Across Scotland, churches and places of worship are for sale at a speed and scale that has not been seen before. There can be many reasons for a place of worship to require new stewardship, from diminishing congregations and changing demographics to a decline in the condition of the building itself. These are places which may have special status or designation, hold a significant and sensitive place in the lives of communities of place, practice and of interest, as well as being a major part of the town/city/village-scape in which they are found.

The Places of Worship Forum (POWF), for which BEFS provides secretariat, works to create a combined and strengthened voice for a sustainable future for places of worship in transition across Scotland – both in, and beyond, worship. To do this, there must be a baseline understanding of the issue amongst owners, communities, funders, local authorities and national government.

Why is it a crucial time for places of worship? 

The current and very real impacts of faith owners divesting of significant portions of their estate has cross-cutting impacts – and implications – for Scotland’s people and places; for the economy, net zero and climate targets, and wellbeing; these sites are too important to our communities, and our places, to not deserve strategic thought to ensure sustainable futures.

From streetscape to vital local service, this issue is a national civic concern rather than solely a religious or denominational matter. Communities, as well as congregations, all over the country are faced with deciding how to respond. It is about all our places, and their people, regardless of faith or inclination.

These spaces also support cultural activity, as local venues, meeting places and hubs for events. They give a home to important services such as foodbanks and community meals. We stand to lose not only the buildings themselves, but also the important roles that they currently fulfil within society.

As the number of communities across Scotland buying their local church or place of worship grows, the issue becomes systemic, and the challenges experienced by communities and their places of worship are not one-off examples:

• How to address the potential loss of the amenities that these community buildings provide?
• How to manage situations where multiple places of worship are sold/bought but there is no capacity to run them?
• How can communities find out about and leverage funding?
• Should a community be unable to reach a consensus as to how to proceed, what can be done, and to whom do they turn for advice?

Seeking solutions: Supporting Net Zero, Economic Recovery and a Just Transition 

These places of worship are a key part of our existing built and historic environment. We know that our existing built environment can support economic recovery, community wealth building, and a just green transition if championed and understood. It is:

• central to a potentially expanding skilled workforce, maintaining and appropriately adapting our environment, harnessing long term economic and environmental benefits
• contributing to a growing employment market – where repairing, reusing and adapting our built environment is a vital aspect of economic recovery and towards delivering Net Zero
• as a key resource, essential to Scotland’s tourism offer
• as a focal point of regenerative strategies (particularly in relation to High Street decline, and Town Centre Regeneration) enabling a sense of place and belonging
• providing skilled employment, as places designed to promote wellbeing, and adaptive buildings suited to new futures.

A joined-up approach – across the policy landscape 

If considered as part of holistic placemaking – for example as a consideration in Local Development Planning and regional spatial strategies – the impact could be significant.

The recent announcement of a new Planning Hub, sitting with the Improvement Service, could reflect and address the issue as a national priority. Positive outcomes for these places will be (like all planning decisions) both specific to each case, towards the best individual decisions for these buildings, places, congregations, and communities. Some will make incredible homes; some will provide community spaces, and some will remain in worshipful use for many years to come.

BEFS has previously lobbied for coordinated action and knowledge; co-ordination of the data on assets – cultural or otherwise – can enable a joined-up approach to decision making, informing action when considering the potential for assets to be transferred into community hands. Towards good places, the ‘right asset in the right place’, to know what might be coming on to the market and when, thus enabling a proactive rather than a reactive approach.

A previous lack of political appetite to engage may well be changing, given the scale of the buildings now at risk, and as MSPs are approached by their constituents. The message that reaches them must be clear, coordinated and unified in its approach; inaction will not ensure positive outcomes for people and place. Investment and support, multi-partner initiatives and solutions across sectors, directorates and portfolios will – working towards achieving Net Zero as part of strategic planning and placemaking decisions.

Places of Worship Forum (POWF) | Seeking strategic solutions for places of worship in transition

The Places of Worship Forum member organisations are committed to supporting places of worship across Scotland and aim to create a combined and strengthened voice for the sustainable future for places of worship – both in, and beyond, worship. POWF members engage with communities, assist in the transition process, and provide valuable resources.

To find out more about POWF please visit the website or contact hjohnson@befs.org.uk. 

USEFUL LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• Your Church Your Community 

This guidance has been developed by the Community Ownership Support Service, Heritage Trust Network and Historic Churches Scotland to meet a growing need from communities for specific guidance around churches and accompanying land. Taking over a building of any type is a big step for a community and brings with it substantial responsibility. It can appear a daunting prospect, but this document has been designed to guide you through the process.

• “Outreach to Ownership: Bridging the Gap” report

This report describes the outcomes of ‘Bridging the Gap’, which was a pilot research project conducted by The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT), Historic Churches Scotland (HCS), Heritage Trust Network and Churches Trust for Cumbria (CTfC). From January to August 2022 the partners worked with community groups in rural areas in southern Scotland and northern England, to explore the barriers surrounding sustainable community ownership of church buildings.

• Recording Scotland’s Churches Project

Scotland’s Churches Trust created an online form, to collate images and recording data in a single location. That can easily be replicated by small local groups, who have identified and sought permission to record their local closing churches, and we have developed a recorders’ handbook with advice and tips to assist with the recording and uploading of each church record to the HES Archives.

• The Sustainable Investment Tool

The Sustainable Investment Tool – or SIT – was developed to help visualise the different positive aspects associated with existing buildings and their related projects. The SIT can help us plan a sustainable future, have greater understanding of our places, and increase their potential and resilience. Exploring the different values of a place can help identify new ways of thinking, promote greater advocacy for projects, and perhaps enhance new funding and investment opportunities. Using the SIT can help start conversations around the wider benefits and potential that our existing buildings and places can deliver – highlighting the positive outcomes for Wellbeing, Climate, Culture, and Economy.

• How to take a Kirk into Community Ownership

Historic Environment Scotland blog – Kilmaronock Old Kirk Trust give their top tips for community groups thinking of taking on the running of a historic place of worship.

Image taken at the Building Sustainable Futures for Scottish Churches event in Paisley, at the start of November. Photo, BEFS.

The Scottish Government published its draft Budget 2024-2025 on 19^th December 2023 with details across all portfolios, including that of Historic Environment Scotland within Constitution, External Affairs and Culture.

Last year it was noted by the Scottish Government that we were living in, what were referred to by the Deputy First Minister as, “the most turbulent economic and financial context most people can remember”. The mood music has not changed tempo in the intervening year, and it is of note that SPICe’s initial overview is titled, In the bleak midwinter. Challenging times and difficult decisions (for Cabinet Secretaries and others) remain.

This overview highlights a few headline figures which may be of interest across the breadth of the existing built environment but we suggest that all those with a detailed interest explore the document in full before drawing any more definitive conclusions. Please also note that this is explicitly a one year budget – perhaps understandable in challenging times, but fails to support the many sectors suffering due to repeated one-year budgets.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES): the budget fails to draw any clear link between Net Zero and sector (present in the previous two iterations) which is surprising given the rest of the budget’s emphasis in this area.  An extract from the overview reads as follows:

“Our continued and increased investment in Scotland’s culture and heritage will improve the resilience and sustainability of our culture sector and, in tandem with our crossGovernment public service reform activity, will support our publicly funded culture bodies to deliver high-quality services, sustainably and equitably, that are fit for the future. We will continue to support the culture sector to deliver highly skilled jobs, successful businesses, and thriving communities. We will work with delivery partners to promote equity of access to our world-class collections and heritage assets and opportunities for cultural and creative participation.” (p.98)

The total operational cost forecast for HES in 2024-25 is £129.7 million, an increase of just over 13% on the previous year’s budget. The budget as stated, suggests an income generation of £63.5M. Based on the evidence below, and with continued uncertainty around cost-of-living impacts on visitor numbers, and rising costs – this may seem a touch optimistic.

The most recent HES Annual reports covering times impacted by covid are as follows: the Annual Report for 2021-2022 income is listed as £22.3M (almost £20M short of the expectations set within the Scottish Budget in 2022-23, as can be seen above), and still 67% down on 2019-2020. Published the same day as the 2024-2025 budget we have the Annual Report for 2022-2023 where commercial income is listed as £49.7M – almost matching the forecast above. We can only hope that the modelling for 2024-2025 proves as accurate.

Over previous years there was a significant increase in Government funding to HES (in 2022-2023 around 25% on 2021-2022 – from £55.9M to £70.1M), last year the increase was a more modest 3.8% overall, and this year sees a 2% increase. Positive in these difficult times, but significantly below inflation.

Level 4 data spreadsheets details HES Capital in the same way as previously (with an 11%  reduction from the prior year), “Investment towards restoring, enhancing and conserving our HES Properties in Care and associated visitor facing facilities across Scotland. Capital funding for corporate infrastructure.” With the uplift specifically to “support an increase in essential maintenance.”

The description of running costs is detailed as follows, “Staff and operating costs including conservation of estate to protect and promote Scotland’s historic environment. HES is the largest operator of paid visitor attractions in Scotland as well as the lead body for enabling and delivering Scotland’s Historic Environment Strategy, Our Place in Time and providing advice on the management of Scotland’s wider historic environment. Building, Archaeology and Voluntary Sector grants to third parties plus goods and services not included in administration and operating costs. ”

Ignoring the now erroneous reference to OPiT, this is a welcome direct reference to the grants provided to the sector via HES. The importance of these grants across the sector cannot be emphasised enough; with HES one of the few funders able to fund both organisations as well as building fabric. Sector stability, and the community impact of organisations and projects working with Scottish Government funding, through HES’ dispersal of these grants.

After last year’s cuts and the changes to Creative Scotland’s budget over the course of the year, it is positive to see that the Culture Budget is receiving a modest uplift overall.

The Planning Budget’s increase seems exceptionally positive in the face of the continued and sustained activity in this area. However with Planning reforms and new consultation suggested in early 2024, it remains to be seen if this budget fits the ever increasing pressures put on the profession. More about current resourcing can be read in RTPI Scotland’s research briefing, Resourcing the Planning Service Key trends and findings 2023 (released December 2023).

The significant decrease in Cities & Investment Strategy is not good news for place. Stasis is also seen in the budget for City Region and Growth Deals in Local Authority budgets. The Regeneration Budget also reduces slightly.

An area only recently examined within BEFS brief budget analysis statements has been the position of the Scottish Funding Council and the Skills & Training budgets. Both budget lines don’t necessarily paint a positive picture. Scottish Funding Council receives a 5.3% decrease with Skills Development Scotland facing a 2% cut. At a time of skills emergency across the sector, and with ever stretched collages and courses – as well as significant need to meet future net zero demands, this seems short-sighted at best.

Within the Local Government Funding outwith Core Settlement (p52) we can see that the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland (HEEPS) remained static as does the Vacant & Derelict Land programme. When considering net-zero specifically, the Climate Action & Just Transition funding sees a significant decrease almost halving since last year.

Significant news within the built environment has been the slashing of the More Homes budget by 33% – initial thinking could see this as of note to our existing built environment, but as the stasis to other areas is seen above (and below); and with councils declaring housing emergencies this reduction in funding for homes may just put pressure on all aspects of our housing system.

A small chink of light within a budget devoid of much good news is the increase to Building Standards (95% increase) which will fund: “a programme of research and professional advice to ensure the Building Standards system in Scotland delivers its regulatory requirements and supports the creation and renewal of safe and sustainable buildings that stand the test of time.”

That is what so many across the sector work for, “the creation and renewal of safe and sustainable buildings that stand the test of time”. I feel perhaps, that one small budget line is not enough to achieve that necessary aim.

Please note that due to budgetary changes throughout the previous years, and changes in naming of funds and portfolios (all issues which fail to give clarity, and highlighted by SPICe) it may not be of greatest benefit to read each year-to-year budget as an accurate reflection of what occurred during the year.

Last week BEFS team (or at least some of us) were lucky enough to visit The Ridge in Dunbar. Here, I’m going to give a personal reflection on this long-planned trip.

BEFS have worked with The Ridge Foundations CIC since they became Members in 2020 (you can see our intro to them, here). A lot of our work together has, understandably, been around skills: skills shortages, skills training, and skills policy. Within a policy world many things we deal with can seem quite theoretical. What makes the work meaningful is knowing it has real-world applications (and implications). Visiting The Ridge is seeing so much of what the sector now champions made manifest.

As you wander round – and the word ‘wander’ belies the immense skill at being taken through the journey of an organisation – seeing repurposed commercial premises with temporary uses to support those more vulnerable in the community; gardens (both commercial flowers and quiet reflection); a SPAB award winning completed project; and areas in many and various stages of exciting development, “the windows arrive today!”.  Along this wander you’re bombarded by the layers of place, and materials, and the stories of the people; from tales of past residents sitting by their stove – to beams, reused from boats scuttled in the harbour, to seeing a first apprentice now training a team of his own.

What is done here, is to fulfil a need. People who might not have thrived in traditional educational settings, or had other challenges thrown their way,  need training, support and entry level roles. So that’s what the Ridge Foundations has developed and supports, enabling those local people to work towards increasingly skilled roles on properties within the Conservation Area. It happens that the surrounding heritage sites are ripe to be made purposeful again, to provide the rooted sense of place for the whole community – but the people are the fulcrum. Training and developing traditional skills, to fix traditional places – where people learn, and grow, and gain qualifications seems symbiotic. That apparent symbiosis comes from years of balancing hard won funding, and demonstrating continued project successes.

The connection between the skills, and the place, and the people is tangible at The Ridge, it’s a hub of activity (of all sorts). And, at every stage, it seems every completed project is to be learnt from; training frameworks are made more meaningful for those progressing through them because there’s an understanding that, “it’s not that satisfying to make something useless then take it apart just to demonstrate a skill”.  The pride that comes in making also means that ‘commercial’ is not a dirty word – locals (and those further afield) need their homes fixed, income streams need to be diversified  and generated. Sustainable is not just about re-use – it’s about ensuring a future for The Ridge, ensuring it can continue to meet the needs of those it inspires, as well as enabling further projects to provide space within the community to meet their needs, both social and economic. This sustainability is also what BEFS advocate for across the built environment policy spectrum. When it comes to the existing built environment a fabric-first approach (ensuring a building is wind/water tight and in a good state of repair) should be the first step of all retro-fitting, regardless of what appropriate interventions/technologies are then used to reduce energy consumption and move to zero emissions.

The Ridge sits in Dunbar an area now well connected to Edinburgh by train but a long bus journey from many training centres. Regional delivery for traditional skills is a topic much discussed at policy level, and The Ridge is showing what can be done in practise.

There was a time, not so very long ago, when heritage was spoken of in a silo – with the buildings the pinnacle of what mattered.  The Ridge demonstrates why community matters to heritage and vice versa; why skills and people, and how we learn to care for these places again, is integral to the future. And not because they want to tick boxes, but to meet local need, and deliver meaningful place-based change. Their strap line is, “inspiring transformational change” – I was only there for a few hours, but I’ve no doubt they chose the right words.

BEFS Team thanks all those at the The Ridge for all their work, and for letting us be inspired.  Particular thanks to Kevin McClure, who took the time to tell us so much about the place, the people, and all their skills.