What we do
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BEFS is the only membership forum operating within
Vision
Our vision
is to achieve successful, sustainable place-making in
Our
mission is to support organisations in pursuing excellence in place-making by
providing a forum for understanding, promoting and influencing the dynamic
relationship between the historic environment, new design and sustainable
development.
Objectives
We will achieve our mission by:
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Building
capacity within the forum structure to work collaboratively on developing
successful places
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Acting
as a focus for strategic issues to be addressed and developed
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Creating
constructive dialogue within our cross-disciplinary membership on areas where
there is both consensus and divergence
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Championing
policies and practices that will improve our enjoyment of the built environment
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Representing
the collective views of our members on policy and practice to decision makers
and influencers. Top
The members of BEFS are non-governmental organisations
(both professional institutes and voluntary organisations) that operate at the
national level and represent people who work within the built environment sector.
A unique aspect of BEFS is that it enables the coming together of interests to
explore issues affecting both the historic and contemporary elements within the
built environment. For larger member bodies that may already be engaged in the
process of legislative development, BEFS provides the opportunity to develop
contacts within the wider sector and share experience and expertise. Smaller
bodies are less likely to have the resources to engage in issues that affect
their work; BEFS provides a chance for them to contribute their area of
expertise. Top
Through the Forum, members join together to
discuss matters of common interest and concern, to raise awareness and to share
information. By expressing views, members can identify problems and needs that
are common within the wider membership. Issues are discussed at the strategic
level, the aim being to put views forward to the relevant authorities, usually
the Scottish Executive and Parliament.
The collective voice of BEFS is generated
through regular meetings of its members, workshop discussion and through the
operation of working groups. The value of this collective voice is that it
gives added weight to many individual voices; BEFS highlights areas of
consensus where these exist thereby strengthening the message being presented
to decision-makers. The agenda of BEFS arises from within the membership, and
as such, BEFS should not be seen as having a separate identity, but rather as
performing a co-ordinating function, always making a case on behalf of its
membership rather than as BEFS. This is achieved without compromising the
independence or constitutional interests of the constituent members.
This
process helps to develop greater awareness and understanding within the sector
which is large and diverse, yet very interrelated. By providing an opportunity
to work together, the Forum has the capacity to tackle complex issues which
require wider involvement from the various conservation, development and design
perspectives. For those interested in any aspect of the built environment, BEFS
provides a sounding board on relevant issues and forms a point of contact with
this whole sector. In particular, those involved in the development or
implementation of legislation can use BEFS to ‘sound out’ the views
of the sector. Top
BEFS is a charitable company (registration
number: SC 250 970, recognized as a Scottish Charity no: SC 03 44 88). The Board
of Directors is made up mainly of individuals from within the membership. The
Board is responsible for administering BEFS and determining strategic
direction.
For the 06-07 Annual Review click here
To view the Corporate Plan for 2006-09 click here
To view the Operating Practices click here
To view the Annual Report and Accounts for
2005-06 click here
To view the Annual Report and Accounts for
2004-05 click here
To view the
Annual Report and Accounts for 2003-04 click here
In 1996, a group composed mainly of
representatives of amenity societies in Scotland met to try to advance areas of
common interest by setting up a body called the Scottish Environment Amenity
Link (SEAL). By 2000 it had become clear that further resources were required,
mainly in order to be able to get more effectively involved with the Scottish
Executive, and with the new Parliament, on emerging issues of policy. SEAL was
renamed Built Environment Forum (BEF) and by 2001 the group had expanded to
represent a broad range of non-professional interests in the historic built
environment.
A key point in the evolution of BEFS was the
joint working between professional institutes and voluntary organisations, in
the production of a co-ordinated response to the Scottish Executive
consultation on its Policy for Architecture. This highlighted the extensive
common ground, at the strategic level, that existed amongst these various
interests. BEF then became BEFS; a body to serve the common strategic interests
of national Scottish bodies working with the nation's cultural environments;
archaeological, historic and contemporary. BEFS was inaugurated at a general
meeting of members on 29 August 2002, incorporated as a limited company on 11
June 2003 (registration number SC 250 970) and received charitable recognition
on 23 July 2003 (Scottish Charity Number SC 03 44 88)Top