Clutha bar boss reveals plans to transform the site

A decade ago the pub was befell by a horrific tragedy which saw a helicopter crash through the roof, killing ten people.

But in the aftermath of the sadness came a glimmer of hope, as the Clutha Trust was founded to support disadvantaged young people and help them get involved in arts and music.

Alan Crossan (Image: Newsquest)

Alan and staff inside the Clutha (Image: Newsquest)

With this mission in mind, pub owner Alan Crossan has put plans in motion to turn the iconic site into the Clutha Music Art and Drama Hub. 

Documents and images show plans for a new 3000 square feet pub which will still echo the old Clutha and a 2500 square feet bar designed like a speakeasy.

A coffee and leisure space and a 300-seat theatre are also proposed for the hub. 

A memorial wall paying tribute to the ten lives lost on November 29, 2013, will be erected.

As well as hosting Clutha Trust activities, the hub will offer spaces to other charities and community groups with space for theatre rehearsals, teaching areas, residential units, a private cinema and function rooms that can be used for fundraising events.

It is proposed that the upper floors will be filled with office space and apartments.

The new Clutha pub will sit behind a glass wall but pay homage to the old design, retaining familiar elements such as the archway and parts of the stone structure.

Alan previously told the Glasgow Times that he was inspired to create the charity a few weeks after the accident when three youths broke into the bar and stole charity cans and some half-bottles of alcohol.

He said: “They were just kids, and they didn’t really know why it was wrong, so afterwards, we were thinking about why they would do something like this.

"And the reason is, they had no direction in their lives, no pathways. That’s where the Clutha Trust came in."