The city has lost many beloved boozers that no longer exist over the years

For generations of Scots, Glasgow city centre has been the place to go for a lively and memorable night out.

While times may have drastically changed when it comes to modern day pubs and bars, the love for a night out in Glasgow has not.

It’s no secret that enjoying a tipple or two in Scotland is a big part of our culture. As Glasgow is the biggest city in the country, there have been plenty of beloved pubs and bars to choose from over the years.

However, many of these celebrated boozers are now just a distant memory, replaced with newer establishments, though many will still fondly remember the nights out they spent in them.

Much like the lost Glasgow restaurants that have closed their doors over the years, many of these old historical pubs and bars that were once so important in the city no longer exist.

This is with the exception of very few who have managed to withstand the test of time including Sloans on Argyle Street and the Saracen Head on 209 Gallowgate.

Rewinding back to simpler times, here are some popular Glasgow pubs around in the 1980s that are sure to evoke some nostalgia. Do you remember any of them?

The Jedi Bar

The Jedi Bar, better known as Bar Jedi, was Glasgow’s first Star Wars themed boozer that fans will certainly remember.

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The revolutionary ‘space bar’, which opened in the 80’s on North Street in the Charing Cross area of the city, came after galactic city neighbour Buck Rogers’ Burger Station, which promised visitors the chance to ‘Eat in the 25th century’.

On the outside were two huge ‘starship’ engines and inside, a 20ft Darth Vader Helmet with TV screens showing stars whizzing past that were hooked up to game consoles.

The Jedi Bar used to have a weekly house night on a Saturday called Bughouse, as well as an afternoon jams open stage featuring music, poetry and comedy.

The bar shut its doors in 2002 and was replaced with the The Halcyon Bar. Today, it is now known as Chinaski’s.

Old College Bar

The Old College Bar was claimed to have been the oldest pub in Glasgow when it shut its doors in 2021 and it’s safe to say it was a tough one for the locals to take.

Located on High Street since the early 19th century, the historic pub tragically sustained damage during a fire which ripped through several buildings in May 2021 and was demolished shortly afterwards.

On the front of the building was a plaque that claimed the title of Glasgow’s oldest pub, dating back to the 1570s.

However, this was said to be a false date which was put in place simply to “boost business”. Nonetheless, it’s a very missed drinking joint.

The Iron Horse

The Iron Horse on West Nile Street was once one of the oldest bars in Glasgow.

The historical pub, which first opened in the 1870s and was previously known as The Empire, had an incredible 148-year run up until it shut its doors in February 2020, just weeks before the Covid pandemic broke out.

The demolition of the bar which was frequently visited by the Tartan Army to celebrate Scotland games was a huge loss to the city.

At the time, football fans ran petitions to save it but it was ultimately knocked down to make way for a £30M hotel development.

The hotel was never built and there is still no confirmation of what will take its place.

The Burns Howff

Located on West Regent Street in the city centre, years before other live music venues like the Hydro and 02 Academy, this was Glasgow’s original and best live music joint.

The Burns Howff opened its doors on Fair Friday on July 28 in 1967 and had an amazing 17 year run until it closed its doors back in 1984.

At the time, it was among a circle of popular music pubs in Glasgow such as Archies, Rock Garden and Amphora.

It also served as a vital cultural launchpad for Scottish musicians and bands during the 60s, 70s and early 80s.

While it’s now been shut for over three decades, the Howff’s legacy lives on thanks to a dedicated Facebook group where plenty of former regulars keep the bar’s memory alive with stores and photos of the beloved Glasgow insitution.

The Admiral

The original Admiral Bar on Waterloo Street shut its doors forever in 2023 after it was announced developers had submitted plans to turn the much-loved pub into a café, leaving locals devastated.

The bar had been operating for over 60 years after first opening in 1969. Thankfully, the bar reopened down the road and now operates as the much-loved bar, the Admiral Woods.

However, like they say, you can never really beat the original.

In a summer with much discourse about a Greek mythical figure (Odysseus), here is the translation of a book that uses another, Medea. In this instance Medea is relocated to contemporary Mexico. A powerful presence who rolls up in a custom-painted modified car, dressed in black with snake tattoos, Medea is an “iconic, queen of the barrio” there to motivate, impel, and facilitate characters who find themselves at major turning points.

Medea Sang Me a Corrido by Mexican writer Dahlia de la Cerda is translated by Julia Sanches and Heather Cleary. The book is made up of six interconnected narratives. The last of which is a concluding reflection by Medea on what she has just intervened in, witnessed, and experienced. Each story is riven with complexity and told with compelling efficiency by the characters themselves. To understand this lively, powerful book it is useful to know two key terms: Aztlán and corridos.

The six stories are set in a fictional mid-sized city, San Miguelito, in Aztlán. A mythical space, Aztlán is seen by some as a spiritual homeland. Since the 1960s, Mexican-American activists have used the idea of Aztlán to express their shared cultural identity and to argue that Mexican-Americans in the US remained connected to people and communities in Mexico, despite the border separating them. This idea has a basis in historical truth, the territory is believed to have been inhabited by the Aztecs and covered large parts of modern-day southern US down to central Mexico.

This specificity of place combined with mythical elements is evocative and powerful at a moment of wall-building and violent separations in the region. Medea finds in Aztlán a place of “violence and resistance in equal measure” and of healing where she can speak openly:

“In Aztlán, a woman can cry or scream in pain or sing from happiness; she can feel everything or nothing, and there will always be someone there to validate her experience.”

Medea is a figure in all of the stories and the final story is her corrido (ballad) of sorts. This story pulls out the key beats, teachings, and takeaways from the preceding five stories and interweaves them with her biography and stay in Aztlán.

Corridos are a ballad form with Spanish medieval roots. Conventionally, they are heroic narratives and a distinctly Mexican style that evolved after independence in the 19th century and were valuable fireside listening for troops during the Mexican revolution. They are often centred on wily Robin Hood-esque underdogs fighting for the common good who get the better of corrupt authorities. Some corridos address women, but few are by women.

De la Cerda compares Medea’s corrido to the epic form in how it explores the human impact of violence by homing in on the particular. She is not interested in emulating narcocorridos, which tend to glamorise criminal drug-related activities. Instead, she tells the stories of how ordinary people survive under systems of such violence. For Medea, to sing a corrido indicates her agentic role in these stories as a roving non-conforming figure outside of society’s conventions and norms.

The recurrence of Medea in each story has led some to refer to this book as a novel. This is not accurate because each story could stand alone, but it is a testament to the narrative coherence that de la Cerda aspires to in her writing.

The connecting thread is woven together using a version of the Medea myth centred on her being a mala madre (bad mother) who murdered her own children and refuses to let their father, Jason, bury them.

Medea is an unsettling figure. The murder and disappearance of children have impacted so many and caused deep trauma in Mexico, which makes Medea a compelling figure for de la Cerda. Therefore, this Medea, who has capacity for terrible violence, acts as an uneasy companion to the characters. In the stories there are births, abortions, and deaths, loss and hope.

It is a book that is deliberately layered with references. There is a rich musical score that is intended to conjure a precise soundscape as the stories name nostalgic hits to contemporary popular music. This is an integral part of the world building of the stories and gives a sense of its intended primary readership.

In interviews, de la Cerda has described her work with prisoners on literacy and reading programmes and has asserted that she has written these stories with those new learners in mind. That is, the references are accessible and so too is the language. That is not to say it is simplistic, but it has a clarity of purpose and is a lively evocation of authentic lived experiences.

The translators, Julia Sanches and Heather Cleary, have spoken about how they have met the challenge of de la Cerda’s stylistic and linguistic dexterity through their work on this and on her previous collection, Reservoir Bitches (2005).

The books is written using raw, informal Mexican street slang and vernacular in order to capture the real voices the people she represents. Sanches and Cleary have adeptly conveyed the original using equivalences where appropriate, or retaining Spanish language words to invite the reader towards the specificity of the people and places of the stories in Medea Sang Me a Corrido.

De la Cerda lands the character’s voice brilliantly and precisely locates them in their place, time, and cultural milieu. These are realist stories full of tragedy and comedy, mutual aid and compassion, love and death. They all make for compelling reading.

This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something, The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

Keeley Hawes shared some rare snaps with her husband Matthew Macfadyen as they holidayed in Turkey. 

The couple enjoyed a stay at the five-star hotel The Peninsula in Istanbul, with the actress, 50, sharing highlights from her trip on Instagram.

In one photo, the couple put on a cosy display as they headed out to sea on a boat trip. 

Keeley looked effortlessly stylish in a white and blue patterned co-ord and kept cool with a baseball cap and sunglasses. 

The Bodyguard star also uploaded a photo of Matthew, 51, as they had a romantic dinner date. 

The couple met on the set of Spooks 24 years ago in 2002. 

Keeley looked effortlessly stylish in a white and blue patterned co-ord and kept cool with a baseball cap and sunglasses

In November, the pair celebrated 21 years of marriage, with Keeley taking to Instagram with a selection of loved-up snaps, in what became one of her most liked posts, as she penned: ’21 years. No notes. Love you with all my heart.’

Speaking to You Magazine, she said: ‘It doesn’t feel like 21 years, by any means. We just sort of have a nice time. And also, you become more relaxed [as you get older]. 

‘It would be weird to have a marriage where things don’t go up and down occasionally in 21 years, but we’re very happy.’ 

Explaining it is the simple things that have resulted in their lasting relationship she said that now their children have left home they make sure to do things together, particularly travelling and spending time with each other. 

Yet their road to happily ever after was by no means smooth sailing, with Matthew previously describing the moment he fell in love with Keeley as ‘awful’.   

At the time Keeley, who was then 26, was newly married to DJ Spencer McCallum, with whom she shares 25-year-old son Myles. 

Speaking to the Mail On Sunday in 2005, Matthew confessed he was in turmoil when he first met Keeley as he realised he had feelings for a married woman. 

He explained: ‘It was awful because I realised I’d fallen for her. We weren’t having an affair and it was a slow process. But I knew the effect she had on me. She’s gorgeous. Everyone who meets her will tell you the same thing.’

The couple enjoyed a stay at the five-star hotel The Peninsula in Istanbul, with the actress, 50, sharing highlights from her trip on Instagram

Keeley also shared a snap of fishermen 

At first Keeley and Matthew struck up a friendship, with the actress also insisting that nothing happened between them until her marriage ended, saying: ‘I’m sure nobody would believe we never had an affair but we really didn’t.’ 

Speaking about the fairytale moment they first said the L word, Keeley recalled: ‘Matthew just came straight out with it and said “I love you” in the rain one day. I thought, “Oh dear, here we go.”’ 

Choosing to leave her marriage, Keeley’s divorce from Spencer was finalised in 2004 but Keeley has revealed there is no bad blood with her ex, explaining: ‘Spencer and I were best friends before we married, and we’ve managed to stay that way. 

‘Happily, both my husband and my ex-husband get along brilliantly. They are both generous people, to each other and to the children.’

In November 2004, she wed Matthew after the pair eloped. 

Matt recalled: ‘We rang a mate each to come along as witnesses and people brought little throwaway cameras to take pictures. 

‘I read a poem and Keeley cried her eyes out. It was wonderful and romantic.

‘Keeley was heavily pregnant with our daughter and the whole thing seemed perfect to me… To get married, celebrate my 30th and then become a father, in quick succession, was fantastic.’

They welcomed their first child, daughter Maggie, the following month, and their son Ralph two years later in 2006. 

Politicians and academics have called the sudden death of former Cambridge professor Jason Arday a tragedy as Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there should be a ‘moment for reflection’.

And a Cambridge University colleague movingly revealed earlier that Mr Arday had told him ‘I just cannot go on’ hours before his death.

He was found unresponsive at his home in Battersea, south-west London, shortly after 3pm yesterday.

It came after a tumultuous few weeks in which fellow dons had questioned if the 41-year-old academic’s work was original.

It had also prompted an examination of his previous academic posts.

As questions mounted from academics, journalists and broadcasters, Mr Arday resigned from his prestigious role.

He had been Cambridge University’s youngest ever black professor, having been appointed a professor of sociology of education in March 2023.

But after a succession of questions about his past achievements, he quit on August 5.

Cambridge University announced it had ‘begun an investigation following new information about Mr Arday’s academic qualifications and honorary appointments’. Jesus College, where he was a fellow, also launched an investigation.

Mr Burnham said on a visit to Cornwall today: ‘It’s a tragedy on so many levels but particularly for everybody who knew Jason, his family and his friends.

‘We think of them. It is not a moment for any rushing to judgment. It’s a moment for reflection on how things came to this – a really sad, sad and sorry state of affairs. Today we must think of Jason and his contribution and his family and friends.’

Shadow communities secretary Sir James Cleverly said: ‘The death of Jason Arday is tragic, and makes me so angry.

‘Even the most casual observer could see he was a vulnerable fantasist.

‘A number of people at a number of academic institutions have serious questions to answer. They put him into positions he was clearly not qualified for so they could have a black wunderkind to show off, they pushed him into the spotlight for their own benefit.

‘His exposure was inevitable, a case of when, not if.

‘His whole world fell apart.’

In a statement issued by his publisher Simon & Schuster UK, Mr Arday’s family said they were ‘in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son’ but accused his critics of ‘abuse’ and a ‘campaign of misinformation’.

Others accused his critics of racism and said he would not have been subject to the same level of scrutiny if he was white.

Speaking to the BBC, Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, a professor of psychology and psychiatry, said Mr Arday had sent him a ‘last voice note’ with the poignant message on the morning of his death.

Professor Baron-Cohen, a Fellow of Trinity College, who directs the university’s Autism Research Centre and is a cousin of actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, said Mr Arday ‘really was not coping’ since his resignation from Cambridge University just over a week ago after the university announced it would investigate allegations of plagiarism made against him.

‘He wasn’t coping with the loss of his career and his reputation.

‘He felt that he could not go on. He used those words in voice notes and WhatsApp messages to me yesterday morning,’ Professor Baron-Cohen, who said he was ‘still reeling from this awful news’, told Radio 4’s Today programme.

Mr Arday had denied allegations against him and said he was leaving the university because of the ‘toll on him of the relentless allegations’.

‘This is not the end of my work. It is just the end of this chapter. I need time to heal and to simply be myself again and when that time comes, I will return,’ he wrote in his resignation letter.

The allegations against him, which had been swirling for some time in the academic world, centred on whether he had copied chunks of his first major piece of research – his PhD – from another academic without properly crediting them.

Liverpool John Moores University, where he studied for his doctorate, originally investigated the plagiarism claims but said Mr Arday’s qualification still stood.

Nevertheless, passages of his PhD were published on social media by another academic last month alongside the ‘copied’ work, reigniting the debate.

This led to Mr Arday’s other academic work being re-examined along with his record in previous posts at Durham and Glasgow as well as his personal biographical details.

His appointment at just 37 in 2023 had been hailed as remarkable, not least because of his astonishing life story which was lauded by the academic community.

But the details of his life as an autistic man with learning difficulties who had developed academically late and had also undertaken incredible fundraising feats including running 30 marathons in 35 days started to unravel.

In recent days, former classmates have even challenged his claims in his memoir that he was non-verbal until he was 11.

However, paying tribute to Mr Arday, who he called ‘a vulnerable autistic man’, Professor Baron-Cohen said: ‘He was an incredibly kind and gentle, caring and generous man.’

But asked whether he should have been beyond scrutiny over the ‘veracity of what he had done’ because of potential vulnerabilities, Professor Baron-Cohen said he was ‘not saying that he should not be investigated’.

‘Jason believed that there was a racist playbook to discredit black academics at universities and accusations of plagiarism were used to try and bring down black academics,’ he said.

‘He believed that these racist attacks wouldn’t stop until he had lost his career and his reputation.’

He added: ‘What he was saying to me was “they’ve destroyed my life” – it’s not clear who they were but I think he was referring to the media.

‘The personal attacks on him have been so immense.’

Professor Baron-Cohen said he had been to Liverpool John Moores with Mr Arday when the accusations were investigated in February this year and ‘they concluded that the accusation was not proven but rather he had made honest and reasonable errors’.

And he accused former Cambridge professor Nathan Cofnas, who is currently at Ghent University in Belgium, of ‘re-opening’ the allegations by posting the passages from Mr Arday’s PhD online, accusing him of ‘using him as a lightning rod to examine the policy of DEI [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion]’.

He also appeared to criticise Cambridge for initially leaving the investigation to Liverpool John Moores, who had awarded Mr Arday his PhD, before announcing ‘just nine days ago that they would conduct their own investigation into the plagiarism accusation and into his appointment’.

He said the university’s decision had severely affected Mr Arday.

‘Poor Jason felt he had no choice but to resign and in the last ten days I have witnessed his mental health getting worse and worse.’

However, he insisted: ‘We need to let the investigation proceed and we need to understand how this tragedy has happened, but there has to be accountability at lots of levels.’

University of Cambridge vice-chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice said the faculty where he worked was ‘desperately saddened’ to learn of his death.

‘Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time,’ she said.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell said she was ‘deeply shocked and saddened’ and urged people to ‘remember there are real people with loved ones involved’.

This is due to works being carried out to repair the embankment

Speed restrictions could remain in place along a major Cambridgeshire motorway until the end of 2027. This is due to works being carried out to repair the embankment along a section of the M11 southbound.

The repairs are located around Junction 14. National Highways said these works are to “keep it safe”. It is being carried out using narrow lanes and reduced speed limits. This began from July 2026 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2027, meaning it could last up to around 17 or 18-months.

Speed restrictions as low as 40mph and 50mph have been in place on both the northbound and southbound sides of the M11 leading into the works. This is whilst safety works to the central barrier are taking place.

A National Highways spokesperson said: “We will be carrying out repairs to the embankment along a small section of the southbound M11 around junction 14 to keep it safe.

“The work will be carried out using narrow lanes and reduced speed limits to minimise disruption from July 2026, and we expect this to be completed by the end of 2027.”

He said that he is ‘devastated’ for his friends and family

The Mayor of London has spoken out about the death of Cambridge University professor Jason Arday. The Metropolitan Police said officers attended Daley Thompson Way in Battersea, where the academic Jason Arday lived, on Friday afternoon (August 14).

It was there a 41-year-old man was found “unresponsive” and later pronounced dead at the scene. The force said: “police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 15:12hrs on Friday, 14 August following a report that a man had been found unresponsive inside a property on Daley Thompson Way, SW8.

“Sadly, a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by officers.” In a statement, University of Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice said: “We are desperately saddened to hear this tragic news. Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.”

Prof Arday, a professor of sociology of education who became Cambridge’s youngest black professor in 2023, quit following a series of media reports alleging he plagiarised his PhD thesis – completed at Liverpool John Moores University – and other research.

Further questions were asked in the press about the truth of other claims he made, including saying he ran 600 miles in six days and that he had raised £5.5 million for charity. An investigation at Liverpool John Moores University cleared Prof Arday of wrongdoing.

Durham and Glasgow universities are investigating the circumstances around Prof Arday’s appointment to academic posts there and Cambridge’s Jesus College has accepted his resignation from his fellowship, according to Prof Prentice. The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said that Jason faced “an unacceptable public hounding”, and that his death is “a tragedy”.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “I’m devastated for the family and friends of Jason Arday. He faced an unacceptable public hounding and campaign of abuse. I know many Londoners will be angry and upset this evening.

“Jason Arday was the victim of a pernicious public shaming that other people in his position simply wouldn’t have faced. His death was a tragedy, but once again it should be a wake up call for all of us.”

Mr Flynn, who is now the cabinet secretary for economy, tourism and transport, was asked if Ms Sturgeon’s departure from the party and her comments had affected the party hierarchy’s relationship with the former first minister and if people were “annoyed” with her comments.

Andy Burnham said the UK needs to “guarantee our own food production going forward” as farmers face one of their toughest summers in decades.

His comments came as the Government announced a £65 million support package for farmers, including extra funding for environmental schemes and new on-farm reservoirs.

Farmers across the country have been hit by prolonged hot, dry weather and a lack of rainfall, with many crops being harvested early while others have suffered lower yields and poorer quality.

The UK experienced its driest July on record, adding to concerns that reduced harvests could eventually push up food prices in supermarkets.

Burnham visited a family-run potato farm near Truro, Cornwall, where he met National Farmers’ Union president Tom Bradshaw and saw the impact of drought conditions first-hand.

Speaking to broadcasters, Burnham said: “I realise we’ve got a long way to go to build back trust with the farming community across the country.”

He added: “I think it’s probably been the hardest summer for British farming in a generation.”

The Prime Minister said food and farming should be treated as a matter of national resilience.

“I see food and farming as part of national resilience, national infrastructure,” he said.

“We need to be able to guarantee our own food production going forward.”

£65m farming support package

The Government said the £65 million package will help farmers dealing with the immediate impact of the drought while also improving resilience against future dry summers.

Of the funding:

• £50 million will be added to this year’s Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) pot.
• £15 million will support farmers building on-farm reservoirs.

The measures are designed to help farmers get water to crops, feed livestock where grass has failed and continue environmental work without being left financially worse off.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham sees potatoes being sorted during a visit to F G Pryor & Son Ltd, Colwyn Farm near Truro, Cornwall. (Image: James Manning)

Farmers will also be given more flexibility within environmental schemes.

Where grass is scarce, farmers who normally cannot graze or cut certain areas being managed for wildlife will be allowed to use them without losing their payments.

Burnham said: “With the parched nature of the fields, it’s really important that they can use all of the available land to graze cattle and livestock and sheep.”

He described the package as “new money coming from Defra budgets” and said it was intended as a “sign of intent” for the farming industry.

NFU President Tom Bradshaw welcomes the government’s drought package announced today, which includes £65m of investment into the SFI and water infrastructure.

This is an important step to help some farmers better manage the severe pressures they are battling caused by sustained… pic.twitter.com/w5EojbP7Gr

— National Farmers’ Union (@NFUtweets) August 14, 2026

Farmers warn crisis is happening now

However, NFU president Tom Bradshaw said the measures were a “really welcome start”, while warning that they would not solve the immediate crisis facing farmers.

He said: “It doesn’t affect the crisis today.”

“Many farms are absolutely on edge because of a disastrous harvest,” Bradshaw added.

“Fields that should be green are now brown. They’re feeding their winter rations out in the field now, and they’re also exposed to disease.”

He said the environmental funding could help improve resilience in the longer term, but added: “It doesn’t help today.”

Bradshaw described the current conditions as “probably the most extreme challenge that many have ever faced within their farms”, with farmers dealing with what he called the worst drought in 50 years.

“We have to work together with the government to try to make sure that all of those farms are still in business in 12 months’ time, so that then we can plan strategically for the future,” he said.

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The Government has faced months of anger from farmers, including major protests over plans to introduce inheritance tax on agricultural and business assets.

The proposed threshold was later increased to £2.5 million in a pre-Christmas U-turn.

Now, with extreme weather adding another major challenge for the sector, the Government faces renewed pressure to rebuild its relationship with farmers.

Budgens has opened in Woodthorpe, replacing Morrisons Daily which shut up shop on August 1 as part of the chain’s cost-cutting measures. The move left locals without access to essential counter services for two weeks.

After a swift transition, the new Budgens store celebrated its grand opening on Moorcroft Road, attended by local residents and Dringhouses and Woodthorpe Liberal Democrat Councillor Stephen Fenton, who cut the ceremonial ribbon.

Budgens Woodthorpe (Image: Provided) (Image: (Image: Provided))

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Councillor Fenton said: “The Budgens team have done a fantastic job getting the store fully stocked and ready for business so soon after Morrisons closed their store.

“It was great to see so many local residents coming into the store this morning, which shows that it is a much-valued facility, particularly for those residents who can’t easily get to a larger supermarket.

“There are further improvements to be made to the exterior of the store, and the Post Office counter will be up and running in a few weeks once the onboarding process has been completed. Things are definitely looking up in Woodthorpe!”

More than 360 resident had backed a petition calling on Post Office Ltd to retain counter services in Woodthorpe.

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The existing four-storey building will be extended with two additional floors

A four-storey office building in a Cambridgeshire city will be extended to make way for new apartments. MJS Construction LTD sought permission from Peterborough City Council to extend and convert the “prestigious” Monkstone House into residential apartments.

The proposal will see the existing City Road building extended with two additional floors to create 65 residential apartments after plans were approved. The upward extension would include 22 residential apartments and the conversion of the existing building would deliver a further 43.

The plans indicate there would be 58 two-bedroom apartments and seven one-bedroom units. The applicant said it will deliver “well designed residential accommodation” within a “highly sustainable city-centre location”.

A planning statement reads: “While the proposed development will result in a building containing multiple dwellinghouses, the overall height of the building will remain below 18 metres and will not exceed 7 storeys.”

According to planning documents, the proposals will include cycle parking provision for future occupiers. The planning statement continues: “The scheme makes effective use of previously developed land and represents an appropriate form of intensification, making a positive contribution to the delivery of housing without altering the established building footprint or access arrangements.”

The developer described Monkstone House as a “prestigious and prominent office building well-located in the heart of the city centre and major commercial district”.