Glasgow arena 'still on schedule' after blaze

Lend Lease’s new £125m Hydro arena in Glasgow is still scheduled to open at the end of September despite a blaze on site 10 days ago, operators have said.

The roof of the 12,000-seat entertainment venue on the Clyde waterfront, designed by Foster & Partners, was hit by a fire on Saturday 8 June.

Following assessments carried out by Lend Lease, operators said the damage was “not as severe” as first feared but there were areas around the roof which could potentially affect construction.

They anticipate the project will remain on target but did not completely rule out a delayed opening.

Operator the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC), said: “Everyone involved in the project remains sharply focused on achieving our opening night concert with Rod Stewart on 30 September.

“Whilst there remains some residual risk, the SECC team will do all we can to support the construction team and be ready for the September opening.

“We will continue to provide regular updates to promoters, artist management and fans as we work to clear these issues.”

It is believed that sparks from welding on the roof caused the blaze, which damaged the roof and caused smoke damage inside the structure.

No-one was injured but Lend Lease has spent the last few days assessing fire and water damage.