Bad news for Glasgow as two tourist attractions close indefinitely amid £7m repair bill
The People's Palace and the Winter Gardens in Glasgow Green are to shut at the end of the year over concerns for public safety
There's bad news for Glasgow as two popular tourist attractions look set to close indefinitely amid a £7m repair bill. The People’s Palace and Winter Gardens in Glasgow Green will shut at the end of the year after public safety concerns.
Glasgow City Coucil is looking at ways to bring the Victorian structure of the Winter Gardens, which dates back to 1898, to modern safety levels.
The People's Palace will also have to close as the fire escape there requires access to that glasshouse but the local authority is looking at ways the building can remain open independently, so the art housed there can be kept on display.
Although future bookings have been suspended, there is no immediate safety risk to anyone visiting.
It's thought staff who work in the Council run Winter Gardens will be give placements elsewhere but there is as yet no word as to what will happen with People's Palace staff. It's operated by Glasgow Life.
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “The Winter Gardens will unfortunately have to close at the end of this year, due to concerns about the safety of the structure beyond that point.
''We are currently working on options to allow the People’s Palace to remain open independently of the gardens.
“At this stage, we do not know how long the Winter Gardens will remain closed. However, we estimate that investment of between £5m and £7.5m will be required to make it safe for public use. With that in mind, we are currently examining how we use both the People’s Palace and Winter Gardens.
“The aim is to secure a sustainable, long-term future for an iconic building in one of the city’s most loved spaces. A full report of the plans will be submitted to elected members and the relevant committee in due course.”
A spokeswoman for Visit Scotland said: “Partnership and collaboration is at the heart of Scottish tourism and VisitScotland will continue to work with local industry and businesses to develop and deliver innovative initiatives to continue to grow the visitor economy.''