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BEFS News
This month Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has introduced a new expressions of interest process for anyone wishing to make an application to one of their grant programmes. The purpose of the short form is to ensure that applicants receive consistent advice regarding suitability for funding, appropriate grant programmes and the timing of applications. If you are interested in making an application to HES, submit an expression of interest via their grants website, and a member of the grants team will provide a response within 10 working days.
The following updated grants deadlines for 2020 have now been published on the grants website. If you are interested in applying this year, take note as there are a few changes from last year’s schedule.
2020 Grant Application Deadlines
- Historic Environment Repair Grants – 31 May, 31 December
- Historic Environment Support Fund – 31 March, 31 July, 30 November
- Organisational Support Fund – 31 August
- Archaeology Programme – 30 September
The 2018 Scottish House Condition Survey reports 75% of all dwellings have some degree of disrepair and disrepair to critical elements stood at 57%, an increase of 7% for both since 2017. 73% of Scotland’s traditionally built homes (pre-1919) are not wind and watertight. BEFS Director, Euan Leitch, reflects on these findings in the context of the work of the Scottish Parliamentary Working Group for Tenement Maintenance and the Scottish Government’s response to the group’s recommendations report.
At the invitation of the Scottish Government’s NPF4 planning team, BEFS was asked to invite its members to a roundtable discussion event. This was an informal opportunity to hear a little of where thinking sits currently and to consider opportunities for engagement. Read the report here.
BEFS responded to the Scottish Government’s consultation on their Proposed Work Programme, and associated Sustainability Appraisal (SA) report, for reviewing and extending permitted development rights (PDR) in Scotland. Read the response on our ’Consultations & Briefings’ page.
Nominations for the Archaeology Training Forum award are now open. The Archaeology Training Forum Award recognises excellence in the fields of learning, best practice in training and professional development and is open to archaeological organisations, individuals, partnerships and collaborative projects throughout the United Kingdom, whether paid or voluntary. Closing date for nominations is the 13th March 2020 and more information can be found on the ATF website.
BEFS Vice-Chair, Professor Ian Baxter, muses on the meaning of ‘place-keeping’ for the historic environment sector, in our first blog this week.
BEFS Policy & Strategy Manager, Ailsa Macfarlane, reflects on the recent Wealth of Nations 2.0 Conference and place as part of the wellbeing economy agenda, in our second blog.
Consultations
Review of the ban on the use of combustible materials in and on the external walls of buildings (England)
Opened on 20 January 2020 and closes on 13 April 2020.
Fire safety: risk prioritisation in existing buildings – a call for evidence (England)
Opened on 20 January 2020 and closes on 17 February 2020.
Proposed Remote Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill
Consultation closes on 31 January 2020.
Law Society of Scotland’s call for views: Consultation on aspects of planning obligations
Closes Monday 3 February 2020.
Scottish Forestry Corporate Plan Consultation
Closes 5 February 2020.
The Replacement of European Structural Funds In Scotland Post EU-Exit
Closes 12 Feb. 2020.
Planning Performance and Fees
Closes on 14 Feb 2020.
Housing to 2040: consultation on outline policy options
Closes on 28 Feb 2020.
The practice of cash retention under construction contracts
Closes on 25 Mar 2020.
Energy Efficient Scotland: Improving energy efficiency in owner occupied homes consultation
Closes 26 March 2020.
Planning for Scotland in 2050: National Planning Framework 4 – Call for Ideas
Call for Ideas runs until 31 March 2020.
Publications
Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020 (SG 28/01/20)
Affordable Housing Supply Programme Out-turn Report 2018-19 (SG 28/01/20)
English Housing Survey 2018 to 2019: headline report (MHCLG 23/01/20)
Heritage and the Economy 2019 (HE 23/01/20)
RTPI Corporate Strategy 2020-2030 (RTPI 22/01/20)
Scottish house condition survey: 2018 key findings (SG 21/01/20)
Short-Term Lets Regulation (SG 21/01/20)
Planning and Architecture business plan 2019 to 2020: in-year review (SG 21/01/20)
Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report: government response (MHCLG 21/01/20)
Challenges facing small housing developers: survey (SG 20/01/20)
Scottish Infrastructure Commission Report (ICS 20/01/20)
Building safety advice for building owners, including fire doors (MHCLG 20/01/20)
Local Place Plan Guide (PAS 16/01/20)
Scotland’s City Region and Growth Deals (Audit Scotland 16/01/20)
Technical Conservation Guidance and Research (HE 11/19)
Scottish Government News Releases
Climate Change Plan (SG 28/01/20)
Members of the Scottish Parliament, academics, industry and environmental organisations will explore options and priorities for updating Scotland’s Climate Change Plan.
Health and wellbeing as fundamental as GDP (SG 22/01/20)
Scotland is leading the way in creating an economy in which wellbeing is as fundamental as GDP (Gross Domestic Product) when measuring success, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.
Scottish House Condition Survey: 2018 Key Findings (SG 21/01/20)
The Chief Statistician has released figures on fuel poverty, energy efficiency, the condition of housing, the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) and other key descriptors of the occupied housing stock in Scotland.
Homeowners protected (SG 20/01/20)
Apex Property Factor removed from the official register for failing to meet minimum standards of practice.
£100m milestone for Building Scotland Fund (SG 14/01/20)
Housing, regeneration and industrial and commercial developments are being supported by investments of £100 million through the Building Scotland Fund (BSF).
News Releases
Tesco Bags of Help open for applications in 2020! (Greenspace Scot 28/01/20)
Community groups and charities across Scotland are being invited to apply for funding through the Tesco Bags of Help scheme. Three groups will be awarded grant amounts of £2,000, £1,000 or £500 every three months in a total of 75 funding areas that cover the whole of Scotland from Shetland to Stranraer.
Green MSP launches online tool to monitor scale of Airbnb-style lets (Commonspace 23/01/20)
Locals will be able to report short-term holiday lets in their area using a new tool launched by Andy Wightman.
England’s Heritage Worth £31 Billion To Economy Reveals New Report (HE 23/01/20)
New research shows that heritage is an important sector which contributes to economic prosperity and growth through jobs in the heritage and construction sectors and from tourism.
Lack of guidance from Scottish Government putting homes at risk (SLE 22/01/20)
A lack of guidance and leadership from the Scottish Government on the incoming changes to the energy efficiency of homes is putting unnecessary pressure on Scotland’s vital private rental sector.
Three out of four homes need repair as fuel poverty rises (The Times 22/01/20)
Three quarters of Scotland’s 2.6 million homes have some form of disrepair, a substantial increase on the previous year, a report has revealed.
Scotland’s City Region and Growth Deals (Audit Scotland 16/01/20)
City deals have been positive for Scotland’s economy, but the government does not have a plan to measure their overall long-term success, say public spending watchdogs.
Open for Entries: RIAS/RIBA Awards for Scotland 2020
Now in their 9th year, the combined RIAS/RIBA Awards continue to demonstrate the quality and breadth of current architectural endeavour in Scotland. Submissions should be made via our online entry form. Submission deadline: Thursday 20th February 2020 (an early bird discount of 10% is available until Thursday 6th February 2020).
My Place Awards and My Place Photography Competition 2020! (SCT 16/01/20)
One month left to submit entries…we look forward to receiving your entries! The closing date for both the My Place Awards and the My Place Photography Competition is 11:59pm, Sunday 16 February 2020.
Plunge In! Coasts and Waters Community Fund (SNH)
SNH has launched a new fund for #YCW2020 – Plunge In! The Coasts and Waters Community Fund – which creates new opportunities for communities to connect with their coasts, seas and freshwaters. The fund offers grants to help community groups participate in and celebrate #YCW2020 in their own way. The fund will open for applications between 7 January and 28 February 2020.
54 historic places of worship restored thanks to government pilot scheme (DCMS 13/01/20)
The Taylor Review pilot scheme, a £1.8 million scheme to help listed places of worship, has provided grants towards repairs at 54 historic buildings since launching in September 2018 until March 2019.
Construction Recovery Needs a VAT Cut (FMB 13/01/20)
The upcoming Budget must slash the rate of VAT on repair and maintenance work and invest in the construction sector in order to maintain the industry’s recovery, according to the Federation of Master Builders in response to the ONS construction output data published today.
Place Planning for Decarbonisation (A&DS 01/20)
To support the Scottish Government’s commitment to tackle climate change and achieve a target of net-zero carbon by 2045, Architecture and Design Scotland is working with the Scottish Government Climate Change Division. Through this work, we will be initially supporting a small number of selected Local Authorities to develop spatial plans for places which prioritise this agenda.
Opinion & Comment
When Historic Preservation Hurts Cities (NYT 26/01/20)
Working towards an economy that is focused on wellbeing (Dr Katherine Trebeck, Herald 22/01/20)
VAT chance: Can tax reforms spur a retrofit renaissance? (AJ 06/01/20)
Parliamentary Questions
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Scottish Government 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”.
Question S5W-27033: Iain Gray, East Lothian, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 20/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what level of funds remain in the Scottish Land Fund.
Question S5W-27034: Iain Gray, East Lothian, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 20/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to relaunch the Scottish Land Fund beyond March 2021.
Question S5W-27149: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 27/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-22988 by Kevin Stewart on 16 May 2019, in light of the minister’s comment that “work to finalise the revised code will take place over the course of 2019”, whether it will confirm by what date it will publish the revised code of conduct for property factors.
Parliamentary Questions & Answers
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Government in order to facilitate the provision of information to the Parliament.
Question S5W-26907: Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 09/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government how many planning (a) practitioners have been employed and (b) applications have been decided by each local planning authority in each year since 2012-13.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (17/01/2020)
Other Parliamentary Activity
Portfolio Questions: Culture, Tourism & External Affairs – Wednesday 22 January
1. Margaret Mitchell – Historic Environment (Preservation of Buildings and Landmarks)
2. Ruth Maguire – Year of Coasts and Waters
3. Alison Johnstone – Edinburgh festive celebrations
4. Jeremy Balfour – Edinburgh summer festivals 2020
5. Peter Chapman – traditional culture
Events
For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.
Energy efficiency seminar
Dates & times: Thursday 6 to Friday 7 February, 1pm – 5pm.
Venue: Engine Shed, Stirling
Cost: £20 – £50.
This is a two-day programme which looks at practical energy efficiency measures for Scottish homes and the wider technical and policy issues in their refurbishment. This is in partnership between Historic Environment Scotland and other organisations and the Task59 project (Historic NZEB).
Glasgow Potteries and the British Empire
Date & Venue: February 10 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Auditorium, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.
Date & Venue: February 11 @ 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Meston Building Lecture Theatre One, University of Aberdeen.
A Society of Antiquaries of Scotland lecture given by Graeme Cruickshank MA AMA FMA FSAScot.
For more information on the Society’s full event programme and to book a place on a lecture visit the website.
William Morris: Preserving Monuments of Art & Civilisation
Date & time: 26th Feb 2020 – 1800 – 1900.
Venue: Dovecot Studios, 10 Infirmary Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LT.
Join us for a lecture from Scottish Officer, Tyler C. Lott, BA, MSc on the legacy of William and his daughter May Morris in the SPAB and the impact SPAB has had on Britain’s Built Heritage as well as top tips for a positive and practical approach to building conservation in the 21st Century. Includes entry into to the May Morris Art & Life Exhibit on the day of the event.
Women in housing Scotland Conference
Date & time: 6 March from 9:30 am – 4:00 pm.
Venue: Hilton Glasgow.
This brand new event for 2020 is aimed at ALL women working or volunteering in the housing sector. The event is a celebration of achievements and the impact women have had and continue to have on the sector. The day will be full of inspirational and motivational women speakers from the housing sector and beyond.
3D Documentation of Heritage Artefacts: Introduction to Photogrammetry
Date & time: Wed, 18 March 2020, 10:30 – 16:30.
Venue: Scottish Maritime Museum, Linthouse Building, Harbour Road, Irvine, KA12 8BT.
Photogrammetry is a photography-based 3D imaging technique for documenting a variety of objects. From archaeological finds and intricately carved stonework to works of art or large-scale collections. By combining the data from many images of the object, photogrammetry produces a digital 3D model of it. Marta Pilarska (@M_Pilarska), digital heritage specialist at the Scottish Maritime Museum (@Scotmaritime), will introduce course participants to methods of 3D digital documentation of historic objects, encouraging them to explore 3D documentation techniques.
Your Career in Conservation: The Purpose and Process of Accreditation
Date & Time: 26th March | 9:30-17:00
Venue: Reid Building, Glasgow School of Art- 164 Renfrew St, Glasgow G3 6RQ
GCHT is holding a one-day conference on conservation accreditation within the heritage and built environment sectors. Attendees will hear from leading conservation accreditation bodies about the value of accreditation for conserving our historic environment, how the application process works, and how being conservation accredited can open new career paths. There will also be workshops for getting specific guidance on applications. There will be speakers and workshop leaders from CARE, Icon, IHBC, RIAS and RICS, as well as Historic Environment Scotland and the Glasgow School of Art. Liz Davidson, Senior Project Manager for the Mackintosh Restoration at GSA, is our keynote speaker.
Visit to Union Chain Bridge
Date & time: 04 April 2020.
Venue: Chain Bridge Honey Farm, Berwick Upon Tweed, TD15 2XT.
On the 200-year anniversary, join The Friends of Union Bridge and SPAB Scotland on a visit to the Union Chain Bridge. Following successful campaigning and fundraising missions, the 1820 wrought iron suspension bridge is undergoing extensive repair works involving the complete dismantling and rebuilding of the bridge. With a guided tour by a member of The Friends, we will hear about how the structure was built, the repair progress and proposals, the challenges that the campaign faced, and the desires for the future of Captain Samuel Brown’s Union Chain Bridge. This is a child-friendly event!
Humble Heritage Workshop – Cement Removal and Hot Lime Pointing
Date & time: 17 April 2020 – 19 April 2020.
Venue: Moffat Old Churchyard, Moffat, DG10 9EB.
Our Humble Heritage workshops are a new series designed to give delegates a thorough theoretical and technical basis of knowledge about a subject, reinforced with guided practical, hands-on experience. During the two days of hands-on training, we will focus on the techniques of removing harmful cement renders, using like-for-like repair that will demand either earth-lime or hot mixed lime mortars, or a combination of both. CPD Certificates Available!
Saving the Gable Working Party
Date & time: 20 April 2020 – 22 April 2020.
Venue: Moffat Old Churchyard, Moffat, DG10 9EB.
Join the SPAB for a community-based working party based in the Old Churchyard in the town of Moffat focusing on a historic monument, the sole surviving gable of the pre-reformation C15th Parish Church and surrounding boundary walls. We plan to carry out removal of cement pointing and vegetation, consolidation and re-pointing of the gable, and of the whinstone rubble boundary wall of the surrounding Churchyard. Help us save this important monument, securing its future as a key illustration of the town’s development and reducing any further damage to the carvings. Accommodation, materials, lunch, and refreshment is included.
Adapt Northern Heritage conference 2020
Dates & times: Tuesday 5 May – Thursday 7 May, 9am – 5pm.
Venue: Surgeons Quarters, Edinburgh.
Cost: £200.
The Adapt Northern Heritage Conference will explore practices and research on the impacts of climate change in the historic environment, engaging communities, adaptation measures, and managing loss.
Vacancies
Skills Training and Outreach Officer
Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust are looking for a historic building conservation professional to appoint as Skills Training and Outreach Officer on a one-year fixed-term basis to help us deliver our exciting traditional building skills training projects (including roadshow) and to lead on co-ordinating the regional programme of the Doors Open Days architectural festival.
Closing date: 5pm on Friday 7 February 2020.
CSGNT Board Members
Central Scotland Green Network Trust (CSGNT) is currently looking for up to three new board members. To expand the range of skills CSGNT currently has on its board, it is seeking applicants with backgrounds in one or more of the following: finance and governance; work in the third/community sector; housing (private and social) and strategic partnership working. The board is committed to increasing its own diversity and applications are particularly welcome from currently under-represented perspectives.
Closing Date for applications is Friday 28th February.
BEFS Director reflects on the Scottish House Condition Survey 2018 findings in the context of the work of the Scottish Parliamentary Working Group for Tenement Maintenance.
The Scottish Parliamentary Working Group on Tenement Maintenance reconvened on the 16th January 2020 to discuss the Scottish Government’s December response to the group recommendations.
The most substantive point is that the Scottish Government is already engaging with the Scottish Law Commission (SLC) on all three recommendations. This is with a view to referring these matters to the SLC to carry out a law reform project and provide a report with recommendations and a draft Bill that would implement the reforms. While the working group’s recommendation had been for the SLC to only consider compulsory Owners’ Associations it was acknowledged that the SLC examining all three recommendations could prevent further delay should legal conflicts arise as legislative research is progressed for compulsory Tenement Inspections and Sinking Funds.
The Scottish Government described the aspiration for an Act of Parliament in 2025 as ambitious not impossible, acknowledging the current workload of the SLC and other demanding legislative programmes. There is also the matter of the Holyrood elections in May 2021. Given the cross party consensus on the need to address tenement maintenance it would be good to see commitments in all political party manifestos to progress the legislation in the next parliament.
The Scottish Government will also include ongoing fire safety and energy efficiency considerations as part of the engagement with SLC which is eminently sensible holistic look at tenements’ needs rather than piecemeal approach. These should be tied in to Douglas Robertson’s recommendation, in his report ‘Why Flats Fall Down’, that there should be one housing standard set for all tenures, a goal that could be systematically worked towards. The recommendation of Dame Judith Hackitt’s report on building safety (post Grenfell fire) that there should be an accountable person for safety in buildings six storeys and above, along with a golden thread of building data, should also have a bearing on future tenement legislation.
For many the introduction of legislation addressing the condition of tenements in 2025 will seem too far away but the intention of the working group was always to create the framework necessary for behaviour change, a long term ambition not a short term fix. This does not mean that there are not maintenance problems that need addressed with urgency but the means for doing that frequently requires local authority interventions and large sums of public money invested – as is happening in Cessnock – and repeats a cycle of publicly funded repair for privately owned property, which the working group recommendations seek to shift.
Evidence that there is an urgent and important need was forthcoming in last week’s publication of the Scottish House Condition Survey 2018 (SHCS). The level of disrepair increased 7 percentage points, with 75% of all dwellings having some degree of disrepair and disrepair to critical elements stood at 57%, also an increase of 7 percentage points. The latter returns to 2013 levels of disrepair to critical elements. Critical and urgent disrepair in pre-1919 has increased to 40% but the biggest increases in critical disrepair are in housing built between 1919 – 1964. The latter point is one reason why the working group recommendations are age blind – the research undertaken suggested post-war building stock was in increasing disrepair, a fact now confirmed by Scottish Government statistics. While housing associations continue to have the lowest levels of disrepair – a good example of the positive results of regulation – the greatest increase in critical disrepair by tenure is in the private rented sector which has risen by 13%. Unfortunately, the SHCS does not present the data on condition specifically for tenements and there remain questions from some quarters about the validity of sample size. Some professionals feel it underestimates the extent of disrepair.
If you live in a tenement that is not wind and watertight the matter is urgent but if the Scottish Government is to meet ambitious targets in reducing the production of greenhouse gases then tenement repair is imperative. Without maintaining our existing building stock, of all ages, we will increase the likelihood of the need for new buildings which, when full lifecycle carbon costs are taken into account, will increase the production of greenhouse gases. The recent Infrastructure Commission for Scotland Key Findings Report stresses the need for maintaining and reusing existing infrastructure, a principle that urgently needs applied to Scotland’s housing stock.
With the commitment of the Scottish Government to bringing forth legislation to address the condition of tenements, the Scottish Parliamentary Working Group on Tenement Maintenance has met a key aim, only with the cross party support of Members of the Scottish Parliament. Stakeholders will continue to meet to explore interim measures that can be introduced and piloted that will assist the Scottish Government and the Scottish Law Commission as it moves towards draft legislation. The Scottish Government itself has listed key areas that the working group will be keen to support:
- commissioning research to determine the proportion, geography, and tenure mix of relevant buildings, and how this may affect the viability and establishment of owners’ associations;
- supporting development of good practice to encourage owners to set up their own associations, including considerations on condition reports;
- the development of a form for a tenement condition report and a framework for recognised professionals to complete it;
- the development of proposals for a publically accessible online platform to support access to tenement condition reports, so that people are able to complete them and share them on a voluntary basis and to facilitate a mandatory system;
- for tenement condition to be included as part of ongoing considerations on improvements to Home Reports;
- convening a forum of finance professionals to advise on a building reserve fund, initially available on a voluntary basis;
- commissioning research to evaluate what factors affect repair costs and how to set a level of expected contribution for a building reserve fund; and
- consideration of what an affordable, viable compulsory factoring service might look like, and engage with property factors on this
The stakeholders would like to thank all MSPs who have engaged and supported the discussion, particularly the convener Graham Simpson MSP and founding convenor Ben Macpherson MSP.
Full details of the group’s recommendations, meetings and research can be found here.
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BEFS Policy & Strategy Manager reflects on the recent Wealth of Nations 2.0 Conference and place as part of the wellbeing economy agenda.
©UN Photo/Cia Pak: SDG Projections: Massive scale projections and peoples’ voices to celebrate UN70 and visually depict the 17 Global Goals.
WEAll (Wellbeing Economy Alliance – Scotland) Wealth of Nations 2.0 Conference.
WEAll (Wellbeing Economy Alliance – Scotland) exist as a global collaboration of organisations, alliances, movements and individuals – working together to change the economic system to one centred around wellbeing; an economy that delivers for human and ecological wellbeing.
WEAll Scotland is working through themed areas (as was represented on the day) these include: youth, finance, business, place, community and faith. BEFS are working with WEAll in relation to the Place strand, look out for a WEAll event from BEFS.
The extremely supportive Conference keynote address was given by Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland. The message being that our economy has to be worth more than GDP alone – GDP is not the only measure of our progress. (The Government statement can be read here.)
In a question from the floor, the First Minister was asked how she manages to prioritise across a wide range of policy areas on a regular basis. Nicola Sturgeon said she uses the National Performance Framework as a guide. Having a structure helps to find focus. The First Minister doesn’t mean that she examines the NPF for all decisions, just that if the framework exists, it can help to make informed decisions based on already agreed criteria. It would be remiss of me not to comment that this seemed relevant to the work being done on Prioritisation and the ‘decision making tool’ in relation to the OPiT Built Heritage Investment Group.
Rarely have I attended a conference where so many people expressed at the end of the day how exhausted they were … To be clear, this was a positive affirmation of a day which clearly expressed big ideas, with tangible examples, and gave a surprising amount of hope that we are reaching an ecological and economic tipping-point where change becomes inevitable. It’s directing the change that becomes the greater challenge! (There were many excellent speakers, practical examples, and workshop sessions, to list them all would take too long, and to pick out a few would be detrimental to the whole. For those who want to see more, there will shortly be a film available on the WEAll website.)
In many ways the best way to demonstrate the day to readers is by focusing on the end; Dr Katherine Trebeck, Global Knowledge and Policy Lead for WEAll, closed the final plenary with thoughts on taking stock and stepping forward. After digesting the full breadth of the day’s speakers, and listening to feedback from the ‘Deep Dive’ sessions (six sessions enabling participants to discuss challenges and generate solutions across themed areas – BEFS participated in the Infrastructure and Community sessions), Dr Trebeck concluded with a rapidly formed three point plan, we collectively need to: Surf the silos – acknowledging that what connects us and the related knowledge can aid progress; Sort out ‘switching costs’ – change can cost, these costs need to be acknowledged and justly borne; and develop how to Sequence sensibly – systems change will have many steps and logical progression will be key to success.
As a sector we are aware of many aspects which can help encourage pragmatic change; from making sure our buildings are considered as part of the circular economy, to the importance of our existing places and buildings as central to infrastructure, learning how we can meaningfully support community participation, and collectively contribute to the making of NPF4 – forming places for the future.
We can apply pressure that enables leadership to recognise that we understand how what we measure, is how we are judged. Let us not be judged as complacent, or complicit in denying the potential positive changes an economy which foregrounds wellbeing for people and places can achieve.
To steal a few phrases from Anna Murphy and Sam Butler Sloss (WEAll Scotland Youth) – we need to be ready for ‘change as usual’ and to bring forth ‘outrage with optimism’.
Read more in the new The Business of Wellbeing guide released at the event.
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BEFS Vice-Chair, Professor Ian Baxter, muses over the meaning of ‘place-keeping’ for the historic environment sector.
This blog was first published on Heritage Futures on 17th January 2020.
In tackling my backlog of grey literature reading, a report re-emerged in my files on an EU-funded project which ran as part of the 2007-2013 North Sea Region Programme. The project, entitled “Making Places Profitable – Public and Private Open Spaces”, shortened to MP4 focused on exploration of approaches for planning and designing, maintaining and using public places in the long-term. It set out to demonstrate how open space improvements offer positive socio-economic benefits, and how the benefits offered to key communities can be maintained in the long run. It also illustrated support for greater interaction between all those involved in the open space management process. The original project website is no longer active (and I’d advise anyone not to click the link in the project report as the project domain has been re-used for something else entirely!) – but it can be found archived here. Broader research and case studies were also published in an academic text. (I also hadn’t realised that a Heriot-Watt colleague was involved in the study, and I will now track him down for a conversation!).
The key phrase used within the project which has stuck in my mind over the past few days, is ‘place-keeping’, mainly because I haven’t consciously heard it being used in the historic environment milieu which I am embedded in (rather than the open space management context where it originated). That we haven’t picked up on the term ‘place-keeping’ surprises me therefore – as the ethos of balancing preservation and managing change which is at the heart of heritage management seems to be neatly captured in it, particularly where community and stakeholder engagement is at the fore, and especially where it is trying to encourage greater sense of ‘ownership’. Place-keeping, however perhaps better captures aspects of our discussions in heritage management which have co-opted ‘place-making’ as a term to use somewhat uncomfortably at times, where heritage has been hard-wired to regeneration and as an instrumental tool for development. Place-keeping also has an implicit sense of history within the term, whilst place-making just doesn’t – to me it suggests a constant act of development. Perhaps I have missed it entirely, but I think I shall now be slipping place-keeping into meetings and discussions and see where it finds new traction – or gets challenged forcing me to consider this all a little more.
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BEFS News
BEFS welcomes the Scottish Government’s response to the recommendations in the final report of the Scottish Parliamentary Working Group on Tenement Maintenance. The working group is meeting this evening and BEFS will update regarding further plans in due course.
As part of the work of the working group, BEFS commissioned Professor Douglas Robertson to write the report ‘Why Flats Fall Down: Navigating shared responsibilities for their repair and maintenance’, with financial support from Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, Property Managers Association Scotland and the Scottish Government.
BEFS issued this briefing paper to all MSPs ahead of today’s ‘Sustainable Development Goals in Scotland, On Target for 2030?’ debate in the Scottish Parliament (12.45pm). Follow the debate on parliamentary TV. BEFS contributed to the UWS-OXFAM report in relation to UN:SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities. Read the report here.
In April 2019, Historic Environment Scotland commissioned DC Research to carry out an evaluation of the delivery and impact of Our Place in Time – The Historic Environment Strategy for Scotland. This is the evaluation report, covering five years of the 10-year strategy. The fourth annual performance report for Our Place in Time, which covers the period from April 2018 to March 2019, is also available here. The report includes a selection of historic environment case studies collated by BEFS. The complete database of case studies can be viewed on our website here. Case studies can be submitted via BEFS website throughout the year.
RTPI Scotland is embarking on a project to support the early stages of preparation of National Planning Framework 4. Their survey and call for evidence is looking for your reflections on how NPF3 has worked, and your ideas for improvement in NPF4.
BEFS Board Member, Tyler C. Lott, provides a thought-provoking perspective based on her research into the challenges and opportunities of Scotland’s transient visitor levies, in our first blog of the year: Waiting for the Levy to Break: Suggestions for the Hypothecation of Scotland’s Transient Visitor Levies.
Consultations
Planning for Scotland in 2050: National Planning Framework 4 – Call for Ideas
Call for Ideas runs until 31 March 2020.
Scottish Forestry Corporate Plan Consultation
Opened 8 January 2020 and closes 5 February 2020.
Energy Efficient Scotland: Improving energy efficiency in owner occupied homes consultation
Opened 19 December 2019 and closes 26 March 2020.
What makes a strong and vibrant community? Asks Local Government and Communities Committee
Closes 22 Jan 2020.
National Library of Scotland Draft 2020–2025 Strategy
Closes on 27 Jan 2020.
Proposed programme for reviewing and extending permitted development rights (PDR) in Scotland
Closes 28 Jan 2020.
Proposed Remote Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill
Consultation closes on 31 January 2020.
Law Society of Scotland’s call for views: Consultation on aspects of planning obligations
Closes Monday 3 February 2020.
The Replacement of European Structural Funds In Scotland Post EU-Exit
Closes 12 Feb. 2020.
Planning Performance and Fees
Closes on 14 Feb 2020.
Housing to 2040: consultation on outline policy options
Closes on 28 Feb 2020.
The practice of cash retention under construction contracts
Closes on 25 Mar 2020.
Publications
Impacts of climate change on cultural heritage (MCCIP 15/01/20)
Community Engagement Baseline Surveys 2019 – Results Report (SLC 14/01/20)
Environmental Governance in Scotland after EU Exit (SPICe 09/01/20)
Planning for Scotland in 2050: National Planning Framework 4 – Programme of Engagement (SG 01/20)
The National Islands Plan (SG 27/12/19)
The Place Principle – Our contribution to place-based working (SNH 12/2019)
Tenement maintenance report: Scottish Government response (SG 20/12/19)
Architecture & Design Scotland Annual Review 2019 (19/12/19)
Evaluation of Our Place in Time 2014-19 (HES 18/12/19)
Our Place in Time Annual Report 2019 (HES 18/12/19)
Scottish Government’s Response to Empty Homes Report (SG 17/12/19)
Take Back the High Street Putting communities in charge of their own town centres (NLCF)
Repeopling Emptied Places (SLC)
Sustainable Outcomes Guide (RIBA 12/12/20)
Scottish Government News Releases
Regulating short-term lets (SG 08/01/20)
Local authorities are to be given new powers to regulate short-term lets where they decide this is in the interests of local communities.
Regenerating Scotland’s Communities (SG 05/01/20)
Projects benefitting from over £138 million of funding have the potential to create more than 7,000 jobs across Scotland, according to analysis of the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund.
Improving energy efficiency (SG 30/12/19)
Homeowners will be supported to make their homes warmer and cheaper to heat by improving their energy efficiency.
National Islands Plan (SG 27/12/19)
Scotland’s first National Islands Plan to improve the quality of life for island communities has been launched.
Maintaining Scotland’s tenements (SG 20/12/19)
Legislative changes being considered include, compulsory owners’ associations, building inspections every five years and a national reserve fund for repairs.
News Releases
‘Virtual tenement’ app being developed to help ensure repairs to crumbling Edinburgh homes (Edinburgh News 15/01/20)
An app is being drawn up by developers on behalf of the city council to create a “virtual tenement” to help bring the city’s stock of crumbing tenements up to standard.
Community Engagement Baseline Survey Report 2019 Results Announced (SLC 14/01/20)
Knowledge about land ownership and plans for land use differ between rural and urban communities, the Scottish Land Commission has discovered through a survey.
First council adopts Simplified Planning Zone to speed up housing development (SHN 13/01/20)
North Ayrshire Council has become the first local authority in Scotland to adopt a new Simplified Planning Zone (SPZ) which aims to stimulate development on a prime housing site.
National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) – Early Engagement now underway! (SGP 09/01/20)
2020 is shaping up to be a massive year for planning in Scotland; for how our transforming planning system will shape our places and our society over the years and decades to come.
Museums Galleries Scotland Announces Funding Changes (MGS 09/01/20)
Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) announce three changes to their grants programme as a development of their responsive grants system in order to further support the sector.
Shaped by Industry (HES 08/01/20)
Join Niamh Crimmins as she celebrates 30 years of the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland and explores the history of Grangemouth through survey fieldwork and the HES Archives.
RICS issues final call for awards entries (SCN 07/01/20)
Now known as the RICS Social Impact Awards, the award’s programme has been refreshed to demonstrate the changes the membership body is seeing across business and society.
Place Planning for Decarbonisation (A&DS 19/12/19)
To support the Scottish Government’s commitment to tackle climate change and achieve a target of net-zero carbon by 2045, Architecture and Design Scotland is working with the Scottish Government Climate Change Division.
10 steps to diversify your workplace (CIfA 09/12/19)
CIfA’s Equality and Diversity Group have produced a short 10 step guide to help organisations to diversify their workplace.
Opinion & Comment
VAT must be cut for construction sector to recover, says FMB (FMB 14/01/20)
The case for … never demolishing another building (Oliver Wainwright 13/01/20)
One Planet Development: the opportunities and challenges of a living countryside (RTPI 10/01/20)
Valuing the Planet through the Built Environment (RICS 18/12/19)
A Great Carbon Reckoning Comes to Architecture (Andrew Grey 09/12/19)
Townscapes: Scotland’s mixed fortunes (Bennett Institute for Public Policy)
Parliamentary Questions
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Scottish Government 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”.
Question S5W-26907: Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 09/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government how many planning (a) practitioners have been employed and (b) applications have been decided by each local planning authority in each year since 2012-13
Parliamentary Questions & Answers
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Government in order to facilitate the provision of information to the Parliament.
Question S5W-26732: Mark Ruskell, Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party, Date Lodged: 16/12/2019
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish a draft Climate Change Plan, and what time period will be allocated for parliamentary scrutiny of this.
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham (13/01/2020)
Question S5W-26496: Michelle Ballantyne, South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 22/11/2019
To ask the Scottish Government which (a) communities and (b) organisations will receive support from round five of the Coastal Communities Fund.
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham (17/12/2019)
Question S5W-26680: Alex Cole-Hamilton, Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 17/12/2019
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what measures it is taking to help homeowners obtain fire safety certificates for cladding to high-rise buildings, in light of reports that lenders have started refusing to approve mortgages for properties without these.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (07/01/2020)
Other Parliamentary Activity
Events
For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.
City for Sale? The commodification of Edinburgh’s public places
Date & time: Wednesday 22 January 2020; 6:30 for a 7:00pm start
Venue: Central Halls, 2 West Tollcross, Edinburgh
One of the defining issues currently in front of the City of Edinburgh is how we value our public places. Should our parks and gardens be an oasis of green-ness and tranquillity, or should they be the city’s performance hubs, the Go-To places for happening events and Festival activities? Facilitated by broadcaster Stephen Jardine, panel speakers will consider the impact on the city’s public places of an expanding festival and tourism industry, and potential threats and opportunities of the commercialisation of space in terms of civic and environmental well-being. Free.
RSA Scotland and CivTech: collaboration across sectors and SOSE
Date & time: Wed, 5 February 2020, from 13:00 – 15:30.
Venue: Easterbrook Hall, Crichton Campus, Dumfries DG1 4TA.
RSA Fellows and guests from across the private, public and third sectors are invited to register to hear Barbara Mills and Mark Elliott speak about the work of CivTech, and the options for purposeful collaboration between, and involvement by, the private, public and third sectors across the Dumfries and Galloway and the future SOSE area.
Glasgow Potteries and the British Empire
Dates, Times & locations: February 10 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm in Edinburgh (NMS Auditorium).
February 11 @ 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm in Aberdeen (Meston Building Lecture Theatre One, University of Aberdeen).
Lecture by Graeme Cruickshank MA AMA FMA FSAScot (independent scholar).
The Scottish potteries of the industrial era produced vast amounts of wares, with dozens of factories in a number of towns producing millions of items annually, far more than the domestic market could assimilate. Huge quantities of goods were exported, decade after decade, with the erstwhile British Empire being a prime target. The potteries of Glasgow took advantage of the situation with unparalleled zeal.
Heritage-Based Regeneration: A SURF People and Sector Connector Gathering
Date & time: 13th February, 10am-1pm.
Venue: CoSLA Conference Centre, Edinburgh.
An opportunity for local authority officers with responsibilities for any aspect of place-based regeneration to engage in constructive and informed discussion around the themes of heritage, local traditions and historical assets. Participants will explore, from the perspective of Scottish local government, the opportunities and challenges associated with undertaking heritage-based activities that contribute meaningfully to the regeneration of economically challenged places. Guests will hear about the realities of progressing heritage-based regeneration initiatives in the current context in two SURF Alliance for Areas in Argyll and Glasgow. They will also have the opportunity to share experiences and learn about evolving national priorities.
Henry Edward Clifford (1852-1932) – Pollokshields Architect
Deat & time: Event date change to 20 February 2020 – Coffee / tea at 7pm; Lectures start at 7:30pm.
Venue: The Renfield Centre, 260 Bath Street, Glasgow.
Niall Murphy, Deputy Director of Glasgow City Heritage Trust introduces us to one of the key architects from Glasgow’s Golden Age and one that was a rare beast, the Glaswegian architect with a European reputation.
Integrative placemaking – addressing the ‘silos’ with collaborative approaches
Date & time: February 28 @ 8:30 am – 6:15 pm.
Venue: University of Dundee, Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill, DD1 5EN.
The places we live and work in are formed by an amalgam of policies, designs and decisions over time. Yet so many of the statutory, policy and behavioural systems pull in competing directions. ‘Working in silos’ has become one of the explanations for failed places at different scales. These can be competing or conflicting professional disciplines or authorities, client departments or organisations. Lack of collaboration or information sharing, lack of a shared vision or sense of purpose, or basic professional jealously can lead to dysfunctional, if not disastrous, outcomes for places and communities. The objective of this event is to explore how we can move towards a more integrated approach in the planning, design, engineering and management of towns and cities by informing, exploring and challenging silo mindsets & behaviours to better connect operational outputs with high-level objectives.
Buildings of the University of Glasgow, 1451-2020
Date & time: Event date change to 19 March 2020 – Coffee / tea at 7pm; Lectures start at 7:30pm.
Venue: The Renfield Centre, 260 Bath Street, Glasgow.
Nick Haynes, historic environment consultant traces the architectural history of the University from its origins in the High Street to the most recent developments at Gilmorehill.
Vacancies
Investment Officer
The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is recruiting an Investment Officer to help with the delivery of its objectives by supporting the work of the Investment Team. With the launch of a new social investment fund in 2019, this is an exciting time to join the Team and we are now looking for an enthusiastic and experienced individual to support the loans we make and the borrowers who benefit from our investments.
Deadline: 5 p.m. Friday 24th January.
Next Step Initiative Traineeships
The Ethnic Minority Career Museum & Built Environment Heritage Programme – 1 Year Traineeships now open!
2 Collection Engagement Assistant Traineeship’s (Museum & Galleries, Edinburgh) with bursary.
1 Open Museum Traineeship (Glasgow Life, Glasgow).
1 Glasgow Museum Events Traineeship (Glasgow Life, Glasgow).
Closing date 27th January 2020.
Skills Training and Outreach Officer
Perth & Kinross Heritage Trust is seeking an enthusiastic, organised and driven individual with a background in historic buildings conservation, and ideally with skills development experience, to join their team.
Closing date: 5pm on Friday 7 February 2020.
BEFS Board Member, Tyler C. Lott, provides a thought-provoking piece on the challenges and opportunities of Scotland’s Transient Visitor Levies.
In the past few years, the complicated relationship between the world’s love affair with Scotland and our desire to maintain and protect our localities from the impacts of overtourism has become strained, to say the least. In 2019, the Scottish Government estimated that tourism contributes £7B annually toward the Scottish GDP and is responsible for one in twelve jobs. While we are privileged to be able to live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, there is no doubt that a successful management plan must be enacted in order to protect our natural and built heritage and safeguard the quality of life for our residents.
In 2018, Edinburgh joined the ranks of cities plagued by overtourism and the overflow to other cities and areas throughout Scotland have felt the impacts as well. In February 2019, Edinburgh became the first British city to approve the introduction of a Transient Visitor Levy (TVL), commonly referred to as a tourism tax. In the year following, many other Scottish cities are following suit. Scottish law is expected to be introduced early this year, providing councils the authority to enact such levies if they deem necessary. As we await this outcome, it is imperative that we continue the conversation and prepare to move forward.
While conducting my postgraduate research on the legislation and regulation of short term lets in historic city centres last year, I studied eleven cities in total, including Edinburgh, London, Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Monica, and New Orleans. Adding to the Scottish Government’s European focus, American cities were also examined in order to take into consideration any potential constraints within European standards or laws. Throughout the course of my research, it was determined that all cities studied, excluding Edinburgh and London, had an active tourism visitor levy enacted.
While some members of the public expressed concern over a TVL having the potential for negative implications on the tourism industry, research at present does not seem to support such a concern. In fact, major cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Amsterdam, and New Orleans are still experiencing record breaking years in tourism, surpassing annual goals, and continuing to welcome millions more visitors each year. While some concerns throughout the consultation were raised over enacting a TVL in addition to the present VAT, we must keep in mind that the UK’s current 20% VAT is 1.3% below the European average and 7% lower than Hungary, Europe’s highest. It’s also important to note that of the nine cities studied that are currently charging tourism visitor levies, six are also charging additional nightly occupancy taxes. The highest of these is Paris, which charges a 10% departmental tax and a 15% Paris Regional tax, in addition to the country’s 20% VAT. Despite this, the Global Cities Index revealed that Paris had the highest number of tourist visitors of any country in 2018, surpassing London for the first time in ten years.
Regardless of personal or professional opinions on the matter, Scottish councils are expected to be afforded the ability to enact TVLs within the coming year. As we await the results of the consultation, which closed for responses on 2nd December 2019, it is imperative that we continue the conversation and challenge ourselves to work out the practical implications and processes for moving forward. In doing so, it is important to take into consideration not only European precedence, but global precedence to ensure that constraints and trends within European law are duly examined. As the discussion remains open, it is important to note that such types of taxation are nothing new and that TVLs, in some shape or form, have been utilised on an international level since the 1940s and many major tourism destinations have enacted taxation on tourism effectively. The question is, what do we want these TVL to do for our councils?
As outlined in the European Commission’s Tourism Policy, the taxation of tourism for a specific purpose, including environmental, cultural, heritage, and social purposes is allowed and many cities within the EU have chosen to allocate revenue for varying related purposes. For example, Hamburg stipulates that revenue is to be invested in tourism, cultural, and sporting projects, while Malta stipulates its use for the maintenance of touristic zones. Other cities, such as the Lithuanian city of Palanga, require the revenue be used for much broader needs, such as the improvements of city’s infrastructure and marketing of tourism.
The Scottish government’s promise to allow local authorities to determine the needs of the locality can serve as a great tool for economic investment in our communities, however, for many countries such as France and Bulgaria that have hypothecated revenue for the purposes of infrastructure or tourism related investment, a greater risk of further perpetuating the problem needs to be realised.
Further, concern is raised over the overwhelming lack of hypothecation of revenue to the mitigation of tourism impacts on our built heritage assets – assets which are in many cases, the primary draw for tourism. While it can easily be argued that heritage could fall under any of the above listed categories, a definitive hypothecation of a portion of the revenue is the only way to ensure the appropriate funds are allocated to mitigate the impact of tourism on our precious and treasured heritage. Additionally, the establishment of an infused revenue stream for heritage-based assets can provide the opportunity to fund more local projects and reduce the stress of current grant-based funding. While the proposed Scottish legislation will allow the councils to determine if and how they enact these levies, I urge councils to hypothecate a certain portion of the funds for investment in our heritage while we still can.
Tyler C. Lott is a built heritage conservator and executive in based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Questions or requests for further information on her research should be sent to me@tylerlott.uk.
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BEFS News
BEFS has responded to four consultations in recent weeks. In response to the Local Energy Policy Statement consultation, BEFS focused on existing building stock being our most sustainable resource and made clear that principles and signposting should include the Historic Environment Policy for Scotland and related Managing Change guidance.
BEFS response to the Role of Public Sector Bodies in Tackling Climate Change consultation focused on appropriate training and skills for interventions within historic buildings. BEFS also took the opportunity to reiterate concerns around how EPC ratings are assessed in relation to traditionally built properties.
In response to the Principles of a Local Discretionary Transient Visitor Levy or Tourist Tax consultation, BEFS emphasised the role of the built environment as a direct contributor to tourism and also impacted by tourism. BEFS was clear that responding to further consultations, in relation to revenue allocations and benefits for place, was eagerly anticipated.
Finally, BEFS responded to the Developing Scotland’s Circular Economy: consultation on proposals for legislation, today, highlighting the absence of the built environment in the consultation document.
BEFS was also invited to respond to petition PE1749 on the financial viability of listed buildings. The petition calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to ensure that: 1) financial viability studies are conducted on listed buildings requiring restoration and/or maintenance, 2) responsibility of ownership is established for this work and; 3) financial assistance is provided where listed buildings are at risk of falling into disrepair.
The Climate Heritage Network, of which BEFS is a member of the steering group, released its first action plan to help mobilise arts, culture and heritage for climate action at the 2019 UN Climate Summit in Madrid earlier this month. Dubbed the Madrid-to-Glasgow Arts, Culture and Heritage Climate Action Plan, its release kicks off a year of culture-based climate action that will culminate in 2020 at COP26 in Glasgow. Join the #ClimateHeritage Network here.
A new National Indicator on community ownership has been published. It shows that 593 assets – up 7% on 2017 – with a total area of 209,810 hectares were under community ownership in December 2018. Read the full report.
RTPI Scotland is embarking on a project to support the early stages of preparation of National Planning Framework 4. Their survey and call for evidence is looking for your reflections on how NPF3 has worked, and your ideas for improvement in NPF4.
At our AGM earlier this month, BEFS wished three wonderful board members a fond farewell. We would like to thank Bill Pagan, Peter Burman and Torsten Haak for their expertise and support of the team.
We would also like to welcome our newest board members Tyler Lott, Calum Maclean, and Niall Murphy.
Finally, team BEFS would like to wish you a very merry festive season and a fantastic start to 2020!
Consultations
Planning Performance and Fees
Opened on 18 Dec 2019 and closes on 14 Feb 2020.
Law Society of Scotland’s call for views: Consultation on aspects of planning obligations
Closes Monday 3 February 2020.
The practice of cash retention under construction contracts
Opened on 4 Dec and closes on 25 Mar 2020.
Housing to 2040: consultation on outline policy options
Opened on 2 Dec and closes on 28 Feb 2020.
National Library of Scotland Draft 2020–2025 Strategy
Opened on 2 Dec and closes on 27 Jan 2020.
Circular Economy: Proposals for Legislation
Closes 19 Dec 2019.
IHBC launches consultation on Corporate Plan 2020-25 (‘CP25’) as ‘Stage 1’ scoping:
First responses sought by 1 January.
What makes a strong and vibrant community? Asks Local Government and Communities Committee
Closes 22 Jan 2020.
Proposed programme for reviewing and extending permitted development rights (PDR) in Scotland
Closes 28 Jan 2020.
Proposed Remote Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill
Consultation closes on 31 January 2020.
The Replacement of European Structural Funds In Scotland Post EU-Exit
Closes 12 Feb. 2020.
Consultation Responses
Fire safety in high rise domestic buildings: analysis of consultation responses (SG 04/12/19)
Publications
Housing to 2040 Consultation: facilitators’ pack (SG 12/12/19)
Community ownership in Scotland: 2018 (SG 11/12/19)
AHF Annual Review 2018/19 and Strategy for 2020-23 (AHF 05/12/19)
Practical fire safety guidance for existing high rise domestic buildings (SG 04/12/19)
European Structural and Investment Funds: operational programmes 2014-2020 (SG 04/12/19)
Places and Spaces: Mapping Britain’s Regional Divides (NIESR 03/12/19)
Housing to 2040 consultation: information factsheet (SG 02/12/19)
Prosperity for all: A Climate conscious Wales (WG 30/11/19)
Turnaround Towns UK (Carnegie Trust UK 28/11/19)
Child Friendly Planning in the UK: A Review (RTPI 30/11/19)
Scottish Household Survey: Cross-Sectional Analysis 2016 (Volunteering Scotland)
Scottish Government News Releases
Global pledge on climate crisis (SG 12/12/19)
Scotland has joined a coalition of countries, cities and companies working towards net-zero transport ahead of the 2050 Paris Agreement target.
Community ownership is increasing across Scotland (SG 11/12/19)
A new publication provides the first figure for a new National Indicator which uses the number of assets owned by community groups to measure the extent of community ownership in Scotland.
Improving housing rights for disabled people (SG 06/12/19)
New regulations will improve equality for people living with disabilities by giving them the right to make communal areas around their home more accessible.
Madrid COP25 climate summit (SG 06/12/19)
Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham will attend a series of engagements at the COP25 UN Climate Summit in Madrid.
Fire safety guidance for high-rise homes (SG 04/12/19)
Advice for residents and those responsible for fire safety. Residents in high-rise properties are being given leaflets outlining how to prevent fires in the home and what to do if one starts in their building.
News Releases
Scotland must ‘immediately’ increase net-zero action in preparation for COP26 (edie 17/12/19)
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has issued its annual progress report to the Scottish Parliament, urging Ministers to “begin work immediately” on implementing short-term net-zero legislation.
The RIAS Awards – Now open! (RIAS 12/12/19)
Entries to the RIAS / RIBA Awards for Scotland 2020 are now open! Now in their ninth year, the combined RIAS / RIBA Awards continue to demonstrate the quality and breadth of current architectural endeavour in Scotland.
14 European heritage sites shortlisted for the 7 Most Endangered programme 2020 (10/12/19)
The 7 Most Endangered programme is organised by Europa Nostra, the Voice of Cultural Heritage in Europe, and the European Investment Bank Institute. This year, Egyptian Halls, Glasgow, has been shortlisted.
Retrofit scheme named World Building of the Year (AJ 09/12/19)
Dutch conversion of locomotive hangar into a public library is the first retrofit to win the top prize at the World Architecture Festival.
2019 SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration Winners Announced (SURF 06/12/19)
The outcomes of the prestigious 2019 SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration were announced last night (05/12/19) at a celebratory presentation event in Glasgow’s Grand Central Hotel.
Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning 2019 Winners (SG 06/12/19)
The Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning (SAQP) is one of the Government’s most prestigious awards. It celebrates achievements in planning, from the detail of processing to the bigger picture of creating places for our communities to thrive.
20 Years of World Heritage in Orkney (HES 03/12/19)
On 4 December 1999, the spectacular Heart of Neolithic Orkney was inscribed as a World Heritage Site. Join the celebrations in our 20th anniversary blog.
UK planning systems neglecting rights of children (RTPI 28/11/19)
Planning systems in the UK are failing to consider the rights and needs of children, leading to detrimental effects on their health, wellbeing and future prospects, according to a new report.
Opinion & Comment
What do architects need to know about planners? (RTPI 12/12/19)
The Impact of Vacant and Derelict Land (SLC 10/12/19)
Standing tall: Cedar Court (Passivhaus Trust)
Parliamentary Questions
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Scottish Government 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”.
Question S5W-26732: Mark Ruskell, Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party, Date Lodged: 16/12/2019
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish a draft Climate Change Plan, and what time period will be allocated for parliamentary scrutiny of this.
Parliamentary Questions & Answers
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Government in order to facilitate the provision of information to the Parliament.
Question S5W-26412: David Stewart, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 19/11/2019
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ban combustible materials on the outside of high-rise or high-risk buildings.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (02/12/2019)
Question S5W-26495: Michelle Ballantyne, South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 22/11/2019
To ask the Scottish Government how many how many homes have been delivered to date as part of its 50,000 affordable homes target, also broken down by how many are new-builds.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (03/12/2019)
Events
For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.
Sustainable Renovation: New Buildings from Old
Date & time: 27 February 2020; 18:00 – 20:30.
Venue: MacLaren Stuart Room G.159, School of Law, University of Edinburgh, Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh EH8 9YL.
Scottish Ecological Design Association (SEDA) and a host of other organisations invite you to:
SUSTAINABLE RENOVATION: New Buildings from Old with Chris Morgan, John Gilbert Architects, to promote this SEDA Guide. Are you involved in the renovation of existing buildings? This Design Guide is primarily aimed at the domestic retrofit sector – from policy makers and development managers in housing organisations, to architects, builders, surveyors and home owners. It is also essential for those interested in upgrading non-domestic buildings.
Vacancies
Outreach and Development Officer
The Cockburn Association is looking to recruit an Outreach and Development Officer to support the implementation of a new fundraising strategy, helping the Association towards a more sustainable future.
Closing date: Thursday 16 January 2020.
Project Director
Scotland’s Towns Partnership is seeking a Project Director to support the Chief Executive Officer and Board to deliver the Scottish Government’s agenda on the regeneration and revitalisation of our towns, high streets and city districts.
The closing date for applications is 31 January 2020.
Niall Murphy is Director of Glasgow City Heritage Trust and a conservation accredited architect.
Niall has nearly 20 years experience as an architect and is heavily involved in heritage, conservation and community issues in Glasgow being current Chair of Govanhill Baths Building Preservation Trust – the largest meanwhile use in Scotland – and Vice Chair for the Pollokshields Trust – a community anchor organisation set up following the ‘Make Your Mark’ East Pollokshields and Port Eglinton Charrette in 2016 which Niall helped secure funding for. Previously, Niall has been chair of Pollokshields Heritage, Planning Convener for Pollokshields Community Council and a member of the Glasgow Urban Design Panel. Between 2016 – 2018 he was invited by the Minister for Local Government and Housing to be a member of the Development Management Working Group for the Scottish Government’s Planning Review.
Niall is passionate about urban health and wellbeing and the role of planning, urbanism, architecture and placemaking in helping deliver positive outcomes for people who live in Scotland’s towns and cities. This explains his interest in Scotland’s built heritage which he sees as an integral part of this broader framework connecting to both the human need for memory, being able to locate oneself in space and time and in how places evolved and were traditionally crafted and made to reflect human scale and needs over multiple generations. This is why he is particularly interested in how BEFS advocate for Tenements.
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BEFS News
Ahead of the general election on 12th December 2019, BEFS has read and digested the main party manifestos to provide an overview of policy commitments that would have implications for Scotland’s historic environment. A number of BEFS members have also compiled useful information.
The Heritage Alliance (THA) has written to all MPs and key decision-makers with their new 2019 Heritage Manifesto, produced in advance of the election, and asks stakeholders to use its Manifesto and support their messages.
The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) issued its Manifesto for Planning as soon as the election was announced. RTPI has also compiled summaries of party manifestos to enable you to see what each party is committing to in relation to planning. You can find more information here.
RICS have also published an election manifesto, A new approach for the built and natural environment, and are commenting on the latest developments and party manifestos here.
The Carbon Brief also has an analysis of what the manifestos say on energy and climate change, available here.
Consultations
IHBC launches consultation on Corporate Plan 2020-25 (‘CP25’) as ‘Stage 1’ scoping:
First responses sought by 1 January.
What makes a strong and vibrant community? Asks Local Government and Communities Committee
Opened on 15 Nov 2019 and 22 Jan 2020.
Draft Edinburgh Tourism Strategy 2030
Closes 30 Nov 2019.
Consultation on The Principles of a Local Discretionary Transient Visitor Levy or Tourist Tax
Closes 2 Dec 2019.
The role of Public Sector Bodies in tackling climate change
Closes 4 Dec 2019.
Scottish Government’s Local Energy Policy Statement – Consultation
Closes 4 Dec 2019.
Circular Economy: Proposals for Legislation
Closes 19 Dec 2019.
Proposed programme for reviewing and extending permitted development rights (PDR) in Scotland
Closes 28 Jan 2020.
Proposed Remote Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill
Consultation closes on 31 January 2020.
The Replacement of European Structural Funds In Scotland Post EU-Exit
Closes 12 Feb. 2020.
Publications
The Heritage Manifesto 2019 (THA 11/19)
General Election 2019 – A new approach for the built and natural environment (RICS 11/19)
How we regulate: A guide for tenants and service users (SHR 26/11/19)
Energy efficiency: advice and support for industry (SG 26/11/19)
Ecclesiastical Exemption Guide (HES 21/11/19)
Total Income of DCMS-funded cultural organisations 2018/19 (DCMS 21/11/19)
Compulsory purchase orders: register (SG 19/11/19)
Survey and Recording Round Up 2018-19 (HES 19/11/19)
Private sector rent statistics: 2010 – 2019 (SG 19/11/19)
The Manifesto for Local Economies (CLES 18/11/19)
Planning (Scotland) Act commencement regulations: November 2019 (SG 14/11/19)
Guide to Heritage in Neighbourhood Plans (NT 07/11/19)
The case for investing in tenement housing (GWSF 11/19)
Preventative maintenance advice (SPAB 11/19)
Valuing More than Money – Social Value and the Housing Sector (IPPR 11/19)
Building the Social Homes We Need – Solving the Land and Capacity Challenges (NEF 11/19)
Community-led design initiatives: evaluation (SG 11/10/19)
Scottish Government News Releases
Average 2 bedroom private rents up by 2.4% (SG 19/11/19)
Between 2018 and 2019, 15 out of 18 Broad Rental Market Areas of Scotland have seen increases in average new let rents for 2 bedroom properties, ranging from 0.2% in North Lanarkshire, up to 5.3% in Greater Glasgow.
News Releases
The My Place Awards and My Place Photography Competition 2020 are now open! (SCT 26/11/19)
Entries for both the My Place Awards and My Place Photography Competition 2020 can now be made online. The closing date for both is 11:59pm, Sunday 16 February 2020.
Kirkwall’s high street ‘most beautiful’ in Scotland (BBC 25/11/19)
Kirkwall has been named Scotland’s most beautiful high street after topping a public poll. It narrowly beat Lerwick and Milngavie, receiving nearly 5,000 votes – 21% of the online poll. Lerwick secured 18% of the vote and Milngavie 15%.
CSGN projects win quality in planning awards (CSGN 21/11/19)
Winners of the Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning 2019 were announced at a ceremony in Edinburgh on 20 November.
Combustible cladding still allowed in Scotland, MSPs told (STV 20/11/19)
Housing and fire experts were giving evidence to a Holyrood committee about building safety.
Enabling Healthy Placemaking (RTPI 11/19)
We are carrying out research to explore the local, national and international policies and practices that enable healthy placemaking. If you would like to take part in the study please fill in our call to evidence by Monday 20th January 2020.
Scottish National Heritage rebrand (NS 19/11/19)
Scotland’s national nature agency, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) will ‘rebrand’ to ‘NatureScot’ from May 1st 2020, in plans to adapt the organisation to meet current environment challenges.
RICS launch new Home Survey Standard (RICS 18/11/19)
RICS this week launch the new mandatory RICS Home Survey Standard, following an industry and consumer consultation held earlier this year.
Planners call on government for stronger direction on climate action (RTIP 15/11/19)
An overwhelming majority of UK planners want the next government to give stronger direction and more resources to enable local planners to deliver net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Take part in the RICS Social Impact Awards 2020 (RICS 11/19)
The RICS Social Impact Awards recognise the built environment’s positive and transformational contribution to society. Closing date for entries: 5pm on 31 January 2020.
Green-Building Advocates Raise Alarm on Embodied Carbon (AR 10/19)
Architects are familiar with the often cited statistic: the building sector is responsible for nearly 40 percent of the world’s carbon emissions. They understand the role of energy efficiency in reducing fossil-fuel use and tackling climate change. But many are just waking up to the importance of the emissions associated with manufacturing materials and the construction process.
Opinion & Comment
General election – An opportunity to diversify the workforce (Hew Edgar, RICS 22/11/19)
Volume or value? Sustainability and cultural tourism (AP 21/11/19)
Action on Blight – assessing the impact of vacant and derelict land (SLC 18/11/19)
‘Clyde-built’ is how Scotland saves the world (Common Weal 15/11/19)
Could a tourist tax help wild land in Scotland? (John Muir Trust 31/10/19)
Listing to Last (Architecture Today)
Parliamentary Questions
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Scottish Government 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”.
Question S5W-26495: Michelle Ballantyne, South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 22/11/2019
To ask the Scottish Government how many how many homes have been delivered to date as part of its 50,000 affordable homes target, also broken down by how many are new-builds.
Question S5W-26496: Michelle Ballantyne, South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 22/11/2019
To ask the Scottish Government which (a) communities and (b) organisations will receive support from round five of the Coastal Communities Fund.
Question S5W-26412: David Stewart, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 19/11/2019
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ban combustible materials on the outside of high-rise or high-risk buildings.
Parliamentary Questions & Answers
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Government in order to facilitate the provision of information to the Parliament.
Question S5W-25961: Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 24/10/2019
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) capital and (b) revenue budget was for housing maintenance and repair for British Waterways in Scotland in each of the last five years of its operation.
Answered by Michael Matheson (13/11/2019)
Question S5W-25964: Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 24/10/2019
To ask the Scottish Government how many residential properties were owned by British Waterways in Scotland in each of the last five years of its operation, and where they were located.
Answered by Michael Matheson (19/11/2019)
Question S5W-25969: Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 24/10/2019
To ask the Scottish Government whether Scottish Canals has a risk register for residential properties in its portfolio that require substantial upgrading or repair.
Answered by Michael Matheson (19/11/2019)
Question S5W-25966: Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 24/10/2019
To ask the Scottish Government whether residential properties owned by Scottish Canals meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard and, if not, for what reason.
Answered by Michael Matheson (19/11/2019)
Question S5W-25963: Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 24/10/2019
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) capital and (b) revenue budget for housing maintenance and repair has been for Scottish Canals in each year since its inception.
Answered by Michael Matheson (19/11/2019)
Question S5W-25965: Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 24/10/2019
To ask the Scottish Government how many residential properties are owned by Scottish Canals, and where they are located.
Answered by Michael Matheson (19/11/2019)
Question S5W-26362: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 12/11/2019
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage property owners of all tenures to alter their properties to achieve better accessibility standards.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (20/11/2019)
Question S5W-26361: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 12/11/2019
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to update its policies on Housing for Varying Needs in order to improve accessibility standards for new residential properties.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (20/11/2019)
Question S5W-26360: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 12/11/2019
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to (a) meet the demand for accessible housing stock and (b) increase the use of accessible housing registers.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (19/11/2019)
Events
For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.
Trades House of Glasgow Christmas Lecture
Date & time: Wed, 4 December 2019; 19:30 – 21:30.
Venue: Trades Hall Of Glasgow, 85 Glassford Street, Glasgow G1 1UH.
The Deacon Convener of the Trades House of Glasgow, Mr Bruce Reidford, warmly invites you to a Christmas Lecture on “The House and the Hall”. The lecture will be in two parts with Honorary Archivist, Craig Bryce, talking about the role of the Hall and the House in the life of the City, and Architectural Historian, Neil Baxter, talking about ‘Robert Adam and the other Architects of the Trades Hall’ looking at the building’s evolution in the wider architectural context. Each talk will last approximately 30-40mins with interval drinks and snacks.
Tom Parnell – Going Forth: Industrial Heritage beyond the Bridges
Date & time: Monday 2nd March 2020; 6:30pm.
Venue: St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, 13 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PA.
The Firth of Forth is dominated by a growing collection of celebrated bridges. But along the shoreline are less well-known remnants of an industrial past that were of enormous importance. The lecture will explore railways, limekilns, distilleries and power stations: some gone, some surviving, but all now out of use. Tom Parnell is an architectural historian, and is currently a Senior Casework Officer for Historic Environment Scotland.
Henry Edward Clifford (1852-1932) – Pollockshields Architect
Date & time: 19 March 2020; Coffee / tea at 7pm; Lectures start at 7:30pm.
Venue: The Renfield Centre, 260 Bath Street, Glasgow.
Niall Murphy, Deputy Director of Glasgow City Heritage Trust introduces us to one of the key architects from Glasgow’s Golden Age and one that was a rare beast, the Glaswegian architect with a European reputation.
Chris Stewart – Collective Architecture
Date & time: Monday 6 April 2020; 6:30pm.
Venue: St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, 13 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PA.
Chris Stewart is an Architect-Director of the award-winning architectural practice Collective Architecture and a director of the Scottish Ecological Design Association (SEDA). Collective Architecture, which has offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh, has been owned by its employees for the last twelve years. Chris Stewart will tell us about their projects and approach to sustainable design and client and user involvement.
Vacancies
Heritage Consultant
Simpson & Brown Architects is looking for an enthusiastic, dynamic and experienced person to join the Heritage Consultancy team in Edinburgh.
Apply by Friday 20th December 2019.
BEFS provides an overview of policy commitments in the party manifestos that would have implications for Scotland’s historic environment.
All political parties with representation in the previous Westminster Parliament have now produced their manifestos. BEFS has undertaken an overview of policy commitments that would appear to have implications for Scotland’s historic environment and is grateful to Newsdirect for providing helpful summaries to work from.
If you are looking for specific policies on architecture, archaeology, heritage, landscape, planning, surveying or conservation you need read no further. But you will find policies that would impact on these areas if implemented.
Conservative & Unionist Party
- Introduce an Australian-style points-based immigration system
- Create the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which will replace the “overly bureaucratic” EU Structural Funds and will match the size of those funds for each nation
Full manifesto details Get Brexit Done: Unleash Britain’s Potential
Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party
- Continue to commit £1.4bn to Growth Deals across Scotland and deliver Deals for Falkirk and the Islands
Full manifesto details No to Indyref 2
You will also find interesting analysis of UK manifestos from the Heritage Alliance and the Carbon Brief.
Scottish Green Party
- Set conditions for Scottish content in supply chains where possible, such as through the leasing process. This should include consideration of embedded carbon emissions including within international travel
- Directly invest in deployment of innovative renewables, energy storage, energy efficiency and development of their supply chains
- Adopt a target of all homes reaching Energy Performance Standard C or above by 2030.
- Provide more funding for skills development, training and apprenticeships.
- Create a new funded programme of deep-retrofits of fuel-poor households and social housing, using approaches like “Energiesprong” that is currently being trialled in Nottingham.
- Require new homes to meet passivhaus or other net-zero standards, be connected to the public transport system and be built in areas that are not in flood-risk zones.
Full manifesto details Scottish Green New Deal
Scottish Labour Party
- Create a regeneration fund to provide an economic boost to Scotland’s high streets
- Ensure small businesses are part of the procurement supply chain to strengthen local jobs and supply chains
- Continue investments in apprenticeships and ensure they are tied closely to the labour market
- Legislate to restrict the amount of land that one individual can own, and prevent land ownership via offshore tax havens
- Complete a public register of landowners as a necessary step to improve transparency and enable meaningful land reform
- Develop a Community Land Fund in line with the recommendations in UK Labour’s ‘Land for the Many’ proposals along with long-term revenue support for community buy-outs
- Use regulation to intervene when land is not used in ways that serve the public interest
- Retrofit all houses to the highest energy efficiency standards, backed by the National Transformation Fund, to reduce fuel poverty and fuel bills among those living in rural areas
- Develop a new sustainable national plan for tourism based on improving the offer to visitors while reducing resource use and waste, reducing the transport impact, protecting the natural and cultural heritage
- Implement the tourist tax and a land value capture tax
- Review the business rates system by engaging more widely than the present Scottish Government
- Recommend the creation of a new Land and Communities Development Agency in Scotland
- Invest £6bn from the UK’s National Transformation Fund to upgrade almost all of Scotland’s 2.6 million homes to the highest energy efficiency standards
- Provide an initial £10bn investment to kickstart a social house building programme in Scotland, building 12,000 eco-friendly social and council homes a year for ten years, with local government and housing associations receiving two thirds of the funding required to build these homes
- Legislate to bring energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector in line with the social sector
Full manifesto details Real Change for the Many Not the Few
Scottish Liberal Democrat Party
- Ensure that the National Infrastructure Commission takes fully into account the climate and environmental implications of all national infrastructure decisions
- Prioritise government spending on the things that matter most to people’s wellbeing with the money for Scotland to match them
- Develop a national skills strategy for key sectors, including zero-carbon technologies, to help match skills and people
- Establish creative enterprise zones to grow and regenerate the cultural output of areas across the UK
- Create an emergency programme to insulate all Britain’s homes by 2030, cut emissions and end fuel poverty, working in partnership with the Scottish Government to provide the resources
- Work across the four UK administrations on a framework for agricultural support payments to support the public goods that come from effective land management
- Extend the involvement of the Scottish Government in the development of UK policy on work permit and student visas
Full manifesto details Stop Brexit, Stop Independance: Build a Brighter Future
Scottish National Party
- Seek the devolution of immigration
- Demand the UK stops “short-changing” Scotland on city and region deals and urge the UK Government to deliver Growth Deals for those areas of Scotland yet to receive them
- Support a more ambitious Islands Growth Deal
- Call on the UK Government to examine a reduction in VAT for the hospitality sector
- Call for a reduction in VAT on energy efficiency improvements in homes
- Put the transition to net-zero at the heart of the Scottish National Investment Bank’s work
- Oppose Conservative plans to introduce a minimum salary threshold for admittance to the UK
Full manifesto details Stronger for Scotland
Green Party
Remain in the European Union and enshrine Freedom of Movement as a core principle of the EU.
Full manifesto details If Not Now, When?
Labour Party
- Establish a “humane” immigration system built on human rights to meet the needs of the economy and public services
- Provide Scotland with at least £100bn of additional resources over two terms, which Labour want to see £10bn from our new National Transformation Fund invested in the building of 120,000 council and social homes in Scotland over the next ten years, creating up to 50,000 jobs
- Invest £6bn in retrofitting houses across Scotland, which will help tackle the climate emergency and lower bills, end fuel poverty and create 35,000 jobs
- Provide the Scottish National Investment Bank, under Scottish control, with £20bn of lending power to deliver funds to local projects and Scotland’s small businesses
Full manifesto details It’s Time for Real Change
Liberal Democrat Party
- Maintain EU freedom of movement by stopping Brexit
- Continue to develop city deals in Scotland
Full manifesto details Stop Brexit: Build a Brighter Future
You will also find interesting analysis of UK manifestos from the Heritage Alliance and the Carbon Brief.
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