is uncertainty.

We are asking Glasgow City Council and Glasgow Life to:

Take no decision to close any venue permanently.

Devise a plan to re-open all venues in the city as soon as it is practical.

A full library service to remain in their communities and avoid more empty premises in communities.

Begin meaningful consultation now in every community on their facilities with a view to improving them not reduce them.

Glasgow City Council responded to our four asks.

A spokesman said: “We’re absolutely not taking decisions to close anything permanently. Glasgow Life is moving ahead with reopening most venues and services, but we have to be realistic that some are going to be more challenging than others.

“Equally, there are very good reasons why Glasgow Life doesn’t have a plan to immediately reopen some venues. Some are being used to deliver services like covid testing – and it has already been agreed that others, like Scotland Street School, will be home to different services in the future.

“Others, though, need significant investment and refurbishment and we must be honest with communities about the fact that will take time.

“Buildings are important, but it is services that matter the most to people and communities – and we have seen that, most obviously, in the renewed popularity of library services when they have been moved into community hubs.”

2.Plan to re-open all venues.

“That plan is already in constant development. That’s why, last month, Glasgow Life was able to commit to the initial reopening of more than 90 venues, rather than the 73 that had been thought possible late last year.

“And it is why we launched the People Make Glasgow Communities project, through which we are talking to around 150 groups and community organisations that want to take a greater role in the future of venues in their neighbourhood.”

3.Libraries should remain in their communities. Don’t leave buildings empty to decline.

“We agree. We recognise that, while the alternative venue for Whiteinch is physically nearby, people don’t regard it as their community – and we’re actively looking for other options, closer to the existing building.

“And we created a strategy specifically for Heritage Buildings precisely because we are determined that no building should be left to rot, as has been the case too often in the past. “

4.Consult with every community about its facilities and venues.

“We have always been committed to consultation and we are already involved in extensive community engagement through our plans to establish community hubs across the city.”

The full list

The list of venues not planned to re-open includes:

Barmulloch Library

Couper Institute Library

Gallery of Modern Art Library

Maryhill Library

Whiteinch Library

Balgrayhill Community Centre

Couper Institute Hall

Garrowhill Community Centre

Geoff Shaw Community Centre

Langside Hall

Molendinar Community Centre

Pollokshields Community Centre

Ruchill Community Centre

Shettleston Community Centre

Tollcross Community Centre

Woodside Hall

Provand’s Lordship

Scotland Street School Museum and Janitor’s House

St Mungo’s Museum

Alexandra Park Bowls

Alexandra Park Golf Course

Bellahouston Bowls

Bellahouston Pitch and Putt

Caldercuilt Playing Fields

Castlemilk Bowls

Cathkin Pitch

Drumchapel Bowls

Glasgow Club Petershill

Glasgow Club Yoker

Glasgow National Hockey Centre

Glenconner Park

Greenfield Park and Football Pavilion

Halgreen Avenue Playing Fields

Hogganfield Pitch and Putt

Ibrox Football Centre

James Lyndsey Memorial Park Pitches

Kelso Street Pitch

King George V Playing Fields

King George’s Field

Knightswood Pitch and Putt

Linn Park Golf Course

Lister Street Bowls

Lochend Football Centre

Maryhill Bowls

Maryhill Tennis

Mount Vernon Football Pitch

Netherpollok Playing Fields

Netherton Bowling Green

Netherton Pitches and Pavilion

Penilee Secondary School Pitch

Peterson Park Pitches

Queen’s Park Pitch and Putt

Queen’s Park Bowls

Ruchill Golf Course

Scotstoun Sports Campus Outdoor Hall

Springburn Bowls

Victoria Park Bowls

Victoria Park Rugby Pitches

Victoria Park Tennis