Community Resilience Manager Paul Laidlaw from the Scottish Flood Forum tells us about challenges we face in managing flood risk in Scotland.
Scottish Flood Forum engages flood risk communities
When I attended the BEF event on barriers to community engagement in planning I was struck by the similarity in issues having worked in the community development field for 15 years. I immediately thought of the Housing Scotland Act 2001 as the first piece of legislation introduced by the Scottish Parliament bringing in new rights for tenants and responsibilities for registered social landlords. In this sector, they embarked on a participation and engagement journey back in 2001 and there is much that can be learned as planning in Scotland prepares for reform and change.
The SFF is a charity that is committed to supporting flood risk communities. We do this by working promote a better understanding of the risks and consequences of flooding and provide dedicated flood recovery and resilience services to at risk communities and our partners.
There is clear evidence that flooding is increasing in Scotland and across the world with flooding now rated as a high risk in the UK Governments climate change risk assessment. These risks pose significant challenges but with the introduction of Scotland’s flood risk management plans in 2016 we are in a better position to understand and manage flood risk.
The scale of the challenges we face in managing flood risk can be summarised with some statistics from Scotland’s flood risk management plans. These show that there are:
- 108,000 properties at risk of flooding
- Expected annual damages are estimated at £252 million
- 14 new flood warning schemes are planned
- 42 formal flood protection schemes or works are planned
- 79% of our flood risk comes from river and surface water
- 2000km of our road network is at risk from flooding
- 500km of rail passes through high risk areas
- 200,000 hectares of agricultural land at risk of flooding.
There are many questions for governments, landowners, property owners, planners and local authorities in how we manage flood risk, communicate effectively and engage flood risk communities. Access to affordable insurance continues to be an issue for flood risk communities but the introduction of floodre recently is helping to bring down the cost of insurance for at risk properties. Flooding can have many impacts on the built environment both historic and contemporary, and SFF experience shows that the psychological and social impacts on communities are often underestimated. One area being developed in Scotland is property level flood protection products that homeowners can buy and install that can help to reduce the impact of flooding and a code of practice for resilience measures is being investigated to improve how the built environment can withstand and recover from flooding.
The SFF works to support a network of approximately 50 community flood resilience groups who volunteer to represent their communities and take actions to reduce flood risk by working in partnership with key agencies. Local groups regularly engage with planning issues when new housing developments come up for consideration as a development of more than five houses automatically triggers a flood risk assessment and should not increase flood risk.
Stonehaven Flood Action Group is one such group who work to represent their flood risk community and are engaging with the Stonehaven Flood Protection Scheme. This scheme is reaching the end of a lengthy consultation process and the group gave direct input to the public hearing to hear objections to the scheme. The group weighed up many issues and eventually supported the scheme after careful consideration of the benefits to the flood risk community and their memories of the 2012 Stonehaven floods, where people watched as their children’s Christmas presents were ruined by flood water.
The SFF recently launched a pilot good practice framework (GPF) to support engagement with flood risk communities in partnership with the National Centre For Resilience (NCR). The GPF is made up of lots of useful information to support organisations think about the different ways they can engage flood risk communities such as case studies, information notes, check lists, templates and more. The four case studies outline a range of successful methods to engage flood risk communities to take positive action and work in partnership. The four case studies include examples of the SFF supporting partnership working with flood risk communities and concrete examples of communities working to increase their resilience to flooding in Stonehaven, Edzell, Aberfeldy and Menstrie.
The SFF are committed to supporting engagement with flood risk communities and the GPF offers a range of soft guidance to support local authority staff and others with an interest in high quality engagement. The GPF offers information on starting community flood resilience groups, setting up a flood warden scheme, partnership working, developing community flood plans and a set of draft principles that can help to provide a strong foundation to develop engagement with flood risk communities.
James Cascio, author and futurist said: – “Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive”.
There are many challenges in engaging flood risk communities, but with the right commitment, leadership and dedicated support for at risk neighborhoods, they can thrive as cooperative and resilient areas that contribute important social value to Scotland by being better prepared for future flood risk”.
For more information on the GPF or engaging flood risk communities’ contact: paul.laidlaw@scottishfloodforum.org
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Shaz Morton, Common Weal Skye Coordinator, and Andrew Prendergast, rural development practitioner, describe the key aspects of community-led housing and look at two initiatives in the Highlands & Islands.
Last month Common Weal Skye held the third in a series of events focusing on rural regeneration and housing in the Highlands & Islands. We were delighted to welcome two speakers; Agnes Rennie of Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn (Galson Estate Trust) on the Isle of Lewis, and Andrew Prendergast, Isle of Skye-based rural development practitioner.
Andrew is currently organising a housing needs survey of his local community on Skye’s Sleat peninsula. It is hoped that the survey will give the community a clearer picture of the scale, type and urgency of the need for affordable housing in their area. This will be invaluable in shaping a community-led housing initiative for Sleat, an area where a quarter of the housing stock is holiday lets and second homes, and incomes are 10% below the Scottish average.
Andrew gave an overview of Community-led Housing models which he hopes will inspire more pro-activity in the Highlands & Islands:
Community-led Housing (CLH) is a movement which is currently attracting a lot of attention throughout the UK. A broad church, it covers a wide range of alternative housing models from rental co-operatives, and mutual equity homeownership to collective self-build and commissioning.
Community-led housing is a way for communities to provide affordable homes that meet specific local needs. It may be designed to help certain groups – young people, older people, or those in need of affordable family homes. It’s often eco-friendly and sustainable. Crucially it differs from the ‘standard’ social housing as provided by housing associations and councils in being co-designed by and for a particular group of local people. It includes alternative housing models that offer a ‘third way’ between the private market, and public provision.
Broadly speaking the features which define CLH models are;
– The community is integrally involved throughout the process in key decisions like what is provided, where, and for who. They don’t necessarily have to initiate the conversation, or build homes themselves.
– There is a presumption that the community will take a long term formal role in the ownership, stewardship or management of the homes.
– The benefits of the scheme to the local community and/or specified beneficiary group are clearly defined and legally protected in perpetuity.
Community-led housing should not displace or duplicate the provision of social housing by RSL’s (Registered Social Landlords like housing associations) where it exists. However, in many of the remoter areas of rural Scotland, there has been little or no provision of social housing for decades. Even where RSLs are active, there is a role for communities to facilitate the creation of housing types and tenures which mainstream social housing does not fulfil.
A brief overview of just some of these might include:
– Limited equity housing co-operatives: co-operatives in which the members have a share in the capital value of their home, and the development is funded partly by the members’ personal finance and partly with a corporate mortgage to the co-op.
– Market value co-operatives: often known as ‘co-housing’, ownership of the properties is vested in the co-op, while members are free to buy and sell the right to occupy their homes on the open market. There may be varying degrees of communal usage of collective assets like gardens, growing areas, tool sheds and common areas.
– Collective self-build groups: groups of households who collectively procure their own homes, either through self-build/sweat equity or jointly commissioning a developer/builder. They may form a co-op to undertake some of the procurement and subsequent management functions. Where plots are provided at less than market value there would normally be some kind of title burden controlling future sales.
These are just some of the innovative options possible under the banner of community-led housing and they offer people affordable alternatives to the stark choice between renting and being a ‘slave’ to a 25 year mortgage. A small number of pioneering grass-roots groups are beginning to explore these models in Scotland, but there is scope for an awful lot more activity to address the crisis in affordable rural housing. Community empowerment and the ownership of land assets presents an opportunity for rural communities to encourage and facilitate more of these exciting initiatives.
Our second speaker, Agnes Rennie then described just how the communities of the Galson Estate in North-West Lewis had used these powers to buy out their crofting lands in 2007. This created Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn – a community landlord, but nevertheless one which must work in partnership with the 22 crofting townships which make up the estate.
Immediately upon purchase the Trust became responsible for 56,000 acres of inby croft land and common grazings, which generated very little income and had limited potential to do so. They quickly identified renewable energy as a potential source of significant income, and by 2015 had managed to erect three 900kW turbines at a total cost of £5 million. The investment was raised through a mixture of commercial bank lending and a local share offer which raised £705,800 from 167 investors. The Baile an Truiseil development is now producing an average annual surplus of £415,000 after loan repayments and share interest.
Having secured a significant source of income for their community, the Trust needed to identify the key priorities for investment over the coming years. During 2015-16 they undertook an extensive consultation process within the community which has resulted in a 20 year strategic plan. The plan identifies three key priorities for investment;
– Elderly Care: with an ageing and isolated population the need for appropriate housing, social care and respite services will be critical.
– Tourism: the Galson area has great under-developed potential to provide a uniquely authentic visitor experience, creating local business opportunities.
– Crofting & Land Use: agriculture remains important to community life in the area, and collective initiatives can help counteract the economic disincentives to crofting.
It is under the priority of elderly care that Galson Trust is proposing a ground-breaking development in community-led housing initiatives. Early discussions have taken place with key partners and the Trust is optimistic that the resulting development will meet a number of community aspirations. This innovative proposal could well become a blue-print for the future of community based social care in remote and rural areas of the Highlands.
This blog was first published on CommonSpace here.
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BEFS NEWS
BEFS has responded to the latest Position Statement published by Scottish Government on the planning review. BEFS has expressed disappointment that the scope of the review has shifted from major reform to a series of procedural changes. BEFS has flagged up the inherent tension in seeking to balance greater community participation with the planning system while speeding up and simplifying decision-making processes. For a review of BEFS Members’ submissions and links to some of BEFS members’ submissions, read our news release.
Following BEFS event on barriers to community engagement in planning, we have two blogs that follow the planning theme this week.
Nick Wright, of Nick Wright Planning, reflects on the findings of his report on barriers to community engagement in planning, commissioned by the Scottish Government.
Leah Lockhart, The Democratic Society, outlines some of the key themes that came out of the discussion at BEFS event and how digital engagement can overcome barriers to community engagement.
In our third blog this week, Harry Woodward, Tenant Participation Officer, Dunedin Canmore, writes in a personal capacity about Paul Sng’s documentary ‘Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle’ and reflects on BEFS event with Tower Block UK.
I am sure you are all looking forward to Doors Open Days in September. Also, don’t miss the Festival of Architecture 2017 next month.
CONSULTATIONS
European Union (Withdrawal) Bill (SP 08/17)
The Scottish Parliament Finance and Constitution Committee intends to undertake scrutiny of the Bill including consideration of the expected legislative consent memorandum following the Parliament’s summer recess. In order to inform the Committee’s evidence taking, the Committee is seeking views on the impact of the Bill upon the devolution settlement and the expected legislative consent memorandum.
The closing date for responses is Friday 29 September 2017.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has launched a consultation on its Gaelic Language Plan for 2018 to 2023.
The consultation runs from 15 August to 31 October.
House of Lords Select Committee on Citizenship and Civic Engagement Call for Evidence:
The committee is keen to hear from a wide range of individuals, groups and organisations in order to understand the nature of the citizenship challenge for different parts of society; the aim being to identify new ways of building bridges within and between communities, and to support civic engagement.
Deadline: 8 September 2017.
PUBLICATIONS
Rural heritage under threat: looking after our landscapes post Brexit (The Heritage Alliance)
HLF funding for community asset transfer (HLF)
SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT NEWS RELEASES
Brexit threatens environmental ambition (SG 17/08/17)
The Scottish and Welsh environment ministers will today pledge to work together to resist the UK Government’s attempt to take control of devolved powers.
Taking action on climate change (SG 16/08/17)
Organisations across Scotland are being encouraged to host events and raise awareness of the impact of climate change as part of Climate Week 2017. Running from 18 – 22 September, Scotland’s Climate Week will highlight the actions people and organisations can take together to reduce emissions and adapt to a changing climate.
£4.4 million announced for energy efficiency projects across Scotland (SG 10/08/17)
Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP) phase 2 pilots. Councils will share £4.4 million to improve energy efficiency in homes, businesses, public buildings and community projects. 15 local authorities will use the funding to deliver innovative ways to reduce emissions and tackle fuel poverty.
Brexit Bill talks (SG 09/0/17)
Speaking after today’s meeting with UK First Secretary of State Damian Green on the issue of the repatriation of powers following Brexit – which was also attended by Deputy First Minister John Swinney and Scottish Secretary David Mundell – Minister for UK Negotiations on Scotland’s Place in Europe Michael Russell said: “Today was a useful opportunity for an exchange of views between ourselves and the UK Government on Brexit and the repatriation of powers it will involve.”
‘Schools Out’ for the Queensferry Crossing (SG 09/08/17)
Following confirmation that the official opening by The Queen will take place on 4 September, and in response to local feedback, an additional 10,000 people from local schools and community groups on both sides of the Forth will have the chance to walk onto the bridge the next day (5 September). Then, from 6 September onwards, the bridge will re-open to traffic, with no pedestrian access.
Queensferry Crossing official opening (SG 04/08/17)
Date set for new Forth bridge to be opened by The Queen. The Queensferry Crossing will be officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen on 4 September 2017.
Funding our maritime heritage (SG 04/08/17)
£500,000 for the Scottish Fisheries Museum’s iconic flagship, Reaper, has been announced during the 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, by Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop. The funding will allow for a full refit of the historic herring drifter, which for the last thirty years has acted as an outreach ambassador for the museum, for Fife and for Scotland. This will be its most comprehensive refit since 1903.
Scotland’s coastline at risk (SG 04/08/17)
New mapping tool highlights threat to coastline. Nearly a fifth of Scotland’s coastline is at risk of erosion, threatening some of the country’s most prized land and infrastructure within the next 30 years.
NEWS RELEASES
First Ever Heritage Awareness Day Launched (HES 17/08/17)
HES is urging people across Scotland to come face to face with history as details of the inaugural Heritage Awareness Day were revealed at the iconic Leith Theatre today (Wednesday 16 August). Heritage Awareness Day – Scotland’s first-ever day dedicated to celebrating heritage – will take place on Friday 6th October, as the country continues to celebrate the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.
Voting is now open for the Scotland’s Most Beautiful High Street (STP 15/08/17)
After receiving fantastic entries, a judging panel of representatives from Scotland’s Towns Partnership and Keep Scotland Beautiful have drawn up a shortlist of 10 finalists. The winner will be decided by an online public vote, which will be open until 1 October 2017. The winner will be announced at Scotland’s Towns Conference in Paisley on 21st November 2017.
Historic Environment Scotland Launch Gaelic Language Consultation (HES 15/08/17)
HES has launched a consultation on its Gaelic Language Plan for 2018 to 2023. The plan seeks to build upon the organisation’s success with Gaelic development, which includes the incorporation of Gaelic interpretation into 29 of its historical sites, a learning program that has benefitted over 4,000 pupils and teachers and a strong portfolio of Gaelic media content for adult learners.
Could superfast broadband aid planning in Scotland? (RICS 14/08/17)
The Scottish Government has pledged to ensure that 100 per cent of Scotland has access to superfast broadband by 2021. But is there a way to maximise this pledge in conjunction with the planning system?
Homelessness in Scotland predicted to rise by over 50% by 2041 (SHN 10/08/17)
There are currently 11,800 people across Scotland either sleeping rough, staying in hostels, living in unsuitable temporary accommodation, sofa surfing or experiencing other forms of the worst types of homelessness such as squats, refuges or sleeping in cars. Now new expert analysis conducted for Crisis by Heriot-Watt University has revealed that this figure is expected to rise to 12,200 by 2021 before accelerating to 18,100 – a rise of 53% on current levels – in 2041.
Search is on for Scotland’s next generation of social innovators (Firstport 09/08/17)
The Social Innovation Competition – which opens for applications today (9 August) – celebrates and supports individuals and start up companies in Scotland that are using their creativity and imagination to solve pressing social issues, focusing on culture, heritage and tourism. This is particularly relevant as Scotland celebrates the 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.
Housing crisis ‘hitting young Scots and PRS tenants more than most’ (SHN 08/08/17)
Young people and private renters are disproportionately affected by a “terrible shortage” of affordable homes in Scotland, according to a new report. Figures from Shelter Scotland’s ‘Impact Report’ have highlighted that a shortage of affordable homes, welfare reform and stagnant wages have seen tenants struggling to afford housing costs.
Seminars will help congregations with building maintenance (CoS 04/08/17)
Caring for church buildings is one of the most challenging tasks facing any congregation or presbytery. Whether you are undertaking a major refurbishment of your church or halls, or you simply need to make a roof repair, building repairs raise questions about everything from funding sources to planning regulations.
£15 million Northern Cultural Regeneration Fund to boost region’s tech, creative and cultural industries (DDCMS 04/08/17)
Towns and cities across Northern England will be able to bid for a share of a new £15 million fund to help build a lasting regional legacy from the Great Exhibition of the North, Culture Secretary Karen Bradley announced today.
A survey is *still* not the answer to everything – return of the alternative evaluation techniques (SCVO 08/17)
After what we’re sure was a long and trying wait, we’re delighted to present the eagerly awaited follow-up to A Survey is not the Answer to Everything! Determined to avoid falling into the all too common ‘disappointing second album’ trap, we’ve been biding our time, doing our research, and are pretty confident that these evaluation techniques will blow your socks off.
Home Secretary commissions major study on EU workers (HO 27/07/17)
The Home Secretary has today (27 July) commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee to examine the role EU nationals play in the UK economy and society.
HLF funding for community asset transfer (HLF 24/07/17)
Research, undertaken by Locality, examining the extent of the funding HLF has provided for asset transfer projects. The transfer of ownership and management was encouraged in the in the 2011 Localism Act. According to research by the New Local Government Network, over 70% of local authorities have carried out at least one asset transfers and 95% of local authorities expect asset transfer to play an increasingly important role in the next 5 years.
MEMBERS NEWS
Digital Towns Pilot Programme: Call for Applications (STP 08/17)
Scotland’s Towns Partnership is seeking applications from Towns, City Neighbourhoods, Business Improvement Districts and other town stakeholder organisations to participate in the national Digital Towns Pilot Programme, which is being supported by Scottish Government.
Applications are due by 5pm, Thursday 31st August 2017.
IHBC’s new Note on ‘Townscape’: Addressing knowledge gaps in heritage policy development (IHBC 04/08/17)
The IHBC has launched a new Guidance Note (GN2017/4) on ‘Townscape as an important concept in conservation area management’, to explain the importance the Institute places on townscape as a specific concept in the proper management of conservation areas, and address current gaps in national policy development in England.
PAS takes part in TEDx event at Queen Margaret University (PAS 05/17)
PAS Chief Executive Petra Biberbach was invited to speak at this year’s TEDx QMU event a few weeks ago. The theme was ‘Our Transgenerational World’.
Petra spoke about ‘Bridging the Gaps’ between our different generations, placemaking from an intergenerational perspective – and why all ages must be more involved in shaping their communities. The video is now online.
SCT Annual Conference 2017: 50 Years of Conservation Areas (SCT)
SAVE THE DATE! 27 November 2017
As part of our 50th anniversary celebrations and recognising that the Civic Amenities Act was passed in 1967, the Scottish Civic Trust’s next annual conference, in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland and The Institute of Historic Building Conservation, will tackle the theme of “Fifty years of conservation areas” – what has been learned, what has been lost, and what are the threats and opportunities in the future.
50 Favourite Scottish Doors for Doors Open Days 2017 (SCT)
As part of its 50th anniversary celebration the Scottish Civic Trust is inviting everyone from celebrities to members of the public to nominate their favourite Scottish door. For fifty consecutive days this summer, we will celebrate a favourite door to a Scottish building. Find out what happened behind each door to make it so special in people’s lives – Granny’s house? First holiday? Best gig? School? Favourite castle? Even a pub?
Skills, Knowledge and Behaviours for a New Planning System (RTPI 31/07/17)
Craig McLaren, Director of RTPI Scotland, discusses research led by RTPI on future skills needs for planners. Earlier in the year RTPI Scotland was commissioned by Scottish Government undertake research into the skills needs for planners. This was undertaken in the context of the Review of the Planning System.
EVENTS
For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.
Playing the Past Kicking off
When: Monday 21st August.
Where: Cathkin Park in Glasgow.
Archaeology Scotland’s ‘Playing the Past’ project will be kicking off on Monday 21stAugust to uncover Cathkin Park’s rich sporting heritage as part of the 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology. Originally known as Hampden Park, Cathkin Park’s football stadium had played host to games since 1884 with games that attracted thousands of supporters. The stadium fell into disrepair after the home team, Third Lanark, folded 50 years ago in 1967. The park still holds the remains of the pitch and the terracing.
Archaeology Scotland will be excavating and surveying Cathkin Park in Glasgow ahead of the Open Day on Saturday 26 August. ‘Playing the Past’ is the park’s first archaeological excavation and members of the public are invited to view the progress throughout the week.
There are still spots available to take part in the excavation and an Open Day will also run from 11am to 4pm on Saturday 26 August with the opportunity to explore a mobile museum and excavate. Visitors are encouraged to bring along any images and memories from the park to be recorded. This event will also act as the launch for the annual Scottish Archaeology Month.
If you would like to take part in the excavation, please get in touch with the team at adopt@archaeologyscotland.org.uk to book your place.
Join us for an exclusive and fascinating trip to the Isle of May
When: Sunday 3rd September 2017.
Where: Isle of May.
We will visit the harbour, lighthouse, beacon, wartime remains, the bathhouse and St Adrian’s Priory. As an extra we will also gain entry to the ‘low lights’ and the engine room. Your host, Peter Yeoman, excavated some of the archaeology on the island and will give his insight and experience to much of the island 4000+ year history. On top of all that, the wonderful birdlife and seals will be all around. Our bus will pick up from west Edinburgh at 8.30am (location tbc) and take us to Anstruther where we will board the May Princess to sail out to the island. However you can opt to meet the group at Anstruther for the reduced price below. The sailing trip will be last around 4 ½ hours. There are toilet facilities at Anstruther and within the visitor centre on the island. Most of the island is accessible with care. The bus will return to Edinburgh around 5pm.
Tickets cost (includes ferry): Archaeology Scotland members £50. Non-members £55. Ticket cost (meeting at Anstruther): Archaeology Scotland members £33. Non-members £36
To book call 0300 012 9878 or register and pay at our website
Scottish Shared Transport Conference
When: Thursday 21 September 2017.
Where: The Golden Lion Hotel, 8 – 10 King Street, Stirling FK8 1BD.
In partnership with the RTPI, Carplus Bikeplus is excited to announce the launch of the Scottish Shared Transport Conference 2017. Shared transport initiatives are helping to create engaged communities, and a sustainable future for us all. This free to attend conference will discuss the importance of planning for a low-carbon lifestyle, demonstrate viable car ownership alternatives, highlight successful projects, and provide access to those at the forefront of establishing new approaches to sustainable living in towns and cities. Hear from expert speakers including Daisy Narayanan from Scotland’s Towns Partnership, and Colin Black from Arcadis, plus learn from interactive break-out sessions. More details here:
RTPI Scotland Annual Conference – The New Agenda: Planners as Visionaries, Facilitators and Enablers
When: Tuesday 3 October 2017.
Where: COSLA Conference Centre, Edinburgh.
The conference will look at the key issues we face in Scotland to develop an agenda for change. It will hear about opportunities, challenges faced and the new thinking and doing required from inspirational and forward thinking people. Conference delegates will have the opportunity to discuss these with others and help develop and agree the way forward.
Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders Archaeology Conference
When: Saturday November 18, 2017 from 9:00am – 4:45pm.
Where: Queen Margaret University, Musselburgh.
This annual conference is organised by City of Edinburgh Council, East Lothian Council and Scottish Borders Council. It provides an important opportunity to hear and discuss first-hand accounts of the archaeological fieldwork and research being undertaken in Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, and the Scottish Borders.
TRAINING
One day course: The Use of Drone Aircraft in Surveying Buildings, Landscapes and the Wider Historic Environment
The Scottish Traditional Skills Training Centre is presenting a Course in the Use of Drone Aircraft in Surveying the Condition and Assessing the Conservation, Repair and Maintenance requirements of difficult to access areas of historic buildings, bridges and other important elements of our Built and Landscape Heritage.
Resourcing Scotland’s Heritage is delivering a series of training courses and events across Scotland.
Our training is best suited to registered charities and constituted community groups. Take a walk through our simple question and answer page to determine which course is right for you. We have two main training courses and a series of ‘In Focus’ events. If you are interested in any particular event or fundraising topic, please do get in touch – we may be able to bring an event to your area info@scotheritage.org.
Traditional Building Skills Training
Scottish Lime Centre Trust offer a wide range of vocational and professional courses combining theory and practical working sessions designed to ensure that there are courses to suit everyone.
VACANCIES
Application for International Project Officer (EWHT)
We are looking to appoint an International Project Officer to assist with the delivery of the Heritage Skills Build Peace and Capacity in Mardin and Diyarbak?r project. EWH and the Istanbul-based Association for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (KMKD) have formed a partnership to deliver a joint training programme for two historic cities in Turkey.
Closing date for applications: 5pm on Wednesday 23rd August 2017.
RIAS Consultancy – Manager (RIAS)
The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) is looking for an experienced professional to join our RIAS Consultancy team on a flexible part-time basis. The post offers the opportunity for someone with flare and drive, to join the Secretary and Treasurer’s office and help to develop the existing RIAS Consultancy business. RIAS Consultancy has over 20 years of unrivalled experience in developing the full range of competitive processes for selecting design teams and contractors. The appointee must be able to promote and communicate client aspirations in a manner that engages the design and construction community.
Closing date is Friday 1st September 2017 Interviews will take place on Friday 8th September 2017.
Transformation and Business Services Director (SNH)
SNH are looking for someone with experience and a track record in the following areas:
– A strategic approach to acquiring, managing and using information and expert knowledge to meet corporate objectives.
– An ability to analyse and prioritise information and communicate it authoritatively to a range of customers including senior politicians and the SNH Board.
– Effective management of people and finances to ensure high performance, collaborative working and efficiency.
– Working in a senior management team to provide leadership to the organisation, helping to set and deliver corporate goals and adjusting to the requirements of change in a leadership team context.
– Effective working with a wide range of stakeholders.
Closing date: Midnight on 3 September 2017
Information in the Bulletin is extracted from a number of websites including the Scottish Government (SG); the Scottish Parliament (SP); Architecture and Design Scotland(A+DS); Historic Environment Scotland (HES); Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH); Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO); English Heritage (EH); Design Council (DC); Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG); Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS); Department of Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA); National Assembly for Wales (NAW); Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS); Scottish Government Building Standards (SGBS); Europa Nostra (EN); Historic England (HE).
If you have any questions or comments on the above, or would like to submit information to be included, please get in touch with Saskia Smellie or tel: BEFS Office on 0131 220 6241.
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BEFS has now submitted a response to the Scottish Government’s position paper on the planning review, published in advance of an anticipated Planning Bill this autumn.
BEFS has engaged with the review of the Scottish Planning system since it was launched in September 2015. The Forum has held workshops with Members, established a taskforce drawn from its membership to examine the proposals and recently held an open discussion on the research paper Barriers to Community Engagement in Planning. Working with the planning taskforce BEFS has now submitted a response to the Scottish Government’s position paper on the planning review, published in advance of an anticipated Planning Bill this autumn.
BEFS has expressed disappointment that the scope of the review has shifted from major reform to a series of procedural changes and has flagged up the inherent tension in seeking to balance greater community participation with the planning system while speeding up and simplifying decision-making processes. Strengthening regional agency is seen as desirable and the loss of Strategic Development Plans is of concern and the removal of Supplementary Planning Guidance is not supported as it can at times mitigate the unfortunate absence of local authority expertise. Extending Permitted Development Rights would likely have unintended consequences in the quality of small scale development and extending Simplified Planning Zones to include conservation areas may not be simple at all.
Reviewing BEFS Members submissions there is a shared consensus that the ambition at the outset is absent and that the opportunity for positive change is not being grasped. There is a shared refrain that warns against centralisation of decision making. There is also observation that there is a lack of integration with other policy agendas and as the National Trust for Scotland points out “there are seventeen references to housing in the position statement – but no references to landscape, or biodiversity, or amenity”. Is it a Planning Bill or Housing Bill that is being prepared?
The responses raise questions about capacity and resource to implement the proposals, for example, without additional resource the uptake of Local Place Plans will be iniquitous. Questions are also raised as to the absence of robust rationale being provided for equal rights of appeal not being explored, and criticism lack of detail on many of the proposals is also frequent.
A brief look at other published responses reveals similar concerns. The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations does not think that the proposals will deliver more quality affordable homes, Homes for Scotland says that there is a “distinct overall lack of detail” and Scottish Environment LINK is disappointed to see none of its concerns addressed in the position statement.
At the discussion on Barriers to Community Engagement in Planning there was a shared sense from community representatives and planning practitioners that as long as the success of planning was measured by speed of decision making neither meaningful community participation and quality place making can be achieved. The survey undertaken by the researchers revealed that 92% of community respondents and 59% of professionals agreed with the statement that “planning is not effective at engaging communities”. This is a stark statistic and explains why equal rights of appeal remains a background conversation that is getting ever louder and will no doubt make its presence felt in the passage of the Planning Bill in parliament.
In 2015 Alex Neil MSP, then Social Justice Secretary, wanted the “game changing review” to result in planning playing “a more positive and effective role in creating high quality places for current and future generations”. As it stands, respondents to the Scottish Government’s position statement do not appear to see this being the result.
You can read BEFS response in full, along with those of our Members, here.
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Leah Lockhart, Digital Democratic Engagement at The Democratic Society, reflects on BEFS recent event on barriers to community engagement in planning.
Earlier this month I went along with a few of my colleagues from the Democratic Society to a talk hosted by BEFS to discuss a piece of research the Scottish Government had commissioned, Barriers to community engagement in planning: a research study. My colleagues and I are not actively involved in planning or built environment circles but we are public engagement practitioners so the research outputs and discussion in the room were very familiar to us.
Our mission at the Democratic Society is to ‘bring better democracy everywhere’ and although the word ‘democracy’ might conjure up images of politicians and voting, we are a non-partisan organisation working to strengthen and shorten links between citizens and the organisations that affect their lives. There’s a strange kind of comfort or solidarity in hearing people outside my professional networks articulate almost exactly the same problems I encounter in my day to day work. But it’s also very frustrating. The core issues brought out in Barriers to community engagement are not new, in fact they are evergreen. How can so many people talk so openly for so long about the problems of governments failing to carry out meaningful public engagement and never seem to make progress?
Barriers to community engagement is a very well presented and accessible document and the discussion about it at BEFS, led by John Lord of Yellow Book Ltd and Nick Wright of Nick Wright Planning, was very motivating. As a digital engagement specialist, I tend to parse everything through questions of how the internet or other digital technologies might help or hinder community engagement. Below are three things I can’t stop thinking about since the event. Each point is focused around the What Works- opportunities for practical action portion of the report (section 7.19, page 58 and figure 7-4) because we have a responsibility to act now.
- Make the most of existing guidance and good practice: ‘The theory and practice of community engagement has been thoroughly examined and documented. There is no need to add to the existing body of guidance, we just need to apply it consistently and determinedly.’ Local authorities are especially stubborn in the belief that they are unique and this is a huge barrier to any kind of meaningful change or innovation in policy making or service delivery. Functionally, councils are the same but they are forever re-creating the wheel, especially when it comes to community engagement. By starting from scratch all the time, councils are creating distractions that keep them from actually engaging anyone. There is no end to information and practitioner communities online through which peer support, knowledge exchange and community engagement can happen. Resources could be much better spent leveraging existing networks and learning from others than creating new guidance or frameworks.
- Connecting with the seldom-heard. This recommendation spells out some of the core tenets of digital engagement: ‘meet people on their turf and at the times that suit them best; offer a range of meeting times and venues; offer opportunities to participate in different ways.’ It also recommends ‘ensuring venues are wheelchair accessible; providing signing services; reimbursing travel costs and publicising events in languages other than English.’ The internet does not close and it is wheelchair accessible. It enables video for signing, subtitles for transcriptions and there are no travel costs to visit it. Our experience at Democratic Society of helping councils complement offline engagement with online engagement has demonstrated to us that people with unsociable working hours, care responsibilities, physical disability, anxiety about socialising and more, really appreciate an online pathway to participation. Increasingly, members of the public will expect to be able to communicate with their public services online and planning is no exception.
- Using Plain English, effective communication and feedback. The report reflects feedback from survey participants that bad communication, terrible online services and way too much jargon are ‘seen as a means of excluding and intimidating ordinary members of the public’ and ‘ways in which local authorities ration participation in planning rather than actively promote it.’ It’s easy to suspect councils of being shady by not communicating well or not providing visible feedback loops but it’s my experience they don’t usually have the right skill sets to carry these things out. By being supported to learn better ways to engage online, to understand how online communities work and to realise the potential for greater transparency through having a strong online presence, planners could go a long way to being effective communicators.
I’m excited about the conversations happening right now in the built environment professions and I will be spending more time trying to link with people around community engagement in planning. I have a lot to learn from this new network about issues specific to planning but for members interested in good public engagement generally, we already have so much in common. Thanks to BEFS for welcoming us outsiders and for awakening my inner planning nerd!
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Nick Wright, of Nick Wright Planning, reflects on the findings of research commissioned by the Scottish Government into barriers to community engagement in planning.
When I first heard of the Scottish Government’s proposed research into barriers to engagement in planning, I expected the barriers would relate to access to information, too much jargon, and outmoded communications channels like statutory notices.
How wrong I was! As part of the team with Yellow Book and the Scottish Community Development Centre appointed to do the research, I quickly discovered that these and similar points – important though they are – are really second-order issues.
The research revealed that of far more importance to people in local communities who engage with planning is something far more fundamental: a lack of trust.
In an online research survey with over 1,600 responses, a staggering 86% of community/civil society respondents disagreed with the statement “there is mutual trust, respect and confidence between the players”. The proportion of professional respondents who disagreed, 83%, was scarcely any lower.
Trust of developers, trust of professionals, trust of local authorities – all appear to be in short supply. Maybe it’s symptomatic of the wider malaise afflicting governance and politics in these days of Brexit and Trump. Whatever the cause: the clear message from the research was that, unless trust is (re-)built, fixing the second-order issues will be as effective as the proverbial finger in the dyke.
A healthy crowd of BEFS members and other interested folk got together on 1 August to find out more about the research findings, and consider whether the engagement proposals outlined in the Scottish Government’s recent Position Statement on the Planning Review would overcome the barriers identified in the research.
There isn’t space here to go into the detail of the barriers research and its findings. You can get the report online here or view a summary in the 1 August presentation here.
The question posed on 1 August was: will the proposals in the Scottish Government’s Position Statement on planning reform successfully overcome the barriers to engagement?
We discussed three key areas that emerged from the research findings. Below, I have summarised proposals from the Position Statement that relate to each area; please note that the Position Statement did not, however, respond to the barriers research, these are purely my attempts to make connections.
Firstly, what’s the purpose of engagement? (information, consultation or empowerment?) How much engagement should there be? Where should it end?
On these questions, the Position Statement suggests that the proposed new Local Place Plans should be consistent with Local Development Plans, that community and spatial planning should be aligned, that young people should be more involved, and that there should be consideration of how to shift from consultation to empowerment.
But what of other seldom-heard groups of society beyond young people? And how can we better link planning into the community empowerment and community planning agendas?
A second area of the research findings related to the complexity of planning, and the inevitability of tensions. On these issues, the Position Statement urges involving people earlier in the process and production of guidance on rights and responsibilities.
Will these be enough to restore trust? What about people who haven’t been involved earlier in the process (newcomers to an area, for example), especially with a ten yearly Local Development Plan review? And is guidance enough to ensure that everyone – professionals, developers and the public – behave responsibly?
Finally, in relation to the lack of trust and transparency that was identified in the research, the Position Statement proposes amendments to Pre Application Consultation, removal of applicants’ “free go” after a refusal or appeal dismissal, stronger enforcement and training for professionals.
All these proposals from the Position Statement are very important but, fundamentally, will they be enough to tackle the mistrust in our system that seems to be endemic?
We will have more clues on that when the final proposals are published later this year. My hope is that the government doesn’t rely on legislation to build trust; I believe it will need a much more concerted package of action and resources, as we learned from the importance of the ‘culture change’ proposals during the last round of reforms in 2006.
Nick Wright, Nick Wright Planning
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Harry Woodward, Tenant Participation Officer, Dunedin Canmore, writes in a personal capacity about Paul Sng’s documentary, Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle.
Built Environment Forum Scotland’s joint screening of Paul Sng’s film ‘Dispossession – the Great Social Housing Swindle’ with Tower Block UK was relevant, topical and added to by a lively and interesting debate at the Screening Room in George Square on 26 July.
Sng’s previous film, ‘Sleaford Mods – Invisible Britain’ was a documentary that captured the story of the band mentioned in the title against the background of the 2015 General Election. Dispossession is another documentary in the style of ‘someone who tells the stories of people who challenge the status quo.’ And a good story it was too.
Paul Sng himself was present to take part in a debate after the screening chaired by BEFS Director, Euan Leitch, which comprised Tom Slater from Edinburgh University’s School of Geosciences, Edinburgh Tenants Federation (ETF) Chair Betty Stevenson and ETF Executive Committee member Heather Ford.
The debate was perhaps less focused on the film and more on Edinburgh’s housing situation. Stevenson and Ford between them combining years of social housing tenants’ activism, answered questions about how Edinburgh Council responded to poor housing situations they had experienced. Stevenson did, however, provide useful insight into the demolition of the Red Road flats in Glasgow, which featured in the film, with residents from the flats interviewed saying the communities in Red Road were destroyed by the demolition. Stevenson had met with residents of the flats herself and said that many people she spoke to were desperate to move; there was a significant amount of people affected by stress and mental health issues from living in the blocks and overall Stevenson’s message was people in communities have to work together with officialdom to improve communities; regeneration isn’t just about blowing down and then building up again, in a people as well as a physical sense.
In fact, this was the main theme of the film: communities from Bath, Glasgow, Nottingham and the high rise blocks in the London areas of Lambeth, Southwark and Tower Hamlets showed the corporate machinations that were preventing local people from remaining in the areas they lived and loved in, captured beautifully in the images and interviews shown in the film. The story is best viewed to form your own conclusions on how bad the situation is in the areas featured in the film, whether you blame it on ‘market forces’, the demise of local government house building programmes or just the predatory greed of large development corporations to acquire land to generate more profits for their shareholders.
If you haven’t seen it, the opportunity for that should be forthcoming again soon in Edinburgh with a showing due at the Cameo in September and in local community centres (part funded by Unite the Trade Union), hopefully giving more people the chance to view a film that could do for social housing what Ken Loach’s ‘I, Daniel Blake’ did for the Welfare Benefits system. Try and catch it if you can.
The lack of time prevented perhaps a more detailed discussion on Edinburgh’s housing situation, where the huge land values and the need for a greater programme of new build affordable housing might have led to more insights from the body of politicians, academics, students and community activists who attended, but overall well done to those who organised it and especially to Paul Sng for a timely film that, on the back of the Grenfell tragedy, reminds people that housing is for people to live in, not for rich people to invest their money in.
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BEFS NEWS
BEFS has responded to the consultation on energy efficiency and condition in private renting housing, which proposes a gradual introduction of standards using energy performance certificates as a method for assessment. BEFS has highlighted that EPC ratings do not apply readily to traditional buildings, and notes that management practice is a key factor, along with an understanding of how traditional buildings perform. Read BEFS full response here.
The deadline to response to the Places, People and Planning – Position Statement is coming up on 11th August. Don’t miss the opportunity to have your say.
There are still a few days left to nominate individuals or groups for the Scottish Heritage Angel Awards 2017.
One day left of the early bird offer for RTPI’s annual conference, The New Agenda: Planners as Visionaries, Facilitators and Enablers, in Edinburgh in October.
BEFS recently hosted a film screening of Paul Sng’s documentary ‘Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle’ followed by a Q&A with the director, in collaboration with Tower Block project at University of Edinburgh. In the first of our blogs, Kate Houghton, Planning Policy & Practice Officer RTPI Scotland, reflects on the documentary and lessons for a planner.
In our second blog this week, BEFS Chair, Graeme Purvis, tells us about the restoration of an overgrown renaissance garden in Granton as a catalyst for urban renewal.
CONSULTATIONS
Places, People and Planning – Position Statement – June 2017
Closes 11 Aug 2017.
Climate Change Bill
The Scottish Government intends to introduce a new Climate Change Bill with even more ambitious targets. Proposals include setting targets based on actual emissions, increasing the 2050 target to 90% emissions reduction, and making provisions for a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target to be set when a credible and costed pathway can be demonstrated.
Opened 30 Jun 2017. Closes 22 Sep 2017.
Community Empowerment and Common Good Property: Consultation on Draft Guidance
This is a consultation on guidance for local authorities on how to fulfil the requirements of Part 8 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 in relation to common good property.
Opened 30 June 2017. Closes 29 September 2017.
The Socio Economic Duty
In 2017, Scotland will become the first part of the UK to introduce the socio-economic duty. The Scottish Government wants to make sure that this duty is introduced so as to have maximum positive impacts. So it’s important to get implementation right and this consultation paper is a key way to make sure we do.
Opened 18 Jul 2017. Closes 12 Sep 2017.
CONSULTATION RESPONSES
A Consultation on Procedure of the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) Housing and Property Chamber – Analysis of responses to the public consultation
PUBLICATIONS
Annual and Quarterly Planning Performance Statistics, 2016/17 (SG 25/07/17)
Up My Street – Buildings at Risk Catalogue 2017-18
SAVE Britain’s Heritage’s latest Buildings at Risk Catalogue features over 100 decaying buildings from across the country in need of new owners or new uses.
SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT NEWS RELEASES
Tenants and landlords to benefit from new regulations (SG 28/07/17)
Letting agents have six months to prepare for compliance with a new, statutory Code of Practice, set to improve standards and empower customers. Housing Minister Kevin Stewart is writing to all commercial letting agents to highlight the changes and their responsibilities, and the need to comply by January 31 2018.
£1.2m for affordable housing in Fort William (SG 26/07/17)
200 homes planned for Upper Achintore site. At least 200 new affordable homes will be built in Fort William, following the award of a £1.2 million grant from the Scottish Government to Lochaber Housing Association (LHA). The site will develop a variety of mixed tenure homes for rent and private use, on the Association’s recently acquired site at Upper Achintore.
People and Communities Fund (SG 25/017/17)
Organisations across Scotland, supporting hundreds of community led projects that put people first, are to receive £8.6m funding for the year 2017/18. The funding, announced by Housing Minister Kevin Stewart today (July 25th), will have a positive impact on thousands of lives in Scotland – with support ranging from training/upskilling, employability advice, activities for young people, peer mentoring, and healthy eating initiatives.
Planning decision times published (SG 25/07/17)
Local Development decisions were quicker in 2016/17. The average decision time for Local Developments (26,986 applications) in 2016/17 was 9.2 weeks, four days quicker than the average of 9.7 weeks in the previous year and the quickest annual figure since the start of this data collection in 2012/13. Local housing applications were decided in an average of 12.7 weeks, one week quicker than the previous year (13.7 weeks).
Socio-economic duty (SG 18/07/17)
Public sector to do more to reduce inequalities. In a UK first, public bodies in Scotland will be required to put reducing poverty and inequality at the heart of their decision making.
Cladding and school buildings (SG 14/07/17)
Scottish Government provides further update. Building standards systems and regulations for high rise domestic properties in Scotland means that the specific type of ACM, which was used on Grenfell Tower, should not be used in their cladding systems.
Increase in affordable housing (SG 07/07/17)
The Scottish Government has committed more than £1.75 billion over the next three years to enable local authorities to plan and deliver the affordable housing needed in their communities, delivering the ambitious target of at least 50,000 affordable homes by 2021.
Regenerating coastal communities (SG 06/07/17)
£4.3 million to improve access and facilities. Projects for attracting tourists, creating new jobs and boosting economic growth in coastal communities will receive £4.3 million funding.
NEWS RELEASES
Share your success with SURF (SURF 01/08/17)
SURF is currently welcoming applications to our 2017 SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration. Each year, SURF and the Scottish Government team up to highlight, share and celebrate success and innovation in efforts to improve the physical, social and/or economic fabric of disadvantaged communities across Scotland through the prestigious SURF Awards.
RTPI Awards for Research Excellence 2017: shortlist announced (RTPI 28/07/17)
From cycling to commuting, housing to land ownership and the digital economy – this year’s RTPI Awards for Research Excellence shortlist, announced today, reflects the depth and breadth of planning research. Seventeen research projects are competing across five categories: Planning Consultancy Award, Academic Award, Early Career Researcher Award, Student Award, and the Sir Peter Hall Award for Wider Engagement.
Heritage 2020 Action Plans published (HA 27/07/17)
The Heritage 2020 vision concentrates on five strategic areas for collaboration, each of which will be developed further by a cross-sector working group looking at new ways of working together on the priorities of each theme. All five Heritage 2020 working groups have now published action plans and these can be viewed on each group’s page alongside information on the groups’ most recent meetings.
All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Arts, Health and Wellbeing Launches Report (AHRC 21/07/17)
A new report has been launched showing that the arts have a significant and positive impact on health and wellbeing. Creative Health: The Arts for Health and Wellbeing comes as the result of an inquiry led by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing (APPGAHW). The research was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, and Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
City Deal boost for Edinburgh and south-east Scotland (BBC News 20/07/17)
The UK and Scottish governments are each investing £300m in the project. The money will be used to support innovation, infrastructure, housing, tourism and culture including a new concert hall in St Andrew Square.
Five towns and cities shortlisted for UK City of Culture 2021 (DDCMS 14/07/17)
Coventry, Paisley, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland and Swansea have been shortlisted to host UK City of Culture 2021, Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, John Glen announced today
Change of name for DCMS (DDCMS 03/07/17)
In a move that acknowledges the way the Department’s remit has evolved, the Prime Minister and Culture Secretary Karen Bradley have agreed a departmental name change. The Department will continue to be referred to as DCMS in all communications, but is now the department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
National Lottery gives 500 Scottish groups reason to celebrate (BLF 27/06/17)
Over £3.8 million in National Lottery funds is today (TUES 27 JUNE) being shared by almost 500 groups across Scotland. The windfall means grassroots groups delivering everything from wheelchair football to after-school holiday clubs and drama workshops to hip-hop dance sessions now get the green light to go ahead.
Energy efficient buildings: increased energy savings and better living conditions (EU 26/06/17)
The Council agreed today its position on a proposal for a revised directive on the energy performance of buildings. The aim of the proposal is to promote energy efficiency in buildings and to support cost-effective building renovation with a view to the long term goal of decarbonising the highly inefficient existing European building stock.
MEMBERS NEWS
Communities Across Scotland To Benefit From New Community Development Grant Funding (AHF 01/08/17)
This year, The Architectural Heritage fund (AHF) launched a new grant fund supported by Historic Environment Scotland (HES). Due to additional three-year funding of up to £200,000 from HES, the AHF is able to expand its grant-giving programme to include a new Scottish Community Development Grant that will help support historic building regeneration projects in communities across Scotland.
Six Stunning Sites Unearthed in Search for Scotland’s Hidden Gems (SoAoS 01/08/17)
Winners chosen by popular vote include Viking-era monuments, a “castle on the hill” and a medieval burial ground. Dig It! 2017, the year-long celebration of archaeology, has been coordinating the Scotland-wide search. Over 12,000 votes have been cast over the last two months and with the polls now closed, the winners have been revealed.
50 Favourite Scottish Doors (SCT 01/08/17)
As part of its 50th anniversary celebration the Scottish Civic Trust is inviting everyone from celebrities to members of the public to nominate their favourite Scottish door. For fifty consecutive days this summer, we will celebrate a favourite door to a Scottish building.
Royal High School Update (AHSS 25/07/17)
Following the local elections in May, the City of Edinburgh Council have appointed a new Development Management Sub-Committee. The committee will meet on the 31st August 2017 to consider the second hotel application from Duddingston House Properties and the Urbanist Group for the former Royal High School on Regent Terrace. Anyone is welcome to attend the proceedings which will start at 10.00am in the City Chambers on the Royal Mile, Edinburgh.
Festival of Architecture 2017 (AHSS 25/07/17)
If you enjoyed the Festival of Architecture 2016, you’ll be delighted to learn that the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland are bringing the festival back for a second year!
Bold ambitions and strong community engagement – 2017 Student Award winners announced (A&DS 07/17)
A bold proposal with an ambitious idea about democracy and a detailed plan with strong community engagement scoop Scotland’s student awards. Paschalis Kyrtsopoulos, University of Strathclyde, and Naomi Rubbra, ESALA, are winners at annual A&DS and RIAS Scottish Student Awards for Architecture 2017.
IHBC makes history again: New joint conservation practice statement (IHBC 24/06/17)
The IHBC has launched our joint ‘Conservation Professional Practice Principles’ at the 2017 Day School and AGM in Manchester, which offers a new, accessible statement on practice principles for specialists working in built and historic environment conservation roles.
Edinburgh World Heritage to support restoration of historic Turkish cities near Syrian border (EWHT 20/06/17)
Edinburgh World Heritage announced today that it had been awarded funding by the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund, in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, to support the restoration of the historic cities of Mardin and Diyarbakir in a region of Turkey that has suffered as a result of the recent escalation of violence and political uncertainty.
2017 CSGN Forum Survey Results (CSGN 06/07/17)
The 2017 CSGN Forum drew inspiration from across the globe with leading experts from Italy, Belfast and Copenhagen underlining the need for greenspace, green infrastructure and active travel routes in cities and urban environments.
Introducing HLF’s Heritage Ambassadors (HLF 06/17)
HLF has recruited a group of 16-25 year old ‘ambassadors’ to help transform the way young people experience and interact with heritage. Drawn from across the UK, the 17 new Heritage Ambassadors will help decide how money is awarded through HLF’s new £10million Kick the Dust funding programme. They will also work with HLF to find ways of increasing the number of young people visiting and getting involved with heritage.
EVENTS
For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.
A walk in the footsteps of John Hope: Hidden Stories of The Meadows
When: 12 AUGUST 2 P.M. – 4 P.M
Where: Meet at the East end of The Meadows by the entrance to the East Meadows Play Park on Melville Drive EH9 9EX.
Once the site of the Borough Loch, the Borough Muir has witnessed important events in the history of Scotland. Guardian Historian Christopher Dingwall and Marilyn Brown, author of Scotland’s Lost Gardens, will lead a walk and describe the changes which have occurred in its layouts The Meadows over several hundred years. They will also explain its role in the social life of Edinburgh.
Tickets cost £5 and can be paid for either on line through BACS sort code 30-25-81, SGLH account 11313660, reference “Meadows”, or in cash on the day.
Falkland Craft Symposium
When: 18-20 August 2017.
Where: Falkland Centre for Stewardship, Falkland Estate.
Talks, Discussions, Workshops, Demonstrations, Networking and Site Tours. A celebration of craft skills inspired by the craft of the House of Falkland. Options to attend one, two or three days. Tickets cost from £20 per person and covers site tours, all talks, workshops and demonstrations, lunch, refreshments and even a ceilidh on Saturday night!
Contemporary Houses of Lower Deeside
When: Saturday 19th August, from 2PM – 4PM.
Where: Aberdeenshire.
Join us for a visit to cutting-edge contemporary houses in Lower Deeside, Aberdeenshire. Included will be 64 Kirk Brae, Cults, which is designed, owned and inhabited by AHSS North East’s treasurer, Mr Charles Smith. The £12 fee will include tea.
Sustainable Building 2017: creating homes and communities for the future
When: September 6th 2017
Where: Saracen House, Glasgow
This conference will not only consider the incorporation of sustainable principles within the process of new buildings and the retrofitting of existing stock, changes in public policy, the evolution and innovation of design, the development of new materials, the creation of jobs and apprenticeships within these new communities; it will also examine the progress made towards reaching Scotland’s ambitious housing targets.
Book Conservation Skills for Paper Conservators 2-Day Workshop
When: 14th – 15th November.
Where: National Library of Scotland, 159 Causewayside, Edinburgh.
A theory and practical workshop for 10 delegates run by Icon accredited book conservator Caroline Scharfenberg. This workshop addresses the need for paper conservators to have a basic knowledge about book structures and the typical damage found in book collections. These skills will enable paper conservators to stabilise book collections and to better assess damage and the required repair. It will also allow paper conservators to better identify damaged bound material, which will have to be addressed by a professional accredited book conservator.
Save the Date! Harold Plenderleith Memorial Lecture 2017
When: 30th November 2017
Where: Edinburgh, exact venue tbc.
Icon Scotland group is delighted to announce that this year’s lecturer will be Helen Shenton, Librarian and College Archivist of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. More details to follow.
TRAINING
Resourcing Scotland’s Heritage is delivering a series of training courses and events across Scotland.
Our training is best suited to registered charities and constituted community groups. Take a walk through our simple question and answer page to determine which course is right for you. We have two main training courses and a series of ‘In Focus’ events. If you are interested in any particular event or fundraising topic, please do get in touch – we may be able to bring an event to your area info@scotheritage.org.
Traditional Building Skills Training
Scottish Lime Centre Trust offer a wide range of vocational and professional courses combining theory and practical working sessions designed to ensure that there are courses to suit everyone.
VACANCIES
Scotland’s Garden and Landscape Heritage Contract
Scotland’s Garden and Landscape Heritage (SGLH) is seeking applications for a contract to initiate and manage an innovative and exciting, two phase project. The purpose of the project is to develop for publication a Conservation Strategy and Conservation Guidance Notes for Landowners. It will cover the CAVLP and Falkirk Council areas commencing October 2017. This project represents the second stage of a pilot project (‘Glorious Gardens’) launched by SGLH in 2014.
Closing date 11/8/17.
Chartered Institute for Archaeologists – Board of Directors lay director recruitment
Do you want to help the leading professional body representing archaeologists working in the UK and overseas? Do you have the governance skills required to help to direct a small but ambitious organisation? CIfA, the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists, is looking for two directors from outside the profession. If you are interested, or know someone who might be, please see the Information for candidates and Application form.
Deadline for applications: 28 August 2017. Interviews: 20 September 2017.
Information in the Bulletin is extracted from a number of websites including the Scottish Government (SG); the Scottish Parliament (SP); Architecture and Design Scotland(A+DS); Historic Environment Scotland (HES); Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH); Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO); English Heritage (EH); Design Council (DC); Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG); Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS); Department of Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA); National Assembly for Wales (NAW); Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS); Scottish Government Building Standards (SGBS); Europa Nostra (EN); Historic England (HE).
If you have any questions or comments on the above, or would like to submit information to be included, please get in touch with Saskia Smellie or tel: BEFS Office on 0131 220 6241.
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Kate Houghton, Planning Policy & Practice Officer RTPI Scotland, reflects on BEFS screening of Paul Sng’s documentary, Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle.
Paul Sng’s documentary, Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle, is profoundly affecting, and I recommend that anybody working in the ‘built environment’ finds a way to watch it. Every now and then it is important to be reminded what that ‘built environment’ moniker really means – places, for all of us to live in.
Dispossession briefly charts the history of social housing in the UK, from the response to slum overcrowding in the mid-20th century, to the Right to Buy and the more recent regeneration of social housing. For me though the linchpin on which this story turns is the accompanying rise and fall in the aspiration associated with council housing.
The rolling out of social housing across the UK in the mid-20th century was met by wide-spread aspiration to have the opportunity to live in not just a new, modern home, but an affordable one with security of tenure. Was the Right to Buy, which was introduced in the form we know it in 1979, just an extension and individualisation of this security of tenure? Whether or not we see it that way, the Right to Buy subsumed the earlier aspiration associated with a council house, and consolidated the now taken as given British aspiration to own your own home. But Sng’s film, more than just charting the decline in social housing as a consequence of changing times, gives a raw account of how people who live in social housing have been demonised by some. What used to be a mainstream housing tenure in a market where the average housing cost is not affordable on an average income, has in the popular imagination been transformed into the destination of last resort.
Dispossession gives a voice to the ‘ordinary’ people from many walks of life who live in what remains of the UK’s social housing stock, primarily in London, but also in Glasgow and Nottingham, and allows them to counter the cartoon negative and moralistic portrayal of social tenants that too often pervades in the media. Their stories are varied, but with a common thread – secure housing offered a place to raise a family, a place to build a settled life, or a place to be part of a warm and thriving community. In all cases, the way that housing has been managed, whether in terms of maintenance, redevelopment or even demolition, left its residents feeling disenfranchised and ignored.
The documentary provoked many questions from me. Stories from three very different cities are told without exploring the different underlying forces bringing about change in those places. There was also an absence of voices of those who might feel they are impacted positively by current decision-making, and therefore stories from which we could begin to see which direction we should be travelling in. Experience tells me that these stories are out there.
Nonetheless, I don’t think that mapping the complex solutions we need is the purpose of this film. Rather its value lies in its impossible to ignore documentation of the human cost of our societal failure to value decent housing for all. We won’t find a structural solution until we listen to, and understand, that human cost.
Planning and planners are increasingly aware that we must give higher priority to more meaningful community engagement, and with a wider spectrum of people. This film channels the voices of people affected by the kind of decisions planners make, and therefore inevitably makes for uncomfortable viewing for a planner at times. It is a timely reminder that sincere community engagement is tough. It means hearing things that we don’t always want to hear, and being prepared to really listen to different views and experiences. One contributor to Dispossession speaks of his warm affection for the Red Road Flats: It’s all too easy to dismiss this unconventional view. But, to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, we have to be willing to listen and see our preconceptions challenged.
Thanks to BEFS and the Tower Block project at University of Edinburgh for the opportunity to view Dispossession in Edinburgh before the film’s commercial screenings in the city and in Glasgow later in the year.
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BEFS Chair, Graeme Purves, tells us about the restoration of an overgrown renaissance garden in Granton as a catalyst for urban renewal.
A community-based group in North Edinburgh has begun the work of restoring an overgrown renaissance garden in Granton as a catalyst for urban renewal of the waterfront. The historic garden had previously been the subject of a planning application for housing development but these plans were subsequently withdrawn. In October 2016 the Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden submitted proposals to Edinburgh City Council’s development company, the EDI Group, to restore it as a working garden and green hub for community activity. Discussions over the winter led to the Friends signing a legal agreement with EDI and securing access to the garden in April.
Granton Castle Walled Garden is probably one of the oldest walled gardens in Scotland. The earliest reference to ‘Grantoun House’ is in 1479 and it is thought that the garden dates from that time. Granton Castle itself was abandoned as a residence in the 18th century, became a picturesque ruin during the 19th century and was finally demolished in the 1920s. However, the walled garden survived and continued in use as a market garden until relatively recent times.
The Friends see the restoration of the garden as offering a wide range of benefits in terms of health and well-being, social cohesion, cross-cultural integration, community education and local capacity-building. Key elements of their vision are that it should be:
- a garden for all to enjoy, with a range of learning, growing and arts activities and a diverse events programme;
- a restored market garden run by the local community, supplying organic produce directly to local people, businesses and schools.
- a living link to the past , serving as a heritage gateway to the waterfront and a green social hub for existing and future communities.
Specific features which have been proposed include a visitor centre and community café, a kitchen garden, a heritage orchard, a plant nursery, a workshop and demonstration area, a medicinal and pigment garden, a restored glasshouse and a polytunnel.
The restoration of Granton Castle Walled Garden as a community asset is supported by a wide range of local stakeholders and national organisations. The Friends are working closely with Scotland’s Urban Past on surveying and recording aspects of the garden’s heritage.
In this first season, volunteers have been busy removing the stumps of tree saplings which had started to colonise the garden and restoring one area to cultivation. The Friends are also working with EDI to make the garden safe and accessible to visitors and preparing a business plan for its long- term development. The garden is one of 28 sites across Scotland featured this summer in the Scottish Society of Antiquaries’ ‘Dig It!’ Hidden Gems competition. It will be open to the public as part of the Cockburn Association’s Doors Open Day programme on Saturday 23 September.
The charity Social Bite has submitted an application for planning permission to erect temporary houses for homeless people on land immediately to the west of the walled garden. If permission is granted, it is expected that the 11 ‘nesthouses’ will be built in the autumn. The Friends are looking forward to working closely with Social Bite and the residents on gardening projects once the development is completed.
