Glasgow City Council had granted planning permission last month for a proposal from urban regeneration developer Vita Group to transform the site into a nine-storey development comprising a 356-bed student accommodation block and a publicly accessible food hall that would also serve as an events space.

However, the decision sparked backlash from heritage bodies and the GSoA, which warned the plans would pose a “significant risk” to the restoration of the Mackintosh Building, severely damaged by fire in 2018. The Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society also voiced strong opposition, urging Scottish Ministers to intervene.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) objected to the development, arguing it would obscure key views of the Mackintosh Building and harm the setting of the nationally significant landmark. Due to HES’s objection, Scottish Ministers were required to review the application and were given a 28-day window to decide whether to call it in.

A letter sent to Glasgow City Council on July 15 confirmed that the application has now been referred to Ministers. The decision of the Scottish Government will be final, with a government-appointed reporter expected to assess the case and submit a report with recommendations.

The O2 ABC, along with the adjacent former Jumpin’ Jaks nightclub, has remained vacant since the 2018 fire. In July 2023, the council issued a dangerous buildings notice citing an “immediate threat”, and parts of the ABC building, including its façade, have since been demolished.

OBARCS (ABC) Ltd, which owns the site, along with property investment firm Urban Pulse, criticised GSoA’s objections, accusing the school of “standing in the way of progress” and attempting to block what they described as a “viable, respectful development plan”. James Patterson, director of Urban Pulse, noted there are still no firm plans or timeline for the Mackintosh Building’s reconstruction.

Nevertheless, a GSoA spokesperson emphasised that the Mackintosh Building, despite its damaged state, remains Category A listed and continues to merit the highest level of protection. They said: “The proposed development would have a significant and detrimental impact on the Mackintosh Building, as well as on adjacent listed buildings, including the neighbouring 1865 Graeco-Egyptian structure by Alexander Thomson.”

They added: “The implications of this application are of national significance and it is therefore appropriate that it be called in by Scottish Ministers to ensure the matter is fully considered.”

Stuart Robertson, director of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society, echoed these concerns, warning that approving the plans would endanger the Mackintosh restoration and “set a dangerous precedent for our built heritage.”

Despite these objections, city council planners had recommended the development for approval, acknowledging the scheme’s negative impact on the historic environment but arguing the derelict site was contributing to the decline of the city centre’s viability and vitality.

At the planning committee meeting on June 17, councillors voted 6–4 against holding a hearing to allow public arguments for and against the proposal, and subsequently voted 8–2 to approve the application.

The future of the redevelopment now rests with the Scottish Government.