Work set to start on compulsory purchase plans for eyesore Talisman pub in Springburn

Legal preparations for the purchase will start if council officers get the backing of city councillors next week.

It would be carried out if the owner does not demolish the derelict building or agree to sell to the council.

The Balgrayhill Road site has been described by the council as a “visual and environmental blight” on the area, which poses “a potential danger to the community”.

Councillor Ruairi Kelly chairs the contracts and property committee, which will consider the plans on Thursday.

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He said: “The condition of this former pub has been a blight on Springburn for too long now, and the demolition of the building and the redevelopment of the site would be a key contribution to the area’s regeneration.

“The council will do everything in its power to make this happen, and community wellbeing will be at the forefront of our decision-making."

Previous talks around the sale of council-owned land near the pub to the owner to allow for the redevelopment of the area, which included a condition to see the Talisman demolished, have failed.

Each time, the owner has failed to comply and the council has withdrawn from the agreement, the council say. The site’s owner also owns the nearby shopping parade.

The Springburn Regeneration Forum, led by Springburn Community Council, was formed in March last year, and has called for derelict buildings in the area, including the Talisman, to be redeveloped.

Council officers have had discussions with the owner’s agent and report they are “not inclined to sell” and have “stated an intention to redevelop the site”.

The owner has been granted a demolition warrant.

Bob Doris, SNP MSP, said: “The Springburn community has had to endure the blight of the Talisman for far too long.

“Confirmation that the council intends to pursue a CPO if the owner does not demolish this eyesore is therefore very welcome news.

“I am delighted to see the city government take this positive step and look forward to further details, including a timescale in due course.”

And local SNP councillor Christina Cannon added: “The Talisman pub has been lying derelict for longer than than I’ve been alive – that shows the complete lack of attention that Springburn has been afforded over the last few decades.

“Now that officers have begun work on a compulsory purchase order, we may finally see this blight removed.”

Labour’s Aileen McKenzie, also a Springburn councillor, said: “It’s great to see after decades of negotiations, and much work from many elected members and community activists that a CPO may finally be granted and the eyesore that has blighted the community can be demolished.”

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SNP councillor Graham Campbell, who represents the area, said the establishment of a community hub in Springburn Shopping Centre had been a “key factor in getting us to this point”.

“Without the community lead pressure, we would be no further along and it is down to their hard work that the council are taking these measures,” he said.

Anne McLaughlin, SNP MP, said she had supported research which “advocated for a new regeneration strategy based on an asset-based community development approach”.

“It’s ironic that Talisman means an object that brings good luck, when this eyesore and dereliction of duty has blighted Springburn for so long.

“Finally, action is being taken and it may just live up to its name!”

Former Labour Glasgow North East MP, Paul Sweeney, said he was concerned the building warrant “may be a cynical attempt to thwart” a compulsory purchase.

He added there has been no success over 20 years “due to lack of cooperation from the owner” and the Scottish Government’s “failure to bring in Compulsory Sale Orders last year”.

Mr Sweeney said a CPO is “still a long way off but I hope a resolution” can be found.