A WEST End community has been given a reprieve in their fight to stop luxury flats being built on a conservation area.

Permission to flatten the former Corunna Bowling Club and replace it with flats, has been refused by Glasgow City Council.

Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Community Council and the St Vincent Crescent, Corunna and Minerva Street Residents’ Association launched a campaign against the plans which saw them create an 84-page dossier, lobby local councillors and meet with planning experts.

Both groups said they were relieved but "frustrated" at the apparent disregard for protected land by developers Nixon Blue who acquired the land from the former Corunna Bowling Club, when it folded in October last year.

An application to demolish the existing bowling club club and green in order to erect a residential development and associated works was officially submitted in May.

In their response, Glasgow City Council planning bosses said the plans would not "better serve the community or enhance the value of the space."

It was concluded that the development would be contrary to City Development Plan policy and that it was not proved that the bowling club is incapable of viable repair or reuse.

The committee said it did not like the “building design, scale, massing and materiality” of the proposed residential development.

It said it would “detrimentally impact upon the character and setting of the Category A listed terrace.”

It added: “The building design, scale, massing and materiality of the proposed residential development will detrimentally impact upon the character and setting of the Category A listed terrace and will neither preserve nor enhance the character of the St Vincent Crescent Conservation Area.”

Jim Lynch, convenor of the St Vincent Crescent, Corunna and Minerva Street Residents’ Association, said: “We’re feeling vindicated at the decision to refuse the application.

“It’s tinged with frustration at having to put in so much work. Our residents committee really put together a plan of action and managed to generate more than 360 objections.

“We spent a lot of time digging into the documents including the city plan and spent a lot of time understanding what the written guidances are.

“We’re frustrated that the developers thought they could built flats there. The recently refreshed City Development Plan was democratically created and categorically states that this a conservation area.

“These developers think they can just override the guidances.

“The city planners have put in effort to protect what needs protected.”

Going forward, the residents are willing to continue their fight if an appeal is launched by Dixon Blue.

Lee Grant, secretary of Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Community Council, added: “We are willing to continue the fight.

“We’re grateful to GCC planning for doing the right thing and protecting the land.

“We should not have to fight to protect protected land.”

Mr Lynch commented: “We hope they won’t let the building go to ruin. We would like to use it as a community resource.

“Why should we be having to do this? Why are council resources being dragged into it.”