By VIVIENNE NICOLL

A PUB claimed to be the oldest in Glasgow is to be recreated as part of a new student flat development.

Structured Housing Group wants to demolish the Old College Bar on High Street and build the 12-storey Merchant Point building which will have 426 rooms. The pub dates back to the early 1800s and was first licensed in 1812.

But SHG chief executive Craig Inglis has revealed the new development will retain elements of the bar in new premises which will retain the name Old College Bar.

He said: “It was always our intention to try and find a way of retaining some of the character of this pub which obviously means a lot to the regulars and other people in the area.

“The actual building itself is in too poor a condition to be retained but there are parts of the interior which could be re-used and bring character and a bit of history to a new pub.

“We will be looking closely at what can be retained of the internal bar over the coming weeks and we will include the regulars in that process.”

As part of the work, an investigation will launched into a claim by a local historian that parts of the foundations of the pub could date back to 1490.

Mr Inglis said: “If this proved to be correct, we will include it as a feature of the new pub with perhaps a section of reinforced glass floor allowing the historic area to be lit and viewed.”

The student flats development will also include shops, start-up offices and restaurants in the hope it will act as a focal point at the edge of the city centre.

If the scheme gets the go-ahead, it will be SHS’s third student development in the city.

Mr Inglis said: “This project will raise the bar for student accommodation in Glasgow.

“We have worked very hard to submit designs which will fit in with the surrounding area and provide students coming to Glasgow with a level of quality you don’t often find in this kind of accommodation while local people will benefit from much-needed new leisure facilities in the area.

“We are a Glasgow-based company and we want to see the city flourish and prosper.

“We also want to be a good neighbour to local people already in the area, hence our plans for the retention of what can be saved from the Old College Bar.”

The company has a £300m investment plan for the city which involves student and mainstream accommodation.

Student flats in Beith Street, Partick are due to open in September, and work will start on student flats at Scotway House in Partick in October.