Glasgow School of Art cannot restore fire-hit Mackintosh Building

The GSA will now remove external scaffolding about the building, saying this will improve the building’s presentation and visibility, as well as helping stabilise the site.

Priest added that this will be the first step in “the reinstatement for whatever this building is going to become” and called the new proposals a landmark move for the long-term future of the site.

She said: “We have looked at the economic case, what does Glasgow need, what do our students need and what will benefit the school, the building and the creative and cultural industries.”

The painter and writer Lachlan Goudie told BBC Scotland News the possibility of the art school not being restored to its former self was a disgrace.

He said he feared the more time passes from the fires, the higher chance people will start to forget the building.

Goudie said: “This reeks of a lack of transparency, which has been very common over the past eight years. The fact it has taken that long to get to a point where we know nothing much, beyond the GSA don’t have enough money to rebuild it, is shameful.

“It is a national disgrace what has happened here. Nothing less than an authentic recreation of what Macintosh left Glasgow and the world will do.

“We had the World Cup recently, and we should be as proud of the building as we are of the national football team. The Scottish government need to be saying this is vital to our national character – we had architectural crown jewels left to us.”

When asked by BBC Scotland if she would consider the Mackintosh being taken outwith the board of governors and perhaps be passed to a trust if they fail to secure further investment, Priest said she was confident more funding would be achieved.