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Latest: Welcome to the BEFS e-Bulletin, which includes the
current consultation Designing Streets, and parliamentary questions and
answers on RCAHMS.
BEFS news: Members of BEFS are currently considering a recommendation
made by HEACS that BEFS should be invited to reconstitute itself as
a bespoke intermediary for the historic environment sector, thereby
adopting a narrower remit to its current wider 'built' environment role
with strategic focus on successful place-making. The BEFS Board has put
forward a preliminary position which can be viewed at:
http://www.befs.org.uk/issues.htm
Over the course of the next month, we are consulting with the BEFS
members on this issue, and are interested to hear the views of wider
stakeholders as well. If
you would like to offer views on how your interests would best be served
at strategic level by a national intermediary body, we'd be grateful for
written comments by 28th February. For further
information on the role of intermediaries and the HEACS report itself
visit:
http://www.heacs.org.uk/newsreleases/2008/infrastructure.htm
For further information on BEFS, visit http://www.befs.org.uk/
.
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Short-cut to
sections:- Consultations | Publications |
Scottish Government news releases | News
releases | Recent parliamentary questions | Recent parliamentary answers | Other
parliamentary activity | Events | Training
| Job vacancies
Consultations
Designing
Streets: Consultation Draft (SG 26/01/09)
Consultation draft of 'Designing Streets', which incorporates the
principles of PAN 76 and 'Designing Places' as well as comprehensive
information and guidance drawn from the UK Department for Transport's
'Manual for Streets' all of which aim to drive up design quality. The new
policy document is intended to complement 'Designing Places', providing
added weight to quality issues, whilst ensuring that the guidance attached
to the policy is implemented consistently across Planning authorities.
Period of consultation 26/01/09 - 23/03/09.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/01/23131802/0
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Publications
Literature
Review: Policies Adopted to Support a Healthy Retail Sector and Retail Led
Regeneration and the Impact of Retail on the Regeneration of Town Centres
and Local High Streets. (SG 30/01/09)
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/01/12112520/0
Literature
review: policies adopted to support a healthy retail sector and retail led
regeneration and the impact of retail on the regeneration of town centres
and local high streets RF 25/2009. (SG 30/01/09)
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/01/12112447/0
Scottish
Vacant and Derelict Land Survey 2008 (SG 30/01/09)
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/01/29155655/0
Making public
investment pay (CABE 28/01/09)
Investment in public building in a recession creates jobs and minimises
hardship, but that investment must create high quality, low carbon
buildings and places in order to generate value for decades to come.
http://www.cabe.org.uk/default.aspx?contentitemid=2985
Agriculture,
Fisheries and Rural Affairs Research Findings No.5/2009: Analysis of
Responses to the Public Consultation on the Scottish Marine Bill (SG 23/1/09)
Analysis of responses to the Scottish Government's consultation on
proposals for a Scottish Marine Bill.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/01/23092430/2
(Summary doc)
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/01/22160605/16
(Full Doc)
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Scottish Government news releases
Treasure
Trove (SG 03/02/09)
The first ever Code of Practice for Treasure Trove in Scotland is designed
to ensure everyone involved with found objects of archaeological,
historical or cultural significance understands the procedures which enable
them to be claimed on behalf of the public.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/02/03081818
Minister expands traditional building skills
qualification (HS 21/01/09)
Culture Minister Linda Fabiani has launched a new masonry qualification to
meet traditional building training needs in Edinburgh and Lothian. Details
of the National Progression Award (NPA) in Conservation of Masonry was
launched in the presence of HRH The Princess
Royal during a visit to St Mary's Cathedral Workshop. The NPA will be
available at Telford College where trainees
will be given bursaries to support them while they undertake the
qualification.
http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/news/news_article.htm?articleid=21622
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News releases
A+DS
Supports Scottish Renaissance Towns (A+DS 16/01/09)
Architecture and Design Scotland (A+DS), along
with the Macintosh School of Architecture, the Lighthouse and SUST is
supporting the Scottish Renaissance Towns movement.
http://www.ads.org.uk/news/575_a-ds-supports-scottish-renaissance-towns
Darwin's home and
workplace nominated for World Heritage Site status. (DCMS 30/01/09)
Darwin's home and
workplace, Darwin's Landscape
Laboratory, has been chosen as the UK's 2009 nomination
to become a World Heritage Site, Culture Secretary Andy Burnham has
announced.
http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/media_releases/5789.aspx
Making
public investment pay (CABE 28/01/09)
Investment in public building in a recession creates jobs and minimises
hardship, but that investment must create high quality, low carbon
buildings and places in order to generate value for decades to come.
http://www.cabe.org.uk/default.aspx?contentitemid=2985
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Recent parliamentary questions
Answers
will appear in a subsequent Bulletin, with questions reproduced. Questions
marked with a triangle are initiated by the Scottish Executive in order to
facilitate the provision of information to the Parliament.
S3W-20326
Peter Peacock: To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it takes to
ensure that landowners, land managers and access authorities comply with
their duties under sections 13 and 14 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
S3W-19940
Patricia Ferguson: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to
question S3W-19114 by Linda Fabiani on 7
January 2009, when it expects to report on the outcome of its
examination into the scope to rationalise and streamline the activities of
the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments, Historic
Scotland and the National Archives of Scotland. (SP 20/01/09)
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Recent parliamentary answers
Q.
S3W-20059 James Kelly: To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it
has taken to address the regeneration of town centres. (SP 22/01/09)
A. Answered by Stewart Maxwell (04/02/09): The Purpose of the
Scottish Government is to increase sustainable economic growth across the
whole of Scotland. To achieve this, we need to support local areas and
businesses to regenerate and grow our town centres.
That is why the government signalled its intention to introduce a new £60
million Town Centre Regeneration Fund as part of the budget package for
2009-10.
We will also be launching on 12 February a new Town Centres and Local High
Streets Learning network which will act as a source of learning, advice and
long-term support for practitioners.
Over the two years 2006-08, we provided £1.1 million in support for the BID pilot programme,
and we are continuing to provide seedcorn funding grants and practical
support on the ground for local partners seeking to establish a BID. This will help
create more vibrant and viable town and city centres.
In addition, we are removing or reducing business rates through the Small
Business Bonus Scheme as part of our drive to create an environment in
which small businesses - many of them in our town centres - can flourish,
underpinned by a fair taxation system. By cutting overheads and enabling
them to invest more, the scheme is helping to sustain tens of thousands of
small businesses across the country.
Q.
S3W-19950 Patricia Ferguson: To ask the Scottish Executive what
external advice it has taken on the best way to deliver the services
currently provided by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical
Monuments. (SP 20/01/09)
A. Answered by Linda Fabiani (02/02/09): No external consultants have
been involved in the assessment of options.
Q.
S3W-19951 Patricia Ferguson: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it
will carry out a public consultation exercise before coming to a definitive
view on the future of the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical
Monuments. (SP 20/01/09)
A. Answered by Linda Fabiani (02/02/09): The government has received
a number of letters from stakeholders and these views have been taken into
account in assessing the options for simplification. We continue to welcome
the views of stakeholders who submit these in correspondence.
Q.
S3W-19952 Patricia Ferguson: To ask the Scottish Executive what its
budget allocation will be to the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical
Monuments in each of the next three years. (SP 20/01/09)
A. Answered by Linda Fabiani (02/02/09): The budget allocation for
the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland is
£4,553,000 in 2009-10 and £4,445,000 in 2010-11. No budget has yet been
agreed for 2011-12 as this falls into the next spending review period.
Q.
S3W-19953 Patricia Ferguson: To ask the Scottish Executive whether
the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments will retain its
charitable status following any rationalisation. (SP 20/01/09)
A. Answered by Linda Fabiani (02/02/09): Charitable status for any
organisation is dependent on eligibility as assessed by the Office of the
Scottish Charity Regulator.
Q.
S3W-19895 - Peter Peacock: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it
considers single outcome agreements to be qualifying plans, programmes or
strategies for the purposes of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act
2005 and, if not, what the reasons are for its position on this matter. (SP
16/01/09)
A. Answered by Michael Russell (02/02/09): It is for each Responsible
Authority within Scotland to establish whether the public plans or
programmes it is responsible for producing, fall within the scope of the
Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005.
Q.
S3W-19938 Patricia Ferguson: To ask the Scottish Executive, further
to the answers to questions S3W-19114 and S3W-8632 by Linda Fabiani on 7
January 2009 and 31 January 2008 respectively, when it began to examine the
scope to rationalise and streamline the activities of the Royal Commission
on Ancient and Historical Monuments, Historic Scotland and the National
Archives of Scotland and when it expects to conclude this exercise. (SP
20/01/09)
A. Answered by Linda Fabiani (02/02/09): The First Minister announced
the examination of the scope to rationalise historic archival, recording
and scheduling functions and for streamlining the activities of the Royal
Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Historic
Scotland and the National Archives of Scotland in January 2008.
Consideration is on-going with the three organisations involved, all of
which have regular contact with core government officials and the minister.
Q.
S3W-19623 - Sarah Boyack: To ask the Scottish Executive whether, when
an individual room within a building is leased out, an energy performance
certificate (EPC) is required
under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2008 and,
if so, whether the EPC should refer to
the individual room or to the building as a whole. (SP 12/01/09)
A. Answered by Stewart Stevenson (27/01/09): I have to advise that I
am not in a position to interpret the legislation that covers Energy
Performance Certificates (EPCs) in Scotland. Interpretation in the first
instance is the responsibility of the local authorities and ultimately
could be a matter for the courts to decide. I am in a position to provide
informal advice on the intention behind the legislation and my response
should be viewed with that in mind.
The Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2008 require an EPC for the building
and reference a definition. The definition of building is the same as in
the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (2002/91/EC), as a roofed
construction having walls, for which energy is used to condition the indoor
climate; a building may refer to the building as a whole or parts thereof
that have been designed or altered to be used separately.
EPCs are required for all individual dwellings. In the case of other
buildings, the EPC covers the entire
building. However, where the building is divided into units that are fire
separated units, the EPC can either cover
the entire building, depending on the heating system arrangements, or,
alternatively, separate certificates can be carried out for each individual
unit. In some instances, the fire separated units could be single rooms
which are occupied by different tenants.
Q.
S3W-19625 - Sarah Boyack: To ask the Scottish Executive what type of
buildings or their subdivisions are exempt from the requirement to display
an energy performance certificate under the Energy Performance of Buildings
(Scotland) Regulations 2008. (SP 12/01/09)
A. Answered by Stewart Stevenson (27/01/09): I have to advise that I
am not in a position to interpret the legislation that covers Energy
Performance Certificates (EPCs) in Scotland. Interpretation in the first
instance is the responsibility of the local authorities and ultimately
could be a matter for the courts to decide. I am in a position to provide
informal advice on the intention behind the legislation and my response
should be viewed with that in mind.
Due to the disparate nature of the public building stock in Scotland, it is
not possible to provide a definitive list of exemptions. The Energy
Performance of Building (Scotland) Regulations 2008 define a public
building as a building with a floor area of more than 1,000m2, which is
occupied by a public authority or by an institution providing public
services and which can be visited by the public. Guidance on the
requirement to display an EPC is given as:
The requirement to display a certificate applies only to buildings which
meet all of the following criteria:
the conditioned (heated/cooled) area of the building is over 1,000m2;
the building is occupied by public authorities or provides public services
to a large number of persons;
the building is frequently visited, at least weekly, by members of the general
public;
the public have a right of access to the building, or parts of the
buildings providing services directly to the public, and
public funding, including part funding, is used to operate, for general
upkeep, or to fund staff costs.
Examples include colleges, community centres, libraries, hospitals, benefit
offices and crematoria.
Q.
S3W-19649 Lewis Macdonald: To ask the Scottish Executive how much of
the capital city supplement to the City of Edinburgh Council is intended to
contribute to the council's costs in relation to its World Heritage Site
status. (SP 13/01/09)
A. Answered by John Swinney (15/01/09): I refer the member to the
answer to question S3W-19648 on 15 January 2009. How the City of Edinburgh
Council allocates the additional funding to be provided is a matter for the
council.
Q.
S3W-19118 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it
plans to review the planning guidelines and Scottish Planning Policies
relating to listed buildings to clarify the situation regarding replacement
of single-glazed windows by windows with improved heat-retention
properties. (SP 17/12/08)
A. Answered by Linda Fabiani (14/01/09): The Scottish Planning Policy
for the Historic Environment and the Scottish Historic Environment Policy
(SHEP) were both published in revised form, after public consultation, on
28 October 2008; the SHEP included revised ministerial policy on listed
building consent. Neither document makes specific mention of the issue of
glazing options as this is an operational matter; however, the SHEP sets
out the general approach and principles. Historic Scotland is undertaking
research on the energy performance of older buildings, and this will inform
revised guidance on windows for applicants and local authorities, to be published
in spring 2009, to replace the guidance in the Memorandum of Guidance on
Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas. Applications relating to windows
are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Q.
S3W-19115 Patricia Ferguson: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it
plans to review the role, function or operation of Historic Scotland. (SP
17/12/08)
A. Answered by Linda Fabiani (15/01/09): The Scottish Government is
committed to ensuring that the public bodies landscape is simpler, more
focused and easier to navigate, by bringing together organisations with
similar skills, expertise and processes. The role, function and operation
of Historic Scotland were considered during the review of the public sector
landscape, on which the government's main conclusions were announced last
January. Work is on-going to examine the scope to rationalise historic
archival, recording and scheduling functions and for streamlining the
activities of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments
of Scotland, Historic Scotland and the National Archives of Scotland. Work
is currently in progress with these organisations to determine the most
effective structure for delivering the public services that they provide.
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Other parliamentary activity
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Events
"The
Heritage Game: Economics, Policy and Practice" - Sir Alan Peacock
& Professor Ilde Rizzo
Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Weston Link, National Galleries of Scotland,
Thursday 19th February 2009, 6pm (doors open
5.45pm).
The authors of this 2008 Oxford University Press book will both be
present. Sir Alan Peacock will deliver an Introduction "The
Future of the Past" and his co-author, Professor Ilde Rizzo will speak
on "The Economic Problems of Heritage: The Italian
Example".
Tickets are free of charge for the lecture but to avoid disappointment
should be reserved in advance via annpackard_pppt@onetel.com or
0131 556 2052 - please state title, forename and surname and job
title and daytime phone number and please provide the same information for
any guests.
New
Values for Scotland's Heritage - RCAHMS Centenary Seminar
Royal Society of Edinburgh, 22-24 George Street, Friday 13th March 2009
This seminar will explore how the built heritage of Scotland is valued
today, and particularly how the ways in which it is valued by the public
have challenged and informed the professional sector.
info@rcahms.gov.uk or 0131 662
1456.
Past
Forward! Celebrating and Promoting Our Historic Environment - HEACS
conference
Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, Wednesday 20th May 2009
A national conference to celebrate and promote Scotland's rich historic
environment. The opening address will be given by Linda Fabiani MSP.
Some of the key bodies and voluntary groups in the historic environment
will showcase their work and outline their vision for the future, and there
will be exhibitions about some of the exciting projects taking place. The
day will conclude with an open forum focusing on the challenges and
opportunities for our historic environment in the years ahead.
Attendance is free and a buffet lunch will be served. Prior booking is
essential.
For further information or to request a booking form, please contact Pat
Stables at HEACS Secretariat, Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh
EH9 1SH; phone 0131 668 8817 patricia.stables@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.
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Training
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Job vacancies
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Information
in the Bulletin is extracted from a number of websites; including the
Scottish Government (SG); the Scottish Parliament (SP); Architecture
and Design Scotland (A+DS); Historic Scotland (HS); Scottish Natural
Heritage (SNH); Scottish Council for Voluntary
Organisations (SCVO); English Heritage (EH); Commission for Architecture
and the Built Environment (CABE); Department of Communities and Local
Government (DCLG); Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS);
Department of Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA); National Assembly for
Wales (NAW); Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS); Scottish
Building Standards Agency (SBSA). For further
information, links are provided to the relevant documents. Back copies of
the Bulletin are available approximately one month after publication on the
BEFS website.
If you have any questions or comments on the above, or would like to submit
information to be included, please get in touch with Anne Wilkinson awilkinson@befs.org.uk or call
the BEFS Office on 0131 220 6241. We hope that you find the Bulletin
useful, however if you wish to be removed from the circulation list, please
get in touch.
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