Threat of legal action over art school fire

RESIDENTS and business owners who say they have been refused access to their properties following the Glasgow School of Art fire are considering legal action.

Lawyers say it is unacceptable that those affected have been locked out for almost ten weeks as efforts continue to stabilise and preserve what is left of the renowned Mackintosh building.

Govan Law Centre (GLC) said it is looking to identify ‘public interest litigation’ against Glasgow City Council, the Glasgow School of Art (GSA) and Kier Construction on behalf of 33 displaced households in Garnethill and 55 Sauchiehall Street businesses over their ‘abysmal’ treatment.

Flames tore through the Charles Rennie Mackintoshdesigned building on June 15, the second devastating fire to

‘Special part of our city’s heritage’

hit the art school. Since then, residents and business owners have been refused entry to collect items including passports, car keys, medicines and clothes, GLC said.

Mike Dailly, solicitor advocate at GLC, said: ‘Glasgow City Council senior officers, Glasgow School of Art and privileged elites appear more interested in saving the Mackintosh building than saving the community of Sauchiehall Street and Garnethill, which have been around a lot longer and are a special part of our city’s heritage.’

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: ‘The council has acted under Section 29 of the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 in order to protect life.

‘Our priority remains getting residents and businesses back to their property safely.’