Only porch of historic hotel salvaged after fire

The fire at Carnbooth House left it without a roof, floors, windows and doors

Only the porch of a category B listed hotel has been salvaged after a fire led to its demolition in December, a Glasgow City Council planning meeting has been told.

According to police, the blaze at the Carnbooth House Hotel, near Carmunnock, in August, was started deliberately.

The fire left the former hotel without a roof, floors, windows and doors.

The red sandstone decorative porch was protected from the demolition and councillors have requested that is reused in the future.

The former hotel had been empty for years before the blaze

At a Glasgow planning applications committee meeting, Councillor Ken Andrew suggested that the porch could be used in a future development in the city rather than be erased from Glasgow's heritage.

This was backed by other councillors, including Paul Leinster who said: "Anyone who was ever in Carnbooth House knows what an incredible building it was.”

He added that it was "reasonable" that the porch would be retained within the city.

The large country house was designed by architect Alexander Cullen about 1900.

The building was a children’s care home in the 1980s and then more recently operated as a hotel.

In 2018, the hotel was granted permission to build four blocks of 36 flats and an underground car park.

It closed for refurbishment a year later, but never reopened.

Letters of objection

After the fire a demolition was ordered on the grounds of public safety when it was found that members of the public were trespassing on the site.

At the same planning meeting, the committee was told there was “clear evidence that members of the public were continuing to access the site either out of curiosity or criminal intent".

Ivory Holdings Ltd was granted retrospective consent for the demolition of the hotel on the condition that the porch was preserved.

Six letters of objection were lodged over the demolition plans, raising concerns about losing a listed building.

Reporting by Local Democracy Reporting Service journalist Sarah Hilley