Welcome to the BEFS e-Bulletin. This will be the last
e-bulletin of 2009, the next will be circulated mid January.
28
January: BEFS Historic Environment Working Group will hold a meeting,
open to all BEFS members, focusing on the Historic Environment Bill. 12-3pm at RICS, Edinburgh. More
information from BEFS office.
One of
BEFS members is seeking a new Director, see vacancy section for details.
BEFS
office will be closed 22 Dec - 4 Jan. We wish you all a relaxing festive
break!
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| Publications | Scottish Government News Release | News Release | Recent Parliamentary Questions | Recent Parliamentary Answers | Other parliamentary activity | Events Training Job Vacancies
Consultation
Public
Information Notices Consultation (SG 17/12/09)
This order will enable electronic publication as an alternative to the duty
to advertise in printed media for local authorities. Changes are required
to a range of legislation to enable electronic publication as an acceptable
alternative to the duty to publish public information notices in
newspapers. Consultation period 17/12/09 - 12/02/09. Read more on consultation and press release
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Publications
Marine Policy - Statement of Public Participation (Defra
15/12/09)
The UK Government, Welsh Assembly Government, Northern Ireland Executive
and Scottish Government have prepared a Statement of Public Participation (SPP) (PDF 543KB)
which sets out how you can be involved in the development of the Marine
Policy Statement, which is the first stage of the new system of marine
planning. The SPP provides a timetable for the development of the MPS and
timings for engagement. Also prepared is a list (PDF 94KB) of
all the organisations with an interest in the marine environment who we
will consult as we develop the MPS. If you would like to be added to this
list please contact us at mps@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Innovation Review (CIC 15/09/12)
This
first issue provides information on academic expertise and testing
facilities at the participating institutions. As CIC Start Online will
collaborate with organisations that provide support and/or co-ordinate
funding and incentives for sustainable building design and refurbishment,
Innovation Review includes articles on remit and services of some of them. Read more
Householder Permitted Development Rights: Analysis of
Consultation Responses (SG 15/12/09)
Analysis of Consultation Responses to the Householder
Permitted Development Rights Consultation.
Analysis Report on the Consultation on the Implementation of
the Removal of the Duty of Planning Authorities to Notify Historic Scotland
on Certain Types of Listed Building Consent Application (SG 10/12/09)
Summary of the responses received to the consultation on the
Implementation of the Removal of the Duty of Planning Authorities to Notify
Scottish Ministers on Certain Types of Listed Building Consent Application.Read more
Scottish Government News Release
News Release
Regional architecture centres get £900,000 (CABE 16/12/09)
CABE has awarded £900,000 to support and strengthen 21
architecture and built environment centres in the next financial year.
Applicants had to demonstrate that their proposal would increase public
understanding and involvement in architecture and the built environment,
and help create better designed buildings, spaces and places. Read more
Historic landmarks get funding boost (HS 16 December 2009)
More than £1.5m is being invested in revitalising some of
Scotland's most important historic buildings, the Minister for Culture and
External Affairs Fiona Hyslop announced on Wednesday December 16th.
The Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, the Fairfield shipyard office building and
Cottier Theatre in Glasgow, along with St Margaret's Church in Oatlands,
will share the latest round of Historic Scotland Building Repair Grants.
Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop said: "The historic buildings around us
give us a physical link to our past. The Fairfield building reflects the
area's shipping heritage, while the Cottier Theatre and St Margaret's are
former churches that are continuing to play a role in their communities.
The history of a venue like the Cottier or the Assembly Rooms can add to
their prestige and the impact they have on audiences.Read more
Inverness City Vision (A+DS 15/12/09)
Over
the next six months Highlands Council will be preparing a new City Vision
for Inverness and are urging the public to get involved by suggesting their
top priorities for action. A series of one-day Future City Vision events
will run from Wednesday 20 January until Friday 22 January, 2010 for people
from local communities, businesses, schools and colleges and the voluntary
and public sectors. Read
more
Archive film footage of traditional Scottish building skills
(HS 15/12/09)
Fiona
Hyslop, The Minister for Culture and External Affairs, formally switched on
a giant projection of some rarely seen archive film footage of Scottish
construction workers onto the exterior of the Buchanan Galleries shopping
centre in Glasgow on 15/12/09. The films range in date with the earliest
from 1919 and show a variety of traditional building skills including brick
making at Glenboig, construction work at Clydebank and the building of the
Ritz cinema in Edinburgh. Read more
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Recent Parliamentary Questions
Questions
marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Scottish Executive in order
to facilitate the provision of information to the
Parliament. Questions in which a member has indicated a declarable
interest are marked with an "R".
S3O-8884 Johann Lamont: To ask the Scottish Executive what
progress there has been with reporting on the implementation of single
outcome agreements. (SP 17/12/09)
S3W-29877 Peter Peacock: To ask the Scottish Executive what
statutory obligations local authorities have to audit dangerous and
defective buildings. (SP 10/12/09)
S3W-29881 Peter Peacock: To ask the Scottish Executive how
many defective building notices have been issued in each of the last three
years, broken down by local authority area. (SP 10/12/09)
S3W-29882 Peter Peacock: To ask the Scottish Executive what
the cost has been to local authorities of rectifying defective buildings in
each of the last three years and whether any of these costs were recovered
from the owners of those buildings. (SP 10/12/09)
Recent Parliamentary Answers
Parliamentary Questions and Answers
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the
Scottish Executive in order to facilitate the provision of information to
the Parliament.
Q S3W-29389
- Cathy Jamieson To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to secure
alternative funding for projects that met the criteria for the Town Centre
Regeneration Fund but were unsuccessful. (SP 25/11/09)
A Answered
by Alex Neil (08/12/09: Whilst we are aware that a number of projects are
seeking funding from other sources, it is not our intention to seek to
influence grant making bodies in favour of certain applicants to the
disadvantage of others. We are, however, considering the practical support
we can offer both successful and unsuccessful projects through our Town
Centres and Local High Streets Learning Network.
The learning network offers a forum for practitioners to
share ideas and best practice generally from others delivering town centre
regeneration. The network will enable them to share experiences of how
successful funding packages have been put together and will particularly
look to disseminate learning emerging from evaluation of the Town Centre
Regeneration Fund.
Q S3W-29393 - Cathy Jamieson:
To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to assess the number of
vacant and derelict properties. (SP 25/11/09)
A Answered by Alex Neil
(08/12/09): Information on the number of vacant and derelict non-domestic
(business) premises is not held centrally. Information on premises liable
for business rates is held on the Scottish Assessors Portal,
www.saa.gov.uk. However, the portal does not maintain reliable data on the
vacancy history of individual properties.
Q S3W-29396 - Cathy
Jamieson: To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to assist local
authorities in dealing with derelict properties. (SP 25/11/09)
A Answered by Alex Neil
(08/12/09): The Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, gives local authorities new
powers to take action against properties which are below the tolerable
standard, in a state of serious disrepair or in need of repair and likely
to deteriorate rapidly and cause damage to other properties if nothing is
done to repair them. These powers would apply to domestic properties and
non-domestic properties where they form part of a building containing
housing which is also substandard. The Scottish Government has produced a
suite of guidance to support local authorities in the implementation of the
powers and continues to encourage the sharing of good practice. In
addition, the Scottish Government has granted local authorities the
discretion to vary the level of council tax discount for long-term empty
properties and flexibility to use the funds raised by reducing this
discount for a range of purposes, including to bring empty properties back
into use. Volume four of the Scottish Government''s Review of the Private
Rented Sector also suggests how local authorities can adopt a strategic
approach to bringing empty houses back into supply, including methods for
partnership working and data gathering. Officials are currently working
with stakeholders to consider the review''s recommendation that the
Scottish Government should fund a fixed-term post to provide support to
local authorities to take action on empty houses.
Q S3W-29399 - Cathy
Jamieson: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide funding to
local authorities to enable them to tackle problems caused by derelict
properties. (SP 25/11/09)
A Answered by Alex Neil
(08/12/09): Local authorities receive funding through Private Sector
Housing Grant (PSHG) to help them deal with disrepair in private sector
housing. In 2009-10, the total PSHG allocation was £67.335 million.
Authorities are responsible for determining the priorities in their area
when allocating these resources. This will continue to be the case from
2010-11 when PSHG will be rolled up into the General Capital Grant. More
generally, the Scottish Government is providing local government in Scotland
with significant levels of funding. It is the responsibility of each local
authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it,
including the money raised locally through the council tax, on the basis of
local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled its statutory
obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities,
including the Scottish Government''s key strategic objectives.
Other Parliamentary activitiy
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Events
Towards
Improving the Energy Efficiency of Traditional Buildings
14 January
2010, 12-2pm (incl buffet lunch, Buchanan House, seminar room K505, 58 Port
Dundas Road, Glasgow G4 0HG
The
presentation describes recent and ongoing projects funded by Historic
Scotland and English Heritage which contribute towards the basic knowledge
required for improving energy performance assessments of traditional
buildings and a rational refurbishment strategy.
- Thermal
Performance of Traditional Windows, Technical Paper 1,
Technical Conservation Group, Historic Scotland, November 2008
Cost: £40.
To book a place please phone The Centre for the Built Environment on 0141
273 1411, or send a message to cbeinfo@gcal.ac.uk
Training
Vacancies
Director
- The Scottish Civic Trust
The Scottish Civic Trust works to promote and improve
Scotland's built environment. Trustees are seeking a new Director to carry
forward current projects and new initiatives. You will have the drive and
ambition to lead SCT from the front. Considerable experience in working
with a wide range of stakeholders is a key requirement, as is a
demonstrable professional interest in Scotland's places and heritage.
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.
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
tel: 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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