Petition launched to save Glasgow's O2 ABC from demolition

A petition has been launched online to save the O2 ABC, a concert and nightclub venue that has hosted acts including Chvrches, Lily Allen and Patti Smith since opening in 2005. That followed a major refit that ended the building’s incarnation as a cinema, with the last reel shown in 1999.

During its 143-year history, the C-listed Sauchiehall Street structure also housed a circus, dance hall and ice-skating facility.

Now music fans are fighting for its future after a bid was submitted to demolish the building for good.

Aerial images of the destruction of its unique green “tented” roof were circulated last summer after the flames that gutted the world-famous Mackintosh building at its rear also took hold in the ABC.

The incident happened as a DJ performed inside, and the venue was evacuated while fire fighters moved in on the site.

In the aftermath, managers hurried to postpone planned gigs and pledged to update music fans as soon as possible.

Eight months on, the cause of the blaze is not yet known and art school chair Muriel Gray has said she has “no regrets” over the running of that building, which was still undergoing £35 million refurbishment work following the previous 2014 fire at the time of June’s incident.

Last month, one fire expert told MSPs he was “incredibly puzzled” about why a fire suppression system that survived the first blaze had been removed.

The Mackintosh building blaze spread to the O2 ABC. Photograph: Paul Chappells

However, efforts are underway to rebuild the Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed building.

But a building warrant application has now been submitted to Glasgow City Council to “demolish the substantially fire damaged” ABC “in its entirety”.

Planners have now been tasked with considering its future, and their recommendations will be passed to councillors, who will make the final decision.

Meanwhile, music fans are petitioning the local authority to “save the O2 ABC”.

Around 1600 people had yesterday added their names to a list posted on the change.org website by petitioner Lesley Mitchell.

Referencing the growth of the student accommodation sector in the city, it states: “Plans have been submitted to fully demolish the iconic O2 ABC venue in Glasgow after it was ravaged by fire.

“The building appears to be structurally sound. Please consider saving the building and turning it back into an excellent music venue. We don’t want to see more student flats.”

One supporter said that “architecturally, musically and socially, this is a building to treasure”, while another called it “one of Glasgow’s finest and most loved venues”.

Another commented: “The ABC is a beautiful building, an absolute institution in Glasgow, and has served a vital purpose in various forms for entertainment for decades.

“The Glasgow public are sick of seeing our heritage being torn apart, piece by piece.”