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.