A project to determine the future requirements for stone and stonemasonry skills is being carried out in Glasgow. It will quantify the skills currently available, undertake a controlled assessment of Glasgow\'s built heritage and then, based on that information, project the future skills needs and stone demands of the city.

The project is being undertaken by the Scottish Stone Liaison Group (SSLG) with funding from Scottish Enterprise-Glasgow, City of Glasgow Council, the National Heritage Training Board and CITB-ConstructionSkills.

The project is in two parts. Part one will involve the assessment of the skills and age profile of existing operatives, supervisors and managers working for CITB masonry-registered companies.

Part two will be a health check of Glasgow\'s built heritage. This will involve an assessment of up to 200 buildings eventually, identifying the stones from which they are built and, where the original material is no longer available, suggesting compatible alternatives that are available.

It is already well known that some of the buildings in Glasgow were constructed using stone from a quarry that is now under the Great Western Road, which has sterilised that source.

Alan McKinney, chief executive of the SSLG, says they will be seeking the views of the people of Glasgow about which buildings to assess. He says they are looking for buildings that are iconically Glaswegian.

The SSLG hope that identifying the potential demand for stone in Glasgow could lead to the opening of a quarry in the central belt of Scotland that could supply the stone needed.

When the project was announced last month (November) Alan McKinney was interviewed on the main early evening BBC regional news programme in Scotland to talk about the proposals. Two young stonemasons also appeared saying how much they enjoyed their jobs.