Art school did not do enough to protect Mackintosh from fire - MSPs
Last updated 11th Mar 2019
MSPs investigating the fire left the Glasgow School of Art badly damaged for the second time in four years are calling for a full public inquiry into how it happened.
The world-famous building, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, was extensively damaged last June while it was undergoing a £35 million restoration programme following the previous fire in May 2014.
The Scottish Parliament's Culture Committee published its report on Friday after taking evidence on the circumstances surrounding the blazes.
The report found that in the period up to the 2014 fire, GSA appears not to have specifically addressed the heightened risk of fire to the Mackintosh building and was not convinced an adequate risk management approach had been taken by the art school with specific regard to the building.
The committee also said it was concerned about the length of time taken for a mist suppression system to be installed in the Mackintosh building and questioned whether more could have been done in the interim period to protect the building.
Committee convener Joan McAlpine said: "The board of Glasgow School of Art were custodians of this magnificent building, one of the most significant to Scotland's rich cultural heritage.
"They had a duty to protect Mackintosh's legacy.
"Glasgow School of Art itself must learn lessons from its role in presiding over the building, given that two devastating fires occurred within their estate in such a short space of time.''
The committee is calling on the Scottish Government to establish a public inquiry with judicial powers.
The devastating blaze that ripped through the famous Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed building in June 2018 also spread to nearby premises on the city's busy Sauchiehall Street.
Glasgow School of Art responded with a statement saying: "There are always lessons that can be learned, and we are happy to take forward the most appropriate and helpful as we bring this much-loved building back to life. Equally, there are lessons that will be of value to other institutions across the country.
"The report, however, includes a worrying number of factual inaccuracies in areas that we have already fully addressed in the parliamentary process.
"We would like to express our surprise that the report does not expressly clarify the legal distinction between the GSA and Keir Construction (Scotland) Ltd in relation to responsibility for the site. Evidence on this distinction was submitted to the Committee.
"It is important to understand that Keir had full control of the site. Further, whilst we have endeavoured to share as much information as possible Keir do not appear to have done so, and this must be as disappointing to the Committee as it has been to us.
"The Mackintosh Building is a national (indeed international) treasure, but it is not lost and it will certainly return."