Businesses affected by the fire at Glasgow School of Art could be allowed back into their premises later this month.

Work set to stabilise the west gable of the fire-hit Mackintosh building remains on schedule, with the necessary works due to be completed by October 14.

The news means affected businesses on Sauchiehall Street and Scott Street could get access to their premises.

The art school also revealed it is building a protective screen along Scott Street in front of the Centre for Contemporary Arts as an extra level of protection.

A large amount of material has now been lowered to street level ready for removal to off site storage and further artefacts have been found in the process.

The iconic door plates from the main entrance to the Mack were discovered as work was being done on internal bracing.

Bracing scaffolding on the east gable and north façade has been completed, as well as as the additional wall head bracing on the south east corner and the internal bracing at the main entrance to the building.

Specialists SGB have installed 450 tonnes of steel scaffolding to ensure maximum stability on the specially designed structural support.

It is hoped that by October 14 the stabilisation of the south-west corner, which is being undertaken by Mabey Total Solutions, should be finished following completion of the substantial steel cage being erected over the former library tower.

Damaged glass panels will be removed from the south façade of the Reid Building once the bracing scaffolding on Renfrew Street is completed.

It is hoped Glasgow City Council will be then be able to reopen the street to one lane of traffic.

Work on the Reid Building should be completed before Christmas.

"The stabilisation work on the Mackintosh Building is now almost complete," says Professor Tom Inns, Director of The Glasgow School of Art.

"Weather permitting we expect the work on the west gable to be completed by October 14, and we hope that this will mean the CCA, Bagel Mania, News 4U and Paint & Mortar will all be able to get back into their premises."

"We've been working particularly closely with the CCA to make sure that the damage to the gallery ceiling can be repaired and they can re-commission the building both for the cultural tenants and for public events as soon as possible."

"This has been a hugely complex project and we could not have completed it this quickly without the commitment of our contractors Reigart, SGB and Mabey who have been working flat out to get us to this stage," he adds.

"We know that there are ongoing concerns about road access in and around Garnethill, so once the work on the Mack stabilisation is finished our next priority will be taking down the damaged rain screen from the Reid Building so that the council can move to reopen Renfrew Street to single lane traffic before the worst of the winter weather sets in."

"Going forward we have committed to rebuilding the Mack and bringing it back not just as a working art school, but as resource for Garnethill and a creative powerhouse for the city.

"We want our neighbours to play a full part in this process and we look forward to working closely with them."