Susan Aitken also suggested that it could eventually house a five-star hotel, saying the city centre “is short” of the highest calibre tourist accommodation.
She spoke to The Herald about the future of the site after it was confirmed that what remains of the Victorian-era building will now be demolished.
She said the demolition will happen “very quickly” and that it is possible that the upper levels of Central Station may be re-opened on a phased basis while this takes place.
The fire began in a vape shop at 105 Union Street on Sunday and spread through the building and around the corner, where only the facade of the B-listed building at the junction with Gordon Street was left standing.
The fire destroyed a prominent Victorian-era building on Union Street (Image: Newsquest)
With thoughts turning to the future of the site, Glasgow Labour MSP Paul Sweeney has called for a faithful reinstatement of the original building.
“I don’t think any one person’s opinion should be carrying sway here,” said the council leader. “Opinions don’t equal expertise.”
“I am formally inviting key people to create a civic response to this.
“I personally have a view that I would like the council to be able to be in a position to carry out a compulsory purchase of that site.
“I suspect that at least some of the owners [of the building] would welcome that because what are they now going to do with part-ownership of a cleared site?
“Then we are starting from a position of public control over the site and we can then work with partners to plan its future.
Council leader Susan Aitken says “We should be ambitious” when deciding on the future of the site (Image: Newsquest)
“We are already doing quite a bit of work in the Central Station area. We have started the CPO for the Egyptian Halls, we have public real works planned for Gordon Street.
“What we should now do it masterplan the Central Station area. This was a job that was already underway, it’s now a considerably bigger job.”
She said the council is already reaching out the design and architectural community.
“I think we should be ambitious,” she said. “I’ve heard a hotel mentioned.
“We are not short of hotel accommodation but we are short of five-star hotel accommodation.
“Now that might be quite challenging because in order to have a five-star hotel you need a swimming pool but the Blythswood Hotel has managed it.
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The Blythswood Hotel in Glasgow (Image: Newsquest)
“There will be a roof space at some point.
“I am speculating now but when you start to think of the possible, all sorts of ideas spring up.
“The public purse would foot the bill for the purchase for the asset. They would also provide some sort of public subsidy to the developer to make sure they are able to meet the costs of a development.
“If it’s a case of moving forward and getting something on the site then that’s a good use of public money.”
She said the Scottish Government had already committed financial support for the project.
“I think the UK Government absolutely have a role in this and I would like to hear what their offer is for the city as well.
“I haven’t had any contact yet from the Secretary of State.”
The shop at the centre of the fire was found to be compliant with council regulations despite not being registered to sell vapes and had also failed to pay business rates. The Herald asked the council leaders if mistakes were made that could have prevented the fire?
“In terms of the business rates, we were pursuing them through the normal channels,” said Ms Aitken.
“The register sits with the Scottish Government but trading standards have a role in reminding owners.
“There isn’t legislation around vapes other than that they are tobacco products. We do know that it wasn’t on the register.
“To be clear the responsibility sits with the business owner.
“I suspect now that there will be some sort of regulatory response to this partly because public alarm has now been raised and you can’t put that genie back in the bottle.
“We need to be clear that we don’t know yet what caused the fire.
“Anyone who says they do is speculating.”
The council leader said the local authority “had no power” to carry out additional checks on Victorian buildings which incorporate retail units.
A woman heavily laden with baby at Union Street crossing, 1957. (Image: Newsquest Media Group)
She said: “There is no regulatory regime around this. I absolutely recognise that we as a council have to part of that response but that has to be a much wider societal response.
“Right now we don’t have powers to go into a shop and say ‘We want to inspect you because you sell vapes.'”
Glasgow architect Alan Dunlop has suggested that a new statutory group should be set up by the council for the safeguarding of Victorian buildings, particularly earlier ones which have timber floors.
“We already have a built heritage group that has been meeting for some time and is absolutely dedicated to the strategy for built heritage,” said Ms Aitken.
“The word statutory is a challenging one because again it comes back to what powers we have.
“We don’t have very extensive powers to force owners to maintain and look after their buildings.
“The vast majority are in private ownership. I have already raised this multiple powers. I would like to see councils having stronger powers in that space.
“In Scotland there is nowhere else that has such a concentration of heritage buildings in a city centre.”
She said the fact that the UK charges VAT for works on heritage buildings was a disincentive for owners to carry out improvements.
