Glasgow School of Art neighbours finally set to be allowed to return
0 Parts of the GSA have been carefully demolished and made safe since the fire four months ago Businesses affected by this year’s Glasgow School of Art fire are set to be allowed to return to their buildings – four months after the blaze.
Work to stabilise the west gable end of the world-famous Mackintosh Building is due for completion by the middle of this month.
More than 450 tonnes of steel scaffolding have been erected around the “Mack”, which the GSA has vowed to rebuild according to Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s original 19th century plans.
A steel cage is also being erected over a tower, while a protective screen will be erected on Scott Street to allow public access while work on the building is ongoing.
It is hoped the Centre for Contemporary Arts – which previously warned was facing closure due to continued uncertainty – and other affected businesses may be able to return from 15 October. However, Glasgow City Council said it would not be able to confirm a date until all work is completed and it is satisfied surrounding streets are safe.
It is hoped that repair work on the GSA’S Reid Building, on the other side of Renfrew Street, will be completed in time for Christmas, allowing traffic to return to the thoroughfare for the first time since the fire.
Professor Tom Inns, director of the GSA, said: “The stabilisation work on the Mackintosh Building is now almost complete.
“Weather permitting, we expect the work on the west gable to be completed by 14 October.
“We’ve been working particularly closely with the CCA to make sure that the damage to its gallery ceiling can be repaired and they can re-commission the building, both for cultural tenants and public events, as soon as possible.
“We know that there are ongoing concerns about road access in and around Garnethill. Once the work on the Mack stabilisation is finished, our next priority will be taking down the damaged rain screen from the Reid Building so that the council can move to reopen Renfrew Street.”
A spokesman for the city council said: “14 October is the revised date the Art School gave its neighbours for the completion of work to stabilise the building last month.
“Whenthisworkiscomplete, we expect to be able to reduce the cordon enough to reopen a footpath at Scott Street, allowing businesses, including the CCA, to safely reoccupy their premises. However, we need to be clear that a return date cannot be confirmed until we are certain that work will be complete and the site safe.”