Government called on to intervene in Glasgow O2 ABC plans
The approval was conditional on a pending referral to the Scottish Ministers due to a formal objection from Historic Environment Scotland.
We reported that heritage groups slammed the decision and that the Glasgow School of Art stated that the approval "places their commitment to deliver the faithful reinstatement of the Mackintosh Building at significant risk."
Now, MSPs have raised a motion that asks to review the plans which are of 'national interest'.
The new proposed development (Image: Vita Group)
READ MORE: Glasgow O2 ABC site plans approved for student accommodation
The motion, submitted by Labour MSP Paul Sweeney, calls on the Scottish Ministers to intervene in the planning application, which proposes a nine-storey student accommodation block at 292–332 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.
The motion highlights concerns that the development would obstruct key vistas to and from the adjacent, 'internationally significant', Category A-listed Mackintosh Building at the Glasgow School of Art, as well as from the nearby Category A-listed Centre for Contemporary Arts.
The proposal promises an open area to admire the Mackintosh building (Image: Vita Group)
READ MORE: Glasgow heritage groups slam approval of O2 ABC site plans
The Glasgow School of Art has also objected, stating that the proposals "fundamentally compromise" the Mackintosh Building and place its restoration at "significant risk."
The motion urges the Scottish Ministers to exercise their powers under section 46(1) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 to call in the application and review its potential impact on the Mackintosh Building, a structure of national architectural significance.
Sweeney's motion has been supported by fellow Labour MSPs Foysol Choudhury, Pam Duncan-Glancy, Pauline McNeill and Mercedes Villalba.
The Art School say the plans put the Mack's rebuild 'significantly at risk' (Image: Colin Mearns)
READ MORE: Mack rebuild 'at risk' from ABC warns Glasgow Art School
Paul Sweeney MSP said: 'I share the concerns of Glasgow School of Art and Historic Environment Scotland that the proposal to build a nine-storey block of student flats on the site of the former O2 ABC on Sauchiehall Street would put the rebuilding of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Art School building at risk.
'It is clear from the plans that the block of student flats would obstruct key vistas and compromise the Art School's rebuild.
'The Mack is Charles Rennie Mackintosh's magnum opus and is arguably one of the most architecturally significant buildings in Scotland.
"That is why I have called on the Scottish Government to exercise its powers and review the conditional planning consent granted by Glasgow City Council so that it can safeguard the rebuild of The Mack.'
Furious locals have branded the site an 'eyesore' (Image: Colin Mearns)
READ MORE: Historic Glasgow venue is an 'eyesore' say furious locals
The half-demolished O2 ABC site has been dormant for months after initial demolition works were completed at the end of last year.
The former cinema-turned nightclub had lain derelict since the second Glasgow School of Art fire spilt over onto its roof in July 2018.
A row erupted between the Glasgow School of Art and the owners of the O2 ABC ahead of the planning meeting.
The owners of the fire-ravaged Sauchiehall Street building hit out at the Art School over their objections to new plans for the derelict site.
A document shared with the Glasgow Times said that the Glasgow School of Art (GSoA) haven't been engaging in discussions and that they're 'acting almost like authoritarian-like dictators rather than neighbours'.
The site was ravaged by fire in 2014 and 2018 (Image: Newsquest)
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The GSoA told us that the plans for the O2 ABC site put the rebuild of their historic Mackintosh building at 'significant risk'.
During the planning meeting, councillors were told that the proposal was made "as compact as it can viably be", despite the "admitted negative impact on the heritage buildings in the area."
Over nine stories, including a basement, House of Social would include student accommodation, a food hall, a public courtyard, a bar, a gym, and more.
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