22.08.18
Legal case considered against Glasgow City Council over second art building fire
Glasgow City Council is facing legal action over its “abysmal treatment” of local residents after the Glasgow School of Art fire – the second in just four years.
In a scathing statement released yesterday, Govan Law Centre said it was looking to gauge public interest of litigation against the city council, the Glasgow School of Art, and Kier Construction on behalf of residents of Garnethill and local Sauchiehall Street businesses after a fire tore through the Mackintosh building on 15 June.
The law centre noted that residents and businesses have not been able to enter their homes and work premises for almost 10 weeks—not even to collect passports, car keys, or medicines.
Some 33 households in the Garnethill area were displaced by the fire, and 55 businesses are under “serious threat of going bust,” Mike Dailly, solicitor advocate at Govan Law Centre said. It is believed that 350 jobs have been put at risk due to the damage caused by the fire.
On Monday, lawyers from the centre held a meeting with representatives of Sauchiehall Street Inner Cordon Businesses and Pauline McNiel MSP.
“All of these people are the lifeblood of the local community and they have been treated as an afterthought by Glasgow City Council,” Dailly explained.
“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.”
The solicitor noted that local residents have a legal right of respect for their home and family, and stressed that Govan Law Centre “will explore every avenue of challenge available to the local community.”
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: “The council has acted under Section 29 of the Building (Scotland) Act 2007 in order to protect life. Our priorities are getting residents and businesses back to their properties safely.”
The spokesperson told PSE that they held a meeting with businessowners and local residents last night and discussed the details of reducing the cordon and allowing residents to re-enter their homes.
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