Current status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 2 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there may be a need for secondary legislation for the Glasgow School of Art reconstruction project, to ensure that the restoration of the building is as faithful to Charles Rennie Mackintosh's original design as possible, and whether (a) it would be possible to introduce and (b) it will give consideration to introducing secondary legislation to this end under (i) the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 and (ii) section 63 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.
The Scottish Government currently has no plans at this stage to introduce secondary legislation under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 or Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, regarding the Glasgow School of Art’s (GSA) rebuild of the Mackintosh building.
The Mackintosh building is owned by The Glasgow School of Art, which is an autonomous body with responsibility for its own strategic and operational decision making. The GSA have stated that its plans for a faithful reinstatement of the Mackintosh building will take into account the practical constraints of the current regulatory environment. Employers, building owners and managers are responsible for their premises, including duties in relation to fire safety and mitigation.
The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) will continue to engage closely with the GSA at senior management and board level on institutional governance, its plans for the delivery of high quality education, and decision making regarding the rebuild of the Mackintosh building. Historic Environment Scotland, as the lead public body for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment, will continue to work with the GSA, Glasgow City Council and other interested parties on the complex issues surrounding the rebuild of the Mackintosh building.