Key Points
- This is an important emergency accommodation for over 30 rough sleepers each night and food service for hundreds of vulnerable people.
- An application for planning consent had been submitted at the beginning of 2026 so that it can continue with its much-needed work.
- Homeless Project Scotland has expressed deep disappointment following the recommendation by the Glasgow City Council not to grant planning consent for its night shelter on Glassford Street.
- There has been some backlash from local businesses and other interests surrounding the claim of increasing antisocial behavior, public disorder, and crime in the surrounding area.
- According to council officials, there were concerns about the location being unsuitable, effects on business next door, queuing outside during the evening hours, and no licence to prepare and provide food.
- Colin McInnes, CEO and co-founder of Homeless Project Scotland, calls upon the elected councillors to use their conscience and vote against the recommendation.
- The final decision will be made by the members of Glasgow City Council’s Planning Committee on September 15.
Glasgow (Glasgow Express) September 10, 2026 — As reported by STV News, Homeless Project Scotland has stated that it is “deeply disappointed” after Glasgow City Council recommended that the organisation’s prominent night shelter be refused permission to remain open. Located on Glassford Street, the emergency shelter has been operating as a critical frontline lifeline, providing safe overnight accommodation and food for dozens of individuals sleeping rough across the city streets.
In early 2026, Homeless Project Scotland lodged a formal planning application to allow their vital services to continue running from the premises. However, the proposal has encountered rigorous opposition. Nearby business owners and local stakeholders have raised serious concerns over a noticeable rise in antisocial behaviour, public disorder, and general disruption within the surrounding commercial district since the shelter commenced operations in December 2023.
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What reasons have Glasgow City Council officials given for recommending refusal?
According to a detailed council report compiled by the executive director of neighbourhoods, regeneration and sustainability, municipal authorities have formally advised elected members to reject the planning bid. The comprehensive evaluation outlines several primary grounds for refusal, including an increase in public disorder, an unsuitable location within a busy commercial sector, a detrimental impact on nearby businesses, persistent evening queues forming outside the building, and an absence of the appropriate licensing required to cook and serve hot food.
Furthermore, the official assessment highlights data retrieved from law enforcement. As detailed in the council report, the local authority requested an official incident report from Police Scotland to evaluate the site. The findings state:
“The development has been linked strongly to an increase in anti-social behaviour and crime in the Glassford Street locality since the commencement of operation in December 2023.”
The report adds that the associated fear of crime is considered
“objectively justified by the evidence base and can be related to the use of the site as a homeless shelter given the stark increase in incidents reported since the operation commenced.”
How has Homeless Project Scotland responded to the council’s recommendation?
Responding directly to the developments, Colin McInnes, chief executive and co-founder of Homeless Project Scotland, issued a passionate plea to elected officials. As reported by STV News, Colin McInnes stated:
“This is a recommendation to elected councillors, and I am asking every councillor who will make this decision to think very carefully about what is at stake.”
Emphasising the scale of the ongoing crisis, Colin McInnes told STV News that
“Homeless Project Scotland exists because people are hungry, people are sleeping rough and people are falling through gaps in the system.”
He added:
“Our volunteers turn up every single day to provide food, warmth, safety, dignity and support to people who often have nowhere else to go. At a time when Scotland has declared a housing emergency, I simply cannot understand how closing vital frontline homeless services can be considered the right answer.”
In separate remarks covered by the Glasgow Times, Colin McInnes urged the committee to look past the bureaucratic recommendations, asserting:
“They need to approve this application. There is clearly a homeless emergency in Glasgow and the council faces a budget deficit made worse by the cost of homelessness. To reject homeless support at this time would be barbaric. The members of the committee need to consult their conscience and reject the officials’ recommendation.”
Highlighting the human element behind the administrative dispute, Colin McInnes told STV News:
“Councillors were elected to represent communities and protect vulnerable people. I am asking them to listen to the people of Glasgow, look at the reality on our streets and consider the human consequences before making their decision. Behind every statistic is a person. Someone’s son. Someone’s daughter. Someone’s mum, dad, brother or sister. We will fight with everything we have to protect this service and the people who depend upon it. I am asking Glasgow to stand with us.”
What are the next steps for the planning application?
The final determination now rests entirely in the hands of elected councillors sitting on Glasgow City Council’s planning committee. The formal application and the contentious official recommendations are scheduled to be reviewed and decided upon when the planning committee convenes on September 15. While local businesses continue to press for restrictions citing community safety and public order, charity organisers and supporting volunteers maintain that shutting down the facility will leave dozens of vulnerable individuals with zero alternative refuge heading further into the winter season.
Background of the particular development
The controversy surrounding the Glassford Street facility stems from a prolonged operational battle that began when Homeless Project Scotland established the city’s first entirely volunteer-run emergency night shelter. Operating since December 2023, the facility was initially set up to manage surging numbers of rough sleepers during the winter months. Because the building was utilised without immediate formal change-of-use planning permission, it triggered regulatory friction with Glasgow City Council. A previous planning bid faced rejection over comparable community and antisocial behaviour concerns, though councillors previously advised the charity to submit a revised application encompassing its integrated soup kitchen operations. With Glasgow having formally declared a housing emergency amid stretched statutory support systems, the charity has continued to operate under immense strain, frequently reporting full capacity and having to distribute tents when beds run out.
This upcoming planning decision carries significant implications for rough sleepers, local merchants, and municipal policymakers in Glasgow. If the planning committee opts to follow official recommendations and refuses the application, Homeless Project Scotland will face immediate enforcement action forcing the closure of the Glassford Street shelter. For the homeless population and vulnerable rough sleepers who rely on the charity, this development threatens to eliminate a primary safety net, potentially driving an increase in street sleeping, exposure to severe weather, and acute welfare risks across the city centre. Conversely, if the committee overrides officer advice and grants approval, it may offer temporary legal certainty for the shelter but will likely intensify friction with local business owners who contend that continuous street-level congestion and disorder undermine commercial activity in the district. Long-term, the case highlights the growing friction between urban regeneration, business interests, and the legal obligations of local authorities to manage escalating housing and homelessness emergencies.
