Work begins to transform former school into luxury flats

Work has begun to transform a Victorian era school near Great Western Road into flats which will deliver 50 new homes in the area.

Napiershall Street School is set to be transformed with the building first opening almost 125 years ago before its closure in the 1980s.

Kelvin Properties have been tasked with turning the former school building into 24 apartments while retaining many of the schools period features which includes the staircase and central atrium. There will also be 25 homes in an L-shaped new-build.

One of the standout features about this building will be the newly installed residents’ rooftop garden designed for outdoor dining, socialising, exercise and wellness with there also being children’s play areas. All of the apartments are set to be heated and powered by a ground source heat technology, meaning there will be no use of gas within the development.

Biodiversity is also a focus of the project as the developer is to include the likes of bug hotels, bird boxes, pollinating plants, and a comprehensive planting strategy.

Land director at Kelvin Properties, Andrew Duncan said: “This development is central to our mission to invest and build in Glasgow, turning former buildings on brownfield sites in and around the city centre into thriving residential communities where it’s viable to do so.

“The retention and sensitive restoration of the school building are integral to our plans which were unanimously approved by Glasgow City Council and received tremendous feedback at the planning committee.

“While the former school is not a listed building, we feel strongly that retaining this excellent, structurally sound, building, is the right thing to do.

“We are restoring many of the old school’s features which made this building so special, while developing new high-quality outdoor spaces, including the rooftop garden that will be key to fostering a thriving community within the development.

“Given the shortage of supply in Glasgow’s West End, we expect there to be significant demand when sales launch early next year.”

The work is hoped to be finished by 2025 with the sales of flats launching next spring.