Plans to redevelop the historic Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena in Glasgow have taken a step forward after councillors approved a report on its future.

A design team will now be appointed by Glasgow City Council to bring forward outline proposals for the first phase of a major refurbishment of the A-listed building that will include a new sports facility and a publicly accessible museums storage space. The project would cost in the region of £24.5m over a four-year period, subject to funding being secured.

Phase one of the redevelopment would include the creation of a state-of-the-art Glasgow Club and community sports centre, which would meet demand for indoor sports hall space and increase sporting and physical activity opportunities for the people of Glasgow. It would be one of largest and most advanced Glasgow Club facilities in the city.

In addition, a new shared museums collections facility would also be created providing a safe and secure home for a combined 1.5 million treasures from Glasgow’s civic collection, The Hunterian, and those of the Scottish Screen Archive held by the National Libraries of Scotland.

The council and Glasgow Life are working in partnership with the University of Glasgow on the plans. The project has already received a pass at the first stage from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), with a round two application to be submitted by October. Other funding bodies such as sportscotland are likely to be approached for support.

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After partner and other funding applications are taken into account, the council is expected to fund a maximum of 50% of the total cost of the project.

Kelvin Hall was home to the city’s Museum of Transport, before the Riverside Museum opened last year. Many of the major sporting events held in the venue over the years including the Aviva International Match and Glasgow World Cup Gymnastics will be relocated to the Commonwealth Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome when it opens in October this year.

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: "Kelvin Hall has a long and illustrious history as a sporting venue. Over the years it has witnessed some of the great sporting moments including world title boxing and world-class athletics meetings. At the same time it has also been home to some of our most valued civic treasures giving it a unique place in the hearts of Glaswegians.

"Our plans for the Kelvin Hall's redevelopment as a world-class sporting and cultural venue will reinforce its status as one of our city's most loved buildings. Its prime location, sheer size and flexibility gives us a genuine opportunity to add to the city's already extensive sporting and cultural network. That is something we are determined to capitalise on.

"While many of the sporting events that have been held at the Kelvin Hall over the years will relocate to the Commonwealth Arena later this year, the facility's redevelopment gives us a fantastic opportunity to leave a lasting legacy for the people of Glasgow for years to come."

It is envisaged that the second phase of the project will include further publically accessible spaces. The redeveloped Kelvin Hall’s location, adjacent to Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery would create, in conjunction with the nearby Riverside Museum, a vibrant museum quarter in the west end of Glasgow.

The redevelopment of Kelvin Hall would also add to the value of the surrounding council-owned land. The possibility of marketing land for the development a hotel adjacent to the site is being explored.

(GK)