GLASGOW School of Art bosses should be stripped of the ownership of the historic Mackintosh building as they are an "unfit custodian" of the iconic structure, an MSP has said.
Glasgow Conservative MSP Adam Tomkins was speaking as Holyrood debated a report into the two blazes which devastated the building.
The renowned art school was extensively damaged in June 2018 while it was undergoing a £35 million restoration following a previous fire in May 2014.
The Scottish Parliament's Culture Committee has already criticised Glasgow School of Art (GSA) for not giving enough priority to safeguarding the Mackintosh building against fire.
READ MORE: Glasgow School of Art fire investigation moving into final phases
MSPs lambasted GSA management for a lack of transparency over its response to the fire and for its strained relationship with the community of Garnethill, where the school is based.
The building is in ruins today
Mr Tomkins and others backed calls from committee convener Joan McAlpine for a public inquiry into the fires.
Speaking of the management team, he said: "Under their stewardship, Charles Rennie Mackintosh's jewel has been allowed to burn down twice. The School of Art has straightforwardly failed in its custodianship of what is a national treasure.
READ MORE: Muriel Gray temporarily leaves her post at Glasgow School of Art
"Since the 2018 fire, GSA management have behaved with appalling high-handedness and arrogance towards local residents, with callous disregard towards local businesses, and with dismissive disdain towards this Parliament and other elected politicians.
"They are not fit to run the School of Art. They are obstructive and secretive. They are rotten neighbours and in my view the Mackintosh building and its restoration should be taken away from them and CRM's glory should be rebuilt not as a private art school, but as a public asset for us all to enjoy."
Adam Tomkins
Higher education minister Richard Lochhead, who was speaking for the government, said there are "harsh lessons" to be learned for art school bosses, but he said they had taken steps to try to address some of the concerns of residents.
He went on to stress the building's importance as a teaching venue, telling MSPs: "It is important to remember the school is primarily a functioning higher education institution."
The minister said it is for art school bosses to determine how the historic building should be used in the future.
"The board has made clear its intention to rebuild the current site and that the Mack should return as a fully functioning art school," Mr Lochhead said.
READ MORE: Glasgow Art School fire - MSPs to call for full public inquiry
He went on to tell MSPs that the Scottish Government will decide if there should be a public inquiry after the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service publishes its report into the fire.
Pauline McNeill, Labour MSP for the Glasgow region, said the impact of the second blaze could not be underestimated, saying: "We must learn lessons, not just about the cause of the fire, but about the conduct of authorities."
Scottish Green Party co-leader Patrick Harvie said the Mackintosh fire should serve as a warning to other large-scale organisations which have an impact on their local community.
Mr Harvie read a written submission from neighbours of the Mackintosh building, who say Glasgow School of Art was a "selfish neighbour with little understanding of the impact they have on their community".
Muriel Gray, Chair of the Board of Governors, Glasgow School of Art appears before the Culture Tourism Europe and External Relations
A spokeswoman for Glasgow School of Art said: "GSA actively took part in the CTEEA Committee sessions and gave full information and documentation to help its work, and we welcomed many of the report’s findings.
She added: "We are now in the process of appointing a permanent Director and yesterday announced five new Lay Governors who will support The Glasgow School of Art as we move forward, including, in due course, the rebuild of the Mackintosh Building."
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