It is possibly one of the most unsettling experiences one can encounter while performing a daily chore required to stay alive. The mundanity of eating turned to horror. Tucking into a soft food and biting something hard. Was that cartilage? Jaw tingling, reaching for the nearest tissue to spit a mouthful of leftovers into. I’ll never be hungry again, I think.

Once the sensation gets in my head, I find it very hard to let it go. I think about it every time I catch a glimpse of the ongoing demolition at the O2 ABC on Sauchiehall Street. It doesn’t look soft or weak as the JCB bites into it. I find it difficult to understand how this solid concrete and brick arch posed such an immediate risk of collapse.

Vita Group, the developer set to transform the ABC’s grave into purpose-built student accommodation, is carrying out the demolition for the former cinema’s owners, OBARCS ABC Ltd. They were finally granted consent to demolish the listed building after leaving it open to the elements six years on since it was fire-ravaged, “with no form of monitoring or maintenance being undertaken by the owners”.

Scotland’s built heritage enthusiasts have been documenting the ongoing demolition, sharing pictures online they claim illustrate how sturdy the front of the building was, in contrast to the “immediate danger” that it was said to pose. Glasgow City Council strongly disagrees with this narrative and says the building was in a very poor condition.

It was often said that the developers would not know what could be retained until they started demolishing the building. From the pictures, it sure looks like that portico could have been retained. Could Charles McNair’s art deco entrance portico be saved, or could it not be saved? That is the question.

A spokesperson for the council said: “In terms of saving elements of the building where possible, the conditions of the Listed Building Consent require that all best efforts and reasonable steps to salvage materials from the demolished building for reuse, repurposing and recycling shall be taken and materials shall be kept secure until the redevelopment of the site. The contractor has confirmed the materials being removed are currently being stored in their yard for later re-use in agreement with the council (in its role as the Planning Authority).”

Vita Group did not respond to my request for comment.

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I revisited the August Planning Applications Committee meeting where the demolition consent was granted. And something stood out to me. Councillor Paul Leinster cites a structural appraisal of the building carried out by a top Conservation Accredited Engineer at David Narro Associates on behalf of Campus Bar in 2019. The report found that the front entrance was an “inherently stable structure”, based on an assessment of photographs of the site.

Pointing out that one report suggests the front could be saved and another says it can’t be saved, councillor Leinster asks if the same sticking point could be found again today. In response, building standards officer Raymond Barlow says, based on his experience with various buildings, “we all have different opinions”.

Barlow added that the council needs to look ahead. “What happens if the owners do not and continue to not do anything?”

The notice says the façade “must have action on it”, but if the council’s building standards department is left up to it, they wouldn’t retain a thing over safety concerns. There are cost concerns to factor in as well: closing off the public footpath for an unknown duration of time, navigating whether the footpath is even capable of bearing the load, and disruption to the ongoing Avenues project. A semi-permanent solution would be too expensive, and risky. “[It would be a] massive cost to the council for us to even try and instigate those works, for which we then have to claim back from the building’s owners, and [the cost of] a frame and a structure of which ultimately I have no confidence would be maintained.”

It’s just really, very sad. More than 12,000 residents signed a petition calling for the ABC to be saved back in 2019. Politicians, journalists, residents and campaigners have all been crying out for more to be done to protect the city’s built heritage. Over and over again. But there’s no money and the council itself is responsible for a lot of the derelict listed buildings. Many others are in the hands of owners that are tricky to pin down. It’s too late to save the ABC. We will be stuck with a dismal student block. But if anything the passion for that iconic building, so intrinsically woven into the fabric of what Sauchiehall Street once was, should ramp up efforts to see something done to protect other assets.

Architecture is Glasgow. History is in the sandstone and concrete, creating a sense of place. It’s what people come to the city to see. Perhaps those without a G postcode could be charged at museums and art galleries, with that money funnelled into the protection of the city. Get a tourist tax in place before the 2026 Commonwealth Games and use that to fix things up. The more attractive the city becomes, the more it will be worth. It could incentivize foreign owners to revamp their own buildings. Maybe we could get Redbull to film a series of parkour buddleia removal videos for TikTok?

SAVE Britain’s Heritage is campaigning to make it a legal requirement that a conservation-accredited engineer be consulted before demolition of a listed building is given the green light. Conservation-accredited engineers should be a part of every planning discussion regarding heritage buildings.

Earlier this week, Tony Rosenthal of CBRE said that, in his opinion, the introduction of empty rates relief has had dire consequences for heritage buildings. The pressure of balancing economic development with conservation has led to short-term financial gains being prioritised over long-term building preservation, he writes. VAT is also a big issue. Fixing up a building is slapped with 20% VAT whereas relief is offered for new builds.

Even when the council does have the best intentions, they move at a glacial pace. Following a second fire at the former Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice, it was said that the owners would be forced to put a covering on the roof to protect the Georgian townhouse from the elements. But even that has yet to be done, nearly two months on.

Loss of trust in the local authority’s ability to turn around the decline of the city’s built heritage is worrying. The scepticism that the Dangerous Building Notice on the ABC was met with is symptomatic of the persistent inertia to deal with issues until it is too late. It seems like the council is too soft on developers. It’s time to toughen up.

Marissa MacWhirter is the editor of The Glasgow Wrap. Each morning, Marissa curates the top local news stories from around the city, delivering them to your inbox at 7am daily so you can stay up to date on the best reporting without ads, clickbait or annoying digital clutter. Oh, and it’s free. She can be found on X @marissaamayy1