Fire-hit Union Street building to be fully demolished

The B-listed Victorian structure, situated prominently at the junction of Union Street and Gordon Street, was extensively damaged after flames took hold in a ground-floor vape shop.

The building standards team at Glasgow City Council has assessed the remaining structure, declaring it “fatally compromised” and “highly dangerous” and concluding that demolition “must happen in the interests of public safety”.

Among the initial components slated for dismantling was a precarious ‘floating’ chimney stack, which remained attached to an adjacent block several storeys above ground level. This has now been removed.

Council leader, Councillor Susan Aitken, delivered an update on Friday afternoon

Work then moved to the back wall of the collapsed building. However, due to weather forecasts, work was suspended at points due to the speed of the forecasted winds and the impact this could have on site safety.

Burnfield Demolition will remain on site 24 hours a day and will look to other work during these periods of inclement weather to progress the demolition and when it is safe for the staff to do so.

The Scottish Government said up to £1 million will be made available to help the council with demolition costs.

Glasgow Central Station platforms remain closed

Glasgow Central Station’s high‑level platforms will remain closed until at least Wednesday 18 March, as demolition and safety work continues.

Low‑level services resumed last week, but the upper platforms have been closed since Sunday 8 March, following the significant fire.

After the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service handed over the site, Glasgow City Council established an exclusion zone to protect the public and those working nearby while the remediation work takes place. This cordon continues to cover the high‑level area of Central Station, including the Union Street, Gordon Street and Hope Street entrances.

With the council’s critical work still underway, Network Rail engineers cannot yet gain access to the station.

Ross Moran, route director at Network Rail Scotland, said: “We understand how disruptive this extended closure is for passengers and the wider city centre, and we’re extremely grateful for the continued patience and understanding people have shown.

“The damage to the building beside the station is clearly significant and any phased reopening will depend on demolition work progressing to a stage that allows our engineers to safely return. We’ll continue working closely with Glasgow City Council to support the response however we can.”

No significant structural issues have been identified at Glasgow Central by Network Rail’s specialist teams. Any damage, including to the glazing and water ingress, has been contained to a small office on the Union Street side of the station.