A GLASGOW arts venue which was one of the first commissions by architect Charles Rennie Macintosh has yet to fully reopen to the public since it was first forced to shut in March 2020.

The Lighthouse has welcomed three ten-day exhibitions this year, but all other spaces including the Mackintosh room, viewing platform and tower have remained closed since the start of the first coronavirus lockdown.

The city centre building, which had formerly housed The Herald, reopened for its current purpose as Scotland’s Centre for Design and Architecture in 1999.

It had been used during the pandemic to supply council workers with laptops to allow home working, however, the council did not provide a reason for popular parts of the centre remaining closed - though insisted it would reopen in the coming weeks.

The lack of a time frame has been labelled as “incredibly vague” by one of the top councillors in the city.

Councillor Malcolm Cunning, the Labour group leader for Glasgow City Council, said: “It’s what we have come to expect from the council.”

Mr Cunning claimed the building “does get forgotten” as one of the rare venues which is not run by Glasgow Life.

He added: “It’s not run by Glasgow Life that has been an ongoing issue, that it’s a venue in search of a purpose.

“Its future has come up time and time again. There has always been talks about repurposing it and its management but none of those talks have come to fruition.

“What we have to say, we want to see any venue run by Glasgow Life and some other venues including the Lighthouse reopen.”

The councillor added that the “commercial viability” of the venue “was always under question” as he urged for it to managed by Glasgow Life.

“The experts to do that kind of thing are likely with Glasgow Life,” he said regarding ensuring the viability of its current purpose as a hub for showcasing creative industries.

“We cannot afford to lose it but like to many of these millennium projects it has a few difficulties.”

The Herald:

A charity dedicated to promoting the works of Charles Rennie Mackintosh said there are already “less buildings” from the Glasgow architect for the public to experience.

The director of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh society Stuart Robertson said: “With the School of Art building out of commission, it cuts down the numbers of Mackintosh buildings quite significantly.”

Mr Robertson also raised concerns over the funding for the building.

“From someone I know who was planning to have an exhibition, the Lighthouse was considering changing its renting and to become more commercial,” he said.

“I am not sure what will happen with city funding since the council has taken a bit of a hit during the pandemic.”

He added: “Around 130 listed buildings are at risk around Glasgow. We wouldn’t want to see the Lighthouse added to that list.”

While most Glasgow Life venues have reopened since legal Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in 2022, as a venue which is not run by the organisation the information available to the public about the Lighthouse was limited to a small number of social media posts.

Mr Robertson claims he had been attempting to learn more about plans for the Mackintosh building for some time.

“It would be a reassurance to know that the building has a future and get some level of transparency in the process.

“I have tried for quite a while to find out what is happening, and I have not gotten a conclusive response.”

Glasgow Against Closures, a campaign group started after the first lockdown, has seen thousands of residents join a fight to reopen both cultural and sports venues.

One member, Jim Monaghan, 66, said: “Everything should be reopened now that restrictions have eased. Everything should be opened up.

“It’s one of these places, everybody knows about the Burrell, everybody knows about Kelvingrove, but the Lighthouse is just forgotten really isn’t it.

“I almost get the impression it is a bit of a white elephant. I don’t think they are really quite sure, what it is and what it does.”

However, he emphasised that the campaign group would like to see all venues across the city including the Lighthouse reopen.

“The thing that is really concerning people in the campaign is the lack of transparency of the democracy,” the 66-year-old added.

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “The council is looking at how best to provide general public access to the Lighthouse now that restrictions have eased.

“It is the intention to open up public access to the building during this summer, and we will be finalising operational details - including opening hours - in the coming weeks.”