La pierre en Ecosse, un patrimonie a surveiller

Indigenous stone sourced from Scotland and northern England forms a major component of Scotland's pre-1919 building stock. Traditionally Scottish stone was also used for roofing, streets, pavements and bridges and all forms of walling. Today’s global market has encouraged the importation of stone for new-build cladding and for new city streetscapes. Whilst this may positively influence public acceptance of the use of natural stone, consideration needs to be given to the use of ‘like for like’ indigenous materials for repair and conservation thus ensuring that the unique character Scotland’s stone-built heritage is not lost. The UK Government’s response to the Rio Earth Summit on Sustainable Development (1992) notes ‘.... it will become increasingly important to have reliable information about the nature, quantity and location of mineral resources as workable reserves in environmentally acceptable areas become scarcer.’… Legislative planning for minerals working varies form country to country in the UK but Government minerals planning policy now makes specific reference to the identification of national building stone resources. There are pressing needs both to understand the performance and to source supplies of indigenous stone, and to ensure that these resources are used appropriately.