The Old Queen's Park Changing Rooms to be leased to community group

Published: 27 April 2023

Glasgow City Council has today (27 April) approved a 25-year lease for South Seeds - a local community group that enables people to live more sustainable lives - to operate the Old Queen's Park Changing Rooms and land around it as a community garden and space to carry out associated facilities.

South Seeds will now run the building - which has lain vacant for over 20 years since its former use with the adjacent sports pitches - and some green space immediately beside it.

On the 0.1 hectare site, the group will create a fenced community garden with raised beds for the benefit of local residents, with continued group training and support provided in accordance the council's Food Growing Strategy. Activities such as skills workshops, exercise classes and gardening activities will take place, with South Seeds redeveloping - which will require partial demolition - and managing the Old Changing Rooms building.

There will be the option to sub-let a takeaway kiosk within the former pavilion building, and further space may be rented out on an hourly basis for use by local communities.

The granting of this lease has taken place through the People Make Glasgow Communities programme, which enables interested organisations, groups, and individuals to become involved in the delivery of local services and projects by operating and occupying venues in their communities. The beginning of negotiations with South Seeds on this lease was approved by the council in November 2022.

Councillor Ruari Kelly, Convener for Neighbourhood Services and Assets at Glasgow City Council, said: Councillor Ruari Kelly, Convener for Neighbourhood Services and Assets at Glasgow City Council, said: "South Seeds is a group who have been doing amazing community work and are now looking to bring new life to a building that has been unused for over twenty years.  The People Make Glasgow Communities programme is all about putting control in the hands of local people and this is just another example of how a dedicated group of people in a local neighbourhood can really make the most of a community asset."