PLANS to transform the derelict St Peter's Seminary in Cardross into a major cultural and arts venue look to have collapsed after the charity leading the project announced it is to close down later this year.

Arts organisation NVA said on Tuesday that it would cease operations in September.

The charity had been spearheading plans to bring the ruin – regarded as one of the finest examples of modernist architecture in the world, in spite of its condition – back into use.

But in a statement on Tuesday the organisation's board of directors said NVA was no longer able to continue operating.

They said: “NVA’s original plan for St Peter’s was universally acknowledged as bold, with creative ambition at its heart.

“It was also recognised as a high risk venture for a small independent arts organisation.

“NVA has spent many years working with great passion and determination, with the support of the owners of the site, the Archdiocese of Glasgow, to save this iconic building for future generations.

“Despite our best efforts we were unable to guarantee the viable future for the St Peter’s Seminary that we had imagined and hoped for.

"In the end, we had no choice but to bring the capital project to an end.”