Council planning chiefs are pressing ahead with choosing a preferred developer for the Egyptian Halls on Union Street in Glasgow’s city centre.

But first, it has to take control of the building from its long-term owner, who has plans of his own.

The A-listed 19th century, building designed by Alexander Thomson, is the subject of plans by the council to take it over in a compulsory purchase order (CPO).

It has been vacant since the 1980s, and several attempts to develop it have ultimately come to nothing and involved a dispute between the owner and the council.

Councillors are, next week, being asked to approve developer Ediston, who has plans to turn the halls into a hotel.

If agreed by the councillors, the local authority will continue to seek to take on the property through a CPO and then transfer it to the new owners.

Before it can promote a CPO, the council must determine if there are other interested parties. 

It carried out a marketing exercise last year and three bids were submitted, including Ediston’s and one by the current owner.

Councillor Ruairi Kelly, convener for built heritage and development at Glasgow City Council, said: “Identifying a compelling, detailed and well-progressed proposal for the Egyptian Halls is key to securing a future for this architectural masterpiece while giving new life and new purposes to Glasgow’s built heritage.

“By their very nature CPOs are lengthy and complex. But it’s important for Glasgow’s past – and its present and future – that we get this process right and bring this incredible building back to the heart of city life.” 

The Egyptian Halls is owned by Union Street Properties and Union Street Investments.

The firm’s director, Derek Souter, has blamed the council for decades of delays due to a “flawed structural assessment”.

He has also said the council failed to provide its share of agreed funding for an approved scheme in 2013 and said a £5m grant application in 2015 was “torpedoed”, which he said the council previously supported.

Souter has also said four previously approved schemes were “derailed” due to legal and funding issues.