When they fall into disuse, it’s all too easy for old municipal buildings to become a millstone around councils’ necks and a heavy burden to council-taxpayers. So the idea of turning them into homes is becoming popular with local authorities as well as potential buyers, as it means buildings of historical significance can be saved for future generations and local authorities are relieved of a financial headache.

Saved from the bulldozer at the eleventh hour, Linn Mansion House in Glasgow is a leading example of the new breed of park living, offering a mix of historical and contemporary architecture surrounded by acres of maintenance-free greenery in an urban setting.

But the B-listed mansion on the south side of the city almost fell through the net when it was threatened with demolition in 2004 after years of dereliction. The building was designed in 1828 by Charles Wilson, a notable figure in Glasgow’s Victorian town-planning circles, who also designed the city’s Park Circus and Kelvingrove Park. The house fell into ruin a few years ago when Glasgow city council stopped using it as its ranger centre for Linn Park, and when the council decided to demolish it, local residents launched a fight to save it.

There was an anxious wait for a developer to come forward but eventually Classical House rose to the challenge, buying the property from the council for £1. It seems many developers — and indeed many house- hunters — do not immediately see the attraction of siting houses in the middle of a busy park. However, Classical House had previous experience with developments at Aikenhead House in Kings Park and Camphill House in Queens Park, both A-listed mansions turned into flats.

Jim Macdonald, principal in heritage and design at the city council, says: “Where there are council buildings the council no longer requires, we are happy to look at developers’ proposals, and Linn Mansion has been an example of the way the council can retain a historic building that would otherwise have been lost.”

The mansion house is surrounded by Linn Park’s beautiful walkways along the White Cart Water and the picturesque Snuff Mill Bridge, an iron bridge that dates from the 18th century. The park, the second-largest in Glasgow at 203 acres, is also home to an 18-hole golf course, an equestrian centre and children’s play areas. There are also the ruins of Cathcart Castle, which was built around 1450 and demolished in 1980 for safety reasons.

In keeping with its setting, the developers of Linn Mansion have tried to make the new flats as environmentally friendly as possible. John Sheridan, a director at Classical House, says: “It is a stunning location in the park, looking out on to the cast-iron bridge, and we have had a considerable amount of interest from people looking for the rural idyll in the city. For the first time we have used all natural materials and tried to keep the whole development as ecologically friendly as possible.”

The mansion house has been divided into four two-bedroom apartments, all with a large amount of floorspace due to the natural proportions of the original house, and will focus on open-plan living. Two of the apartments are housed in the contemporary extension built to the rear of the original property, and the others in the more traditional original portion of the building.

The roof coverings have been designed to minimise pollutants and toxins discharged in rainwater, and inside the building, high-performance central heating is aimed at reducing costs, while the flats will have living-flame fires that incorporate catalytic converters to clean the airspace in the rooms.

The flats, on the market from £245,000-£275,000, are due to be completed in January. They will have private parking and security entry systems, although Sheridan is quick to point out there have never been any security problems with their other park developments.

This may be thanks in part to the council’s installing CCTV and street lighting in its parks. A spokesman said: “The parks are a treasured part of our city, and it is great that buildings such as Linn Mansion can be saved for future generations.”

• www.classicalhouse.co.uk

Explore Property

• Buying & Selling

• New Homes

• Overseas

• Interiors

• Investment

• Gardens

• Cool In Your Code

• Specials

• First-time buyer

Times recommends

• Second homes: credit crunch casualty or money-spinner?
• How I built my own sliding house
• Top 10 incentives for house buyers