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.
BEFS is a
charitable company (registration number: SC 250 970, recognized as a Scottish
Charity no: SC 03 44 88). Top
08-09 Annual Report & Accounts
Annual Report and Accounts for 2007-08
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