Play Drome in Clydebank: Site of former leisure centre set to be sold for more than £5m

Members of a key West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) committee will be asked to approve the sale of the site on Abbotsford Road for more than £5 million at a meeting later this month.

A report prepared for the authority’s infrastructure, regeneration and economic development committee (IRED) recommends the site should be sold to Miller Homes for 116 three-bedroom houses.

If approved by IRED members, the sale is expected to net the council £5.675 million.

The Play Drome closed in 2017 on the opening of the new Clydebank Leisure Centre at Queens Quay, and demolition was completed in October 2021.

In December 2020, prior to the start of demolition work, a video was posted on the ‘Urbandoned’ YouTube channel showing ‘urban explorers’ entering and exploring the derelict building.

A screenshot from the 'Urbandoned' YouTube video posted in December 2020 and showing the Play Drome's interior after the building closed

The news comes after two failed attempts to sell the site for non-residential use.

Supermarket chain Tesco was originally earmarked as the preferred developer, but they later withdrew – and a subsequent attempt to sell the site to Henry Boot Developments also fell through.

The report’s author states: “At the closing date, six proposals were received from developers, three of which were non-compliant bids, as they did not contain minimum guaranteed price.

“Capital offers ranged from £2,685,000 to £5,675,300. All of the proposals that were submitted presented housing developments.

“The proposed design is currently for 116 residential units with a mix of three bedroom units including townhouses and canal frontage.”

Members of the IRED committee will be asked to approve the sale of the site when they meet on Wednesday, February 16.