Swinney to consider planning law change in wake of Glasgow fire

John Swinney has said he will consider changing planning laws in the wake of a massive blaze which destroyed a historic building next to Scotland’s busiest train station.

The First Minister said he would consider a plea from backbench MSP Stuart McMillan to give transport bodies a greater say on what type of businesses can be located close to “key transport hubs”.

The Greenock and Inverclyde MSP raised the issue in the wake of the devastating fire on Glasgow’s Union Street, which closed Glasgow Central station for more than a week.

The fire began in a vape shop and spread through the building and around the corner.

Glasgow Central partially reopened on Wednesday, as demolition work on the fire-ravaged building continues.

Speaking at First Minister’s Questions in Holyrood on Thursday, Swinney praised the “superhuman effort” of station operator Network Rail, rail operator ScotRail and others to reopen the station.

He said aerial photographs have shown the “danger and risk to Glasgow Central station as a consequence of the fire on Union Corner”.

Swinney said: “Had the station been affected by the fire, then the consequences for the resilience of our transport network would be colossal.”

McMillan had told MSPs: “I do believe we should be considering allowing transport agencies to have a greater say over activities that occur nearby their key assets.”

He said such a change could help to “build greater resilience into Scotland’s public transport”.

The First Minister accepted that was a “fair point”, and told MSPs: “I’m going to consider that further, to determine whether we need to change our planning laws to do exactly that.”