Celtic plan to demolish school and replace with superstore

Celtic have submitted plans to demolish the listed primary school outside their stadium and replace it with a superstore, museum, theatre, café and ticket offices, as part of plans to regenerate thae area for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Celtic Park will host the opening ceremony of the Games, which will be attended by the Queen, and watched by an estimated one billion people worldwide. The 2014 organisers are spending £14 million on the opening and closing ceremonies.

The derelict London Road Primary School, at the centre of the plans, is an Edwardian B-listed building, and Glasgow’s only remaining B-listed school, making it likely that there will be objections to the plans from bodies including Historic Scotland.

The proposal, made to Glasgow City Council, also includes plans to build a landscaped avenue running from Dalmarnock railway station, which would also be revamped, to Celtic Park, passing key 2014 venues.

A 2009 council report raised concerns about the area immediately surrounding the stadium, saying it “does not provide an attractive setting” and “tyhe current situation is not acceptable with regard to the council’s ambitions to host a world-class event for the 2014 games.”

Local SNP councillor Alison Thewliss said the school’s demolition would “make a huge difference to the overall area and experience of visiting Celtic Park”, adding: “It would be nice to retain the school but we have several derelict schools.

“If it can’t be used in its existing structure I’d rather the land was used for something positive.”