Object the demolition of former Langside & Shawlands United Free Church
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Crolpia Ltd. have applied to Glasgow City Council for planning permission, seeking full demolition of the existing single-storey church building and attached hall.
I have a series of objections to this proposed development which I have set out in my letter to Glasgow City Council below. If you agree, then please submit your own letter to Glasgow City Council citing the reference number 26/00003/FUL at: planning.representations@glasgow.gov.uk
The full text of my objection letter is below. You are welcome to use any or all parts of it in drafting your own letter to Glasgow City Council. The deadline for objections is Monday 9 March 2026.
Sarah Shaw
Head of Planning and Chief Planning Officer
Glasgow City Council
Planning and Building Standards
231 George Street
Glasgow
G1 1RX
By email: planning.representations@glasgow.gov.uk
Objection to Planning Application 26/00003/FUL – Demolition of former Langside & Shawlands United Free Church and erection of flatted residential development (15 units) at 17 Millwood Street, Shawlands, Glasgow G41 3JY
Dear Ms Shaw,
I write to formally object to the above application submitted by Crolpia Ltd. The proposal seeks full demolition of the existing single-storey church building and attached hall, constructed in the interwar period (opened and dedicated in 1934) in a simple rectangular form with Gothic influences, including a distinctive large arched window to the principal elevation.
The building's facade, particularly the prominent red sandstone gable and detailing, forms an important part of the local streetscape on Millwood Street, where it sits adjacent to characteristic Glasgow tenement blocks.
While I acknowledge the pressures for new residential development in this popular and accessible neighbourhood, and the application's intention to re-use salvaged stonework, timbers, and slate where possible, I believe full demolition is unnecessary and contrary to good placemaking principles under City Development Plan Policy 1: The Placemaking Principle.
The red sandstone facade—evident in its warm, textured stonework and gabled form—contributes positively to the area's heritage character and provides a visual anchor at this corner site. Its use of Dumfriesshire red sandstone demonstrates the church's later development in the 1930s, reflecting the shift to imported red sandstone as Glasgow's dominant building material during the early 20th century, as opposed to the earlier local blond sandstone predominant in many Victorian structures.
Retaining and incorporating this facade would allow for adaptive reuse or partial integration, preserving local distinctiveness—including this evidence of the area's architectural evolution—while enabling new housing. I therefore urge the Council to refuse consent for full demolition and instead require a revised scheme that retains the red sandstone facade (including the principal gable and arched elements) as a key feature of the street frontage.
This delivers a more sympathetic design for the new flatted development, emulating the scale, massing, materials, and detailing of the adjacent tenements along Millwood Street and Deanston Drive. These tenements are constructed in blond sandstone (the lighter, cream/yellow local stone typical of many earlier Glasgow buildings) as well as red sandstone in places, reflecting the historic transition in building materials across the Southside.
The new build should incorporate matching red sandstone or complementary blonde sandstone or matching red or yellow brick with appropriately coloured mortar joints to ensure visual continuity, harmony with the established built form, and avoidance of abrupt material contrasts or overly dominant modern insertions.
Such an approach would better align with Glasgow’s City Development Plan policies on protecting and enhancing local character, promoting high-quality contextual design, and supporting sustainable reuse of existing structures where feasible under City Development Plan Policy 9: Historic Environment. It would also respond to community concerns about the cumulative loss of non-designated but locally valued buildings in Shawlands, which contribute to the neighbourhood's identity and sense of place.
Full demolition risks eroding the subtle historic layering of this urban streetscape—where blond and red sandstone tenements coexist alongside later interwar elements like this church—and sets an undesirable precedent for similar sites, particularly with an increasing number of historic church closures taking place across the city.
I respectfully request that officers assess the proposal against these considerations and, if necessary, seek amended drawings from the applicant demonstrating facade retention and material matching to the adjacent blond and red sandstone tenements.
I therefore urge that officers recommend refusal of the currently proposed poor-quality design due to the adverse impact it would have on placemaking and built heritage.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Sweeney MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Region
(Scottish Labour and Co-operative Party)
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