By Bill Heaney
Project Scotland, a building industry magazine, is reporting that work is underway on the regeneration of Glencairn House in Dumbarton High Street into a new library and museum.
This is despite the fact that public opposition to the plan has been growing in the local community and a similar project by West Dunbartonshire Council costing £millions has proved to be a failure at Clydebank Burgh Hall.
Clark Contracts is leading the £7.2 million Glencairn House project on behalf of the Council, with it being one of three developments forming part of the £19.9 million levelling up award made to the council by the UK Government.
According to the Council spin doctors, the refurbishment of historic Glencairn House will see the dark, crumbling old building overhauled into a ‘state-of-the-art’ facility.
The plan includes the construction of a three-storey extension to create extra space to house the library and museum.
This proposed extension has received little or no public mention in the run-up to approval for the building which is contiguous with Quay Pend.
The property, which has arch windows, has lain vacant on and off for many years will undergo a “meticulous restoration of the existing structure while preserving its historic elements”.
The Project Scotland magazine states that as well as dedicated spaces for children and families, it will provide access to computers, quiet study areas, and relaxed meetings spaces.
It will overlook the inevitably noisy open air beer garden of the Captain James Lang hostelry, formerly Woolworths.
A publicity blurb states that a children’s library pavilion will also be created at the back of the building, opening out onto a library garden centred on the existing tree which will become the garden’s ‘storytelling tree’.
That’s the one behind the charity shop on the former site of the public toilets in Quay Street.
Project Scotland has strayed into areas unrelated to building matters and refers to museum displays will be integrated throughout, featuring key objects from the council’s museum, archive, and local history collections that tell stories of Dumbarton.
Items on display will include some of the oldest in the council’s collection, including a Roman medallion from 193AD and the bronze ‘Skellat Bell’ from around 900AD.
Dame Jackie Baillie MSP, left, who helped the council to attract attention to the poorly supported public consultation exercise, said: “These ambitious plans for the landmark Glencairn House, will see it brought back into use for the people of Dumbarton.
“The refurbishment of this historic venue, which has a long-standing place in the town’s history, will see it once again become a central feature of public life.
“It is right that it will house many of the artefacts relating to the rich history of Dumbarton and her people.
“I welcome this redevelopment, which will bring Glencairn House back into the heart of the community, funded through the UK Government’s Levelling Up cash.”
Councillor David McBride, convener of infrastructure, regeneration, and economic development, is quoted as saying: “This is a real milestone not just for the redevelopment of Glencairn House but also for the town of Dumbarton, as a whole.”
He repeats the fact that the building has been vacant for a number of years and that it “is central to the High Street and its refurbishment will breathe new life into the town centre, right in the heart of our community.
“These ambitious plans will ensure we have a fit-for-purpose facility that will also recognise and preserve the significant history of Glencairn House.”
It would be remarkable if this project on which more than £7 million is being spent were not “a fit-for-purpose facility”.
Opposition to the Glencairn House project has been opposed by a significant number of local people , including a member of the Library staff, who does not wish to be named, who told me: “This is more likely to be a millstone rather than a milestone.
“We have a perfectly adequate library at the moment in Strathleven Place, which was gifted to the old Burgh of Dumbarton by Andrew Carnegie.
“I thought this ‘levelling up’ money was to be used to regenerate the concrete monstrosity that is Dumbarton Town Centre.
“Perhaps they will call it the Boris Johnston Library? After all it was Boris who came up with the idea of levelling up fund and the money came from Westminster.
“The Glencairn House library will do little or nothing to make improvements to the town centre. It looks to me like yet another glorified cafe which will do little or nothing to improve the High Street.”
Top picture: Glencairn House, front looking on to High Street and back looking out to the Quay.