Get The Latest Built Environment News, Policy Developments, Publications, Consultations And More.
BEFS News
Following the successful completion of the COVID Historic Environment Resilience Forum workshop series and overwhelmingly positive feedback, BEFS is now looking to organise a series of informal events to explore ideas on what ‘building back better’ could look like for the sector. Within this context, we are looking for your ideas and blue sky thinking on structural / strategic solutions that could fundamentally change the heritage landscape for the better. The deadline for submissions is Monday, 21st September. We already have a number of ideas submitted and whilst we welcome submissions from everyone, if you are not a man we would love to hear from you. More information here.
Protecting Scotland, Renewing Scotland: The Government’s Programme for Scotland 2020-2021 was published on Tuesday. BEFS Director Euan Leitch reflects on the areas that are of interest to the historic built environment and heritage sector.
The Scottish Government has announced that the culture and heritage sectors are to benefit from a £59 million funding package to protect jobs and help the industry weather the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The funding includes £21.3 million for Historic Environment Scotland (HES) to protect jobs and support the reopening of properties in their care. An additional £5.9 million will be made available to support heritage organisations through committed grants. HES welcomes the additional funding to support the historic environment.
This morning the Scottish Parliament’s Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee heard evidence from the National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, National Lottery Heritage Fund in Scotland and Abbotsford Trust on the impact of COVID-19 on Scotland’s heritage sector. The papers for the session highlight the challenge heritage is facing. The meeting can be watched here.
Remember to share your organisation’s experiences in Historic Environment Scotland’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) survey, which closes tomorrow.
Housing Minister Kevin Stewart is calling for the UK Government to reduce VAT charged on construction works to existing buildings to 5% to support the sector’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak, Mr Stewart highlights that is it no longer just about it being iniquitous but about adapting to working from home and meeting the climate crisis challenge.
The Scottish Government has announced that, subject to the agreement of Parliament, Part 1 of both Coronavirus Acts should be extended to 31 March 2021. This means that the provisions which extend the duration of Planning Permission, Listed Building Consent and Conservation Area Consent are to be extended beyond the current expiry dates. The regulations amend the expiry of the “emergency period” from 6 October 2020 to 31 March 2021 and the “extended period” from 6 April 2021 to 30 September 2021.
BEFS responded to the Town Centre Action Plan review group’s call for evidence, highlighting that addressing circular economy issues, contributing to the localism agenda, introducing policy incentives for reuse/repurposing, and prioritising maintenance of our existing buildings, could provide the benefits for towns, and their people, that the group are hoping to achieve. Read the full submission on BEFS consultations page.
Interested in taking part in our Business Support Programme that will support heritage organisations in Scotland to develop sustainable business models? To express interest fill out this form.
Doors Open Days, Scotland’s biggest free festival of architecture, is presenting its largest ever digital offering this September, celebrating Scotland’s buildings and stories online, through tours, lectures, DIY learning events and more.
Also running in September as part of European Heritage Days is ‘Scottish Archaeology Month’. Scottish Archaeology Month is coordinated by Archaeology Scotland and celebrates Scotland’s rich archaeological heritage through a diverse programme of free events held all over the country.
Remember to register for the RIAS convention ‘WITH THE GRAIN’ at the end of the month. This event will bring architects, built environment professionals and the wider public together online for discussion around how we can work with nature, natural materials and our climate to build resilient communities – reshaping spaces, repurposing the buildings we live and work in and exploring innovative solutions from architects.
Last but by no mean least, our blog this week celebrates the success of the Edinburgh Traditional Building Festival last week, that despite the challenges of coronavirus, attracted over 2000 participants from Scotland and beyond.
Consultations
Who get’s to speak in Scottish heritage? Can you help us improve the heritage data gap?
Community Council experience of the planning system during Covid-19L: Community Council Survey
External wall systems – advice note: background, consultation questions and response form
HES Coronavirus (COVID-19) Survey Follow Up
Opened 13 Aug 2020 and closes 4 Sept 2020.
Town Centre Action Plan Expert Review Group – Online Survey
The survey will run until Wednesday 30th September 2020 at 17:00.
Scottish Planning Policy and Housing: Technical Consultation on Proposed Policy Amendments
Closes 9 Oct 2020.
A consultation on the future of the Land Court and the Lands Tribunal
Closes 19 Oct 2020.
Proposed Changes to Pre-Application Consultation Requirements in Planning
Closes 6 Nov 2020.
Call for Evidence on impact of COVID-19 on the rural economy and connectivity in Scotland
There is currently no deadline for responding.
The Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee has launched a call for views on the impact of COVID-19 on Scotland’s culture and tourism sectors.
There is currently no deadline for responding.
Consultation Responses
Call for evidence on the Shortage Occupation List: our response (SG 31/08/20)
Publications
Affordable Housing Supply Programme: Process and procedures MHDGN 2020/02 (SG 02/09/20)
Key Agencies Planning Group: supporting a green recovery offer August 2020 (SG 01/09/20)
Right to buy: application for consent guidance (SG 31/08/20)
Affordable Housing Supply Programme: Process and procedures MHDGN 2020/02 (SG 27/08/20)
Battery storage consents: Chief Planner letter August 2020 (SG 27/08/20)
Good Stewardship of Land (SLC 26/08/20)
Just Transitions: a comparative perspective (SG 25/08/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for the performing arts and venues sector (SG 21/08/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): tourism and hospitality sector guidance (SG 21/08/20)
Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund: overview (SG 21/08/20)
A guide to growing and engaging audiences online (HD 12/08/20)
Heritage for inclusive growth (RSA 07/08/20)
Design in innovation strategy 2020-2024 (Innovate UK 08/20)
Scottish Government News Releases
Protecting Scotland, Renewing Scotland (SG 01/09/20)
Ensuring Scotland’s economic, health, and social recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is the focus of this year’s Programme for Government, published today.
Supporting tenants (SG 01/09/20)
A new £10 million fund will be part of a package to support people struggling to pay their rent due to financial difficulty associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Supporting Scottish culture and heritage (SG 28/08/20)
Culture and heritage sectors are to benefit from a £59 million funding package to protect jobs and help the industry weather the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Driving Scotland’s green recovery (SG 21/08/20)
Funding to deploy low carbon heat in existing social housing has been fast-tracked to support Scotland’s economic recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
News Releases
HES welcomes additional funding to support the historic environment (HES 03/09/20)
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has welcomed confirmation of additional funding from the Scottish Government (SG) to help manage the impacts of COVID-19.
Doctoral Internship & Artist Residencies – Call for Proposals from Host Organisations (SGSAH 02/09/20)
The SGSAH Doctoral Internship and Artist in Residence Programme aims to connect the research skills and creative practice of PhD students with organisations from all sectors to develop impact and make a difference.
Youth unemployment could reach over 100,000 in Scotland this year (IPPR 27/08/20)
IPPR Scotland has published new research which shows the scale of the youth unemployment challenge Scotland could face later this year.
New Protocol on Good Stewardship of Land is published (SLC 26/08/20)
Decisions made about land that take the long view, considering the impact on people’s lives, the environment and local community, will result in greater public benefit.
Reopening dates announced for iconic historic sites across the country (HES 24/08/20)
We have announced reopening dates for a further 10 ticketed iconic sites throughout Scotland after the sites closed their doors in March due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Cash strapped historic churches helped by the National Churches Trust (NCT 24/08/20)
The National Churches Trust is supporting 45 of the UK’s historic churches and chapels with a grant payout of over £500,000, money which will help fund repairs, maintenance and the installation of community facilities.
High Street Heroes Awards Announced (LL 24/08/20)
Special awards will be presented to honour the heroes of Scotland’s high streets to reward their dedication and determination to help those around them during the coronavirus crisis and to allow high streets re-open safely when lockdown restrictions have been eased.
Government calls to get people back to the office is falling on deaf ears (CentreforCities 21/08/20)
New data shows that Eat Out To Help Out is helping the high street, but workers are resisting the Government’s calls to get back to the office – with average weekday city centre footfall showing no change at all since early July.
RICS unveils Richard Burnett as new Scottish chair (RICS 21/08/20)
RICS has announced Richard Burnett FRICS, director at Montana Management, as the new chair of the RICS Scotland board.
Young people shun future visits to heritage attractions over coronavirus fears (Ecclesiastical 10/08/20)
Research has revealed young people are less likely to visit heritage attractions in person once the lockdown lifts due to coronavirus fears. However, digital is a revenue opportunity for heritage attractions as two fifths (44%) of young adults who visited a heritage attraction online during lockdown said they would be willing to pay to access these if they were no longer free.
The built environment innovation masters fund (CSIC 08/20)
Do you have a passion for innovation and want to make a difference? Tomorrow’s built environment is one of the most exciting places to consider a career in. It touches on all areas of our lives. And it is going through major change. This is an opportunity to take control of your future and shape our world.
Opinion & Comment
Human Rights and Land Reform: A springboard for future resilience (SLC 31/08/20)
Building Social Value in Construction (BEN 31/08/20)
Round table discussion: Covid, Community Engagement and the Planning System (PAS 28/08/20)
Have we gone too far? (Worldlandscapearchitect 24/08/20)
Black and brown faces in green spaces (NLHF 19/08/20)
Throwing new light on difficult histories (National Trust Scotland 18/08/20)
Parliamentary Questions
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Scottish Government in order to facilitate the provision of information to the Parliament.Questions in which a member has indicated a declarable interest are marked with an “R”.
Question S5W-31401: Neil Findlay, Lothian, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 24/08/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what immediate steps it will take to ensure an energy efficient and climate driven economic recovery post COVID-19.
Question S5W-31402: Neil Findlay, Lothian, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 24/08/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on what urban and community regeneration projects are currently underway across Scotland.
Question S5W-31404: Neil Findlay, Lothian, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 24/08/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what long-term funding and support is in place for charities post COVID-19 to ensure that they can continue providing support at a (a) local and (b) national level.
Question S5W-31438: Maurice Golden, West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 26/08/2020
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how the £97 million of consequentials from the UK Government’s culture and heritage support package has been spent in Scotland.
Parliamentary Questions & Answers
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Government in order to facilitate the provision of information to the Parliament.
Question S5W-31292: Liam McArthur, Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 19/08/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding the vandalism of war memorials, and whether it is considering introducing a statutory aggravation.
Answered by Ash Denham (26/08/2020)
Motions
Motion S5M-22588: Gordon Lindhurst, Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 01/09/2020
Edinburgh Traditional Building Forum Delivers Eighth Festival
That the Parliament congratulates the Edinburgh Traditional Building Forum on delivering the eighth Edinburgh Traditional Building Festival in August 2020; recognises the efforts of the forum in celebrating Edinburgh’s traditional buildings during COVID-19 restrictions, bringing together experts with the wider public online in order to demonstrate knowledge and skills across a whole spectrum of traditional construction skills; recognises that the festival was a collaboration between the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, Architecture and Design Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, SPAB, the Built Environment Forum Scotland, the Stone Federation Great Britain, the British Geological Survey, LDN Architects, the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust and City of Edinburgh Council Shared Repairs Service; believes that this collaborative approach plays a vital role in widening the public’s understanding of the importance of maintaining Scotland’s traditional buildings with the right knowledge and skills, and thanks each of the organisations for their ongoing efforts to protect and maintain Scotland’s historic built environment.
Supported by: Brian Whittle, Miles Briggs, Andy Wightman, Kenneth Gibson, Bill Kidd, Elaine Smith, Murdo Fraser, Jeremy Balfour, Richard Lyle
Events
For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.
Edinburgh’s Climate Emergency: can heritage be part of the solution?
Date & time: Wed, 16 September 2020; 18:00 – 19:00.
Online event.
In May 2019, the City of Edinburgh Council formally declared a climate emergency and committed the city to becoming?a carbon-neutral city by 2030. In the final conversation of our summer lockdown series we will attempt to understand the likely impact of climate change on the Old & New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site, as well as explore what we can do to help the city meets its goal ambitious goal.
Andy MacMillan Memorial Lecture 2020 – Jude Barber, Collective Architecture
Date & time: 24th September, 18:00 – 19:00.
Online platform: Online Event.
Join us for the annual Andy MacMillan Memorial Lecture 2020 and to announce the A&DS and RIAS Scottish Student Awards shortlist. Now in its 19th year, the awards show the five schools of architecture and recognise theirs and their students outstanding achievements. As ever, the awards mark the quality of Scottish architectural education.
Fabric First: A Green Recovery
Date & time: Wed, 30 September 2020; 18:00 – 19:00.
Online platform: The Meeting will take place using an online webinar platform.
Linda Fabiani MSP, invites you to attend the Cross Party Group on Architecture and the Built Environment debate and discussion. Speakers include:
• Chris Morgan – Director John Gilbert Architects
• Duncan Smith – Housing Asset & Energy Strategy Manager at Renfrewshire Council
• David Pierpoint – CEO The Retrofit Academy Community Interest Company
• Prof. Sandy Halliday Hon FRIAS – Principal at Gaia Research (Recent winner in the Top 50 women in Engineering)
Centre for Environment, Heritage and Policy, University of Stirling – Seminar Series
The Centre has a regular Tuesday seminar series, as well as hosting one-off events through the year. Tuesday lunchtime seminars offer a regular point of contact between staff and students with an interest in Environment, Heritage and Policy from across the University, and a warm welcome is also extended to anyone with an interest beyond the University. The aims are to share and ‘test out’ new ideas, seek wider collaboration, disseminate research, strengthen and expand upon the established links between the Divisions, and — most importantly — reinforce a strong and vibrant research culture. We also welcome external speakers. The seminars are very informal and have no single format.
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Tyler C. Lott, of the SPAB, and John McKinney, of the Scottish Traditional Building Forum, Reflect on the 2020 Edinburgh Traditional Building Festival.
© Scottish Traditional Building Forum
Sometimes great ideas come from unexpected places. While it might be somewhat of a household name by now, The Edinburgh Traditional Building Festival comes from humble beginnings sparked by a chance meeting of ideas from one of our Edinburgh Traditional Building Forum members. Nine years ago, while attending the Festival of Politics, a member found himself observing swaths of tourists marveling crane-necked at the glory of Edinburgh’s built heritage. As his attention was drawn back to this celebration of politics, something clicked and he declared, “if they can do a festival of politics, then we can do a festival of traditional buildings”.
The following year, the Edinburgh Traditional Building Festival was born as part of the Festival Fringe and aimed to deliver a number of demonstrations and educational events in order to Celebrate Edinburgh’s Traditional Buildings. With practical demonstrations such as stonemasonry, roof slating and tiling, leadwork, lime, painting and decorating, and other traditional skills on display, the principle of the Festival was to connect traditional building owners, caretakers, and enthusiasts to the expertise and skills needed to help them understand and maintain these magnificent structures. We knew that understanding the way traditional buildings were constructed and functioned was the key to ensuring they remained well-maintained and well-loved for future generations. As the years went on, the Festival continued to grow in popularity with the last few years being delivered to completely sold out crowds and the Forum expected 2020 to be no different. Unfortunately, like the rest of the world, we had not foreseen the global pandemic that would disrupt everything and challenge how we would adapt to deliver the Festival, if we would be able to at all.
It was clear in our discussions within the Forum that failing to host the Festival was not going to be an option, no matter the obstacles. Our members were certain that what this free event offered our public was too important to let our physical distancing get in the way. We knew that bringing a week-long, ten-show event online would be challenging at this time, but we were determined to make it work. Our presenters were confident that through the use of technology, we could deliver just as beneficial of an experience and we were impressed with how well and how quickly they adapted to do so with the guidance, support, and encouragement of our festival organisers.
As with any new event, you prepare yourself for a target, usually a respectable, if restrained one and we were no different. As it was the first year we were offering it online, we set what we thought to be a lofty goal of delivering the Festival to our usual size audience of 400 over the course of the week. However, it became evident shortly after tickets were available that it was going to be a record-breaking year. As the ticket bookings continued to go up, we became astonished to see how wide of an audience this event appealed to, and the numbers just kept going up. In our physical locations in past years, we’ve been restricted to near on 40 attendees per event, yet, without our physical barriers, we quickly surpassed 1,000 tickets… then 1,200… then 1,500… then 2,000. By the end of the festival a total of 2,126 tickets were totalled and audiences tuned in from across Europe, Asia, and North America with engaging questions being asked and informative advice being now made globally.
It is no secret that we believe our built heritage is second-to-none, but this year’s online Festival showed us that traditional building owners, caretakers, and enthusiasts across the globe are turning to the buildings and craftspeople of Edinburgh to help protect their own traditional buildings in their respective countries. While each session was scheduled to last for an hour, our presenters regularly and graciously stayed online longer to continue to address the incoming streams of questions and calls for advice. As we continue to receive positive feedback from audience members alike, we’re astonished by the impact that our craftspeople are having on traditional buildings across the globe in unexpected ways. Dervish David Mitrovica, tuning in from Toronto Canada commented, “I’d like to thank you for organising this conference. I’m extraordinarily impressed. I’m a homeowner in Toronto, Canada and I’m learning what to do to repair and conserve my late mother’s century old home… It’s not old by UK standards but, nonetheless, the house was built using traditional techniques. I won’t pursue other changes until I’m better informed and your webinar was extremely helpful.”
It became quickly clear to us that while we know that hands-on demonstrations are an irreplaceable experience that offer unique knowledge, a coinciding digital presence is not only available, but in demand. While we aim to return to our live skills demonstrations of roof slating, roof leadwork, stonemasonry, painting and decorating, sash & case window and others in the coming year, we have learned that the world wants to tune in to what is going on in the world of traditional building in Edinburgh and we are keen on examining the feasibility of a hybrid delivery model moving forward. Of course, as the forum is volunteer driven, a hybrid model will likely present additional challenges and costs, but with the breadth of skills and knowledge within the forum, we are sure we can come up with something even bigger and better post pandemic and we hope to see you all there.
Gordon Lindhurst MSP kindly submitted a parliamentary motion in the Scottish Parliament to recognise all the presenters at this year’s Edinburgh Traditional Building Festival.
The Edinburgh Traditional Building Forum would like to extend our gratitude to all of our presenters and members who have helped make this event possible. Special thanks go to Tyler C. Lott of the SPAB for leading on the project and hosing, Ali Davey of HES and Euan Leitch of BEFS for their assistance in hosting, Gillian Murray of AECOM her assistance in organising the event, and John McKinney of the Scottish Traditional Building Forum for his continued support and assistance in making the Edinburgh Traditional Building Festival a reality.
This event would not have been made possible without the specialists and craftspeople who have dedicated their time and expertise to the Festival. This year’s presenters included Kevin Stewart, MSP (Minister for Local Government and Planning), Una Richard (Scottish Historic Building Trust), Jessica Hunnisett (HES and SPAB Scholar and Fellow), Dr. Martin Gillespie (British Geological Survey), Rosamund Artiz (Scottish Lime Centre Trust), Andy Bradley (Andrew Bradley Stonemasonry and SPAB Fellow), Emma Rose Berry (LDN Architects), Steve McLennan (NFRC), Graeme Millar (NFRC), Oliver Beatson (HES and SPAB Fellow), James Innerdale (Conservation Architect, Historic Building Consultant, and SPAB Scholar), Craig Mattocks (Cademuir Building Consultants LTD ) and Jackie Timmons (Edinburgh City Council Shared Repairs Scheme).
For more information on the Edinburgh Traditional Building Forum, our events, and how you can get involved, please visit our website or connect with us on social media @ScotTradBuild on Twitter.
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BEFS Director reflects on the Government’s Programme for Scotland, highlighting areas of interest for the heritage sector.
Protecting Scotland, Renewing Scotland: The Government’s Programme for Scotland 2020-2021 was published on Tuesday. It covers the next seven months to March 2021. Neither heritage nor the historic environment are referred to directly within the programme but there are areas of direct and indirect interest.
Large sums of money are associated with low carbon recovery and active travel but these were already set out in the 20-21 Budget. Much focus remains on fuel poverty and retrofit, with one mention of repair and maintenance in relation to town centres. The low carbon economy does provide leverage for greater investment in the historic built environment and will hopefully be more fully addressed in the imminent Infrastructure Investment Plan, Review of the Town Centre Action Plan, and the update of the Climate Change Plan.
While it may be disappointing not to see the historic environment specifically referenced it is noteworthy that the overriding themes of inclusion, low carbon and localism are consistent with the findings of the recent meetings of the COVID Historic Environment Resilience Forum. The Scottish Government is further looking at the importance of regional networks, which also chimes with our ‘call for ideas’.
The following items are of direct interest:
- Addressing Scotland’s colonial and slavery history
Partnering with Museums Galleries Scotland, in collaboration with race equality and museums sector stakeholders, we will sponsor an independent expert group to make recommendations on how Scotland’s existing and future museum collections we can better recognise and represent a more accurate portrayal of Scotland’s colonial and slavery history and what further steps should be taken to ensure people in Scotland are aware of the role Scotland played and how that manifests itself in our society today. This will include how to reflect, interpret and celebrate the wide?ranging and positive contributions that ethnic minority communities have made and continue to make to Scotland. - The 20 minute neighbourhood
We will also establish a Place Based Investment Programme, linking and aligning all place?based funding initiatives to ensure we have a coherent approach to effectively progress our 20 minute neighbourhood ambitions. As part of this Programme, we will invest £275 million to support community?led regeneration and town?centre revitalisation, including the repurposing of buildings, maintenance and repairs, reallocating external space and community?led land acquisition. This will also support the ongoing work on Clyde Gateway. - Community Development Trusts
As recommended by the Social Renewal Advisory Board, we will also look to strengthen our support for community anchor organisations – like housing associations and community development trusts – that provide essential services with communities. We will use our Empowering Communities Programme to build on the learning from the COVID?19 response, strengthen the community anchor model and support its wider take up
The following also have implications for investment in, skills for, and management of the historic built environment:
- Take forward our ambitions for 20 minute neighbourhoods – the creation of liveable, accessible places, with thriving local economies, where people can meet their daily needs within a 20 minute walk
- Identify vacant and derelict sites for green infrastructure initiatives
- £2 million Islands Green Recovery Programme
- Introduce a network of regional hubs to empower communities to develop local solutions to making the transition to net?zero and climate resilient living
- Develop a network of Climate Action Towns
- Over the next Parliament we will invest nearly £1.6 billion in transforming our buildings to ensure that emissions from heating are eliminated by 2040 to remove poor energy efficiency as a driver of fuel poverty. The deal uplifts Heat and Energy efficiency spend from £112m in 2019/20 to £398m p.a. in 2025/26 and will include: At least £95 million to decarbonise the public sector estate; Opening the £50 million Green Recovery Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP); Up to £50 million to invest in significant energy efficiency improvements to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh; £25 million for zero carbon energy infrastructure and heat networks for residential and commercial premises along the river Clyde’s path; Additional £55 million to support scale up of energy efficiency programmes
- Set out our vision and route map for transforming the way we heat Scotland’s buildings by publishing a draft Heat Policy Statement and refresh the Energy Efficient Scotland Route Map alongside the updated Climate Change Plan, to set out a clear pathway towards zero emissions from heat in buildings
- Launch a scoping consultation in autumn 2020 on standards for new buildings requiring them to use renewable or zero emission heating from 2024
- New £100 million Green Jobs fund, investing alongside a range of sectors – such as manufacturing, tech, and land based organisations – to support new and increased opportunities for green job creation across Scotland
- £60 million Youth Guarantee including increased opportunities for ‘green’ apprenticeships across public sector bodies
- A £25 million National Transition Training Fund aimed at bridging the skills gap between those facing unemployment and sectors with greatest potential for future growth, including focus on provision of green skills in areas of immediate demand like heat and energy efficiency
- Develop a Green Workforce and Skills Development Package with an initial skills gap analysis undertaken by NatureScot
- Publish the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan
- Create a Supply Chains Development Programme across key sectors of the economy, including where we see genuine sustainable economic potential or resilience for future pandemic waves.
- We will develop tools and guidance to support a green recovery and our wider climate and circular economy ambitions through procurement
- Continued funding for the Scottish Land Fund providing £10 million per year to help communities purchase assets
We are looking for your ideas on structural / strategic solutions that could fundamentally change the heritage landscape for the better.
In June-July 2020, the COVID Historic Environment Resilience Forum (CHERF) hosted a workshop series to plan, coordinate, and communicate high-level sector-wide strategies and guidance for rebuilding, recovery and strengthening resilience in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 200 individuals from 113 organisations attended the online discussions, which were chaired by BEFS Vice-Chair, Ian Baxter.
BEFS is pleased to share a summary report of the five workshops. Links to reports and resources from each themed meeting are also available in the summary report and on CHERF page. We remain in the very early stages of understanding what the consequences of COVID will be for heritage but there were three clear messages that arose from the discussions, which are explored in the report: relevance, exclusion and localism.
Following the successful completion of the initial workshop series and overwhelmingly positive feedback, BEFS is now looking to organise a series of informal events to explore ideas on what ‘building back better’ could look like for the sector.
Within this context, we are looking for your ideas and blue sky thinking on structural / strategic solutions that could fundamentally change the heritage landscape for the better.
Please frame your response around the questions:
- How could the sector infrastructure be adapted / transformed to support a green, just, renewal for Scotland.
- And, how could this be expressed regionally?
You may find Scottish Civic Trust’s Heritage Sector Map from 2018 a useful resource when thinking about wider strategic challenges and solutions for the sector.
Ideas will be shared, discussed, explored and challenged in an informal setting with interested stakeholders and colleagues. If you would like to submit an idea for consideration, please send a 150 word summary to research@befs.org.uk by Monday, 21 September 2020. Whilst we welcome submissions from everyone, if you are not a man, we would love to hear from you!
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Get The Latest Built Environment News, Policy Developments, Publications, Consultations And More.
BEFS News
BEFS is pleased to share a summary report of the five meetings of the COVID Historic Environment Resilience Forum (CHERF). We remain in the very early stages of understanding what the consequences of COVID will be for heritage but there were three clear messages arising from the discussions: relevance, exclusion and localism. Read more.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has been working closely with the historic environment sector to better understand the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and compile data on how all parts of the sector have been affected. HES conducted a sector survey in April, and now we have moved into phase three of the Scottish Government’s route map out of current lockdown, are looking to hear from businesses, organisations and community groups once again. Whether or not you responded to HES’ last survey, they welcome your views now. This survey should take you less than 10 minutes to complete and closes on 23 August 2020.
BEFS responded to the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee’s two recent calls for views. In response to the call for evidence on the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Bill, BEFS worked with NTS and HES to support the pertinent sections of their responses. These focus on how Scots law would actively keep pace with EU legislation, supporting the enshrining of the four environmental principles, and how the proposed definition of ‘environment’ should broaden and therefore align with current SEA definitions.
BEFS response to the Committee’s call for views on Green Recovery reiterates the place of the built environment as part of the sustainable circular economy; a resource containing significant embodied energy, but also requiring a policy of maintenance to provide these benefits in full. BEFS also emphasises that seeing leadership invest in policy implementation in a decisive manner is central to the success of any Green Recovery policies, and that a lack of local authority resource would be one of the greatest barriers to a Green Recovery taking place. Both submissions can be read in full on our consultations page.
The Scottish Government has published ‘Scotland and the SDGs: a national review to drive action’. The report details the progress Scotland was making on sustainable development before the pandemic. While good progress has been made, it highlights several gaps and suggests how we can move forward. Now in the context of Covid-19, the review sets the backdrop for the green and just recovery Scotland needs. An article on the publication can be found on Third Force News.
The Scottish Government has now published the National Planning Framework 4 independent analysis of responses to the call for ideas and an accompanying executive summary. The report and the individual responses will be used to inform the position statement published later in the autumn, and draft NPF4, which is scheduled for publication in autumn 2021.
Dr. Graeme Purves, BEFS former Chair, reflects on recent commentary on the planning system in our blog this week, Planning and Post-COVID Recovery.
A Scotland wide survey on the future of town centres has been launched by the Town Centre Review Group. Communities are urged to take part and help shape the future of Scotland’s towns.
Finally, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that Historic Environment Scotland is seeking a consultant to undertake an evaluation of their Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) since its inception in 2007. More details can be found in the ‘Vacancies’ section.
Consultations
External wall systems – advice note: background, consultation questions and response form
HES Coronavirus (COVID-19) Survey Follow Up
Opened 13 Aug 2020 and closes 23 Aug 2020.
Proposed Changes to Pre-Application Consultation Requirements in Planning
Opened 13 Aug 2020 and closes 6 Nov 2020.
Planning for the future (England)
Opened 6 August 2020 and closes 29 October 2020.
Town Centre Action Plan Expert Review Group – call for evidence
The survey will run until Friday 21st August 2020 at 17:00.
Review of the Lobbying Act (Scotland) 2016 – Call for views
Closes 28 Aug 2020.
Town Centre Action Plan Expert Review Group – Online Survey
The survey will run until Wednesday 30th September 2020 at 17:00.
Scottish Planning Policy and Housing: Technical Consultation on Proposed Policy Amendments
Closes 9 Oct 2020.
A consultation on the future of the Land Court and the Lands Tribunal
Closes 19 Oct 2020.
Call for Evidence on impact of COVID-19 on the rural economy and connectivity in Scotland
This is an open call for views and there is currently no deadline for responding.
The Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee has launched a call for views on the impact of COVID-19 on Scotland’s culture and tourism sectors
There is currently no deadline for responding.
Consultation Responses
NPF4 Analysis of Reponses to the Call for Ideas
NPF4 Analysis of Reponses to the Call for Ideas: Executive Summary
Publications
Heritage and the Environment 2020 (HE 18/08/20)
Building stronger communities (JRF 17/08/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): tourism and hospitality sector guidance (SG 14/08/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for retail, tourism and hospitality customers (SG 14/08/20)
Diversification of Ownership and Tenure & Negotiating Transfer of Land to Communities (SLC 12/08/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Phase 3: guidance for the safe use of places of worship (SG 08/08/20)
Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey: guidance notes (SG 07/08/20)
Development-led Archaeology in Scotland and Covid-19 (ALGAO 05/08/20)
Can Local Authorities Deliver Housing for Sale or Market Rent in Scotland? (SFT 08/20)
Planning Performance Report 2019-20 (HES 31/07/20)
National Partnership for culture: terms of reference (SG 31/07/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): European Structural and Investment Funds (SG 31/07/20)
Scotland and the sustainable development goals: a national review to drive action (SG 30/07/20)
Impact on the Charity Sector During Coronavirus (IoF 18/06/20)
Scottish Government News Releases
Supporting National Trust for Scotland jobs (SG 16/08/20)
Funding to protect jobs and assist the re-opening of iconic heritage sites closed during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been announced.
Rebuilding better (SG 05/08/20)
Targeted measures to build a stronger, fairer and greener economic future for Scotland in the wake of coronavirus (COVID-19) have been announced.
News Releases
Christina Sinclair appointed new director of Edinburgh World Heritage (EWH 19/08/20)
Edinburgh World Heritage today announced the appointment of Christina Sinclair as the new director of Edinburgh World Heritage, replacing Adam Wilkinson.
Is history and heritage good for your health? (HES 18/08/20)
Between the coronavirus pandemic, enforced social distancing and a lockdown, we’re all looking for ways to boost our mental and physical fitness. Could spending time with Scotland’s history help?
National Trust for Scotland awarded funding boost to save jobs (BBC 16/08/20)
Almost 200 jobs have been saved at the National Trust for Scotland after it was awarded £3.8m by the Scottish government.
Museums Are Go (MGS 13/08/20)
Have you missed spending time in your favourite local museum and gallery, or are you itching to explore somewhere new? Museums and galleries across Scotland are reopening every week, so keep an eye on this map and share your visit with #MuseumsAreGo
New protocols launched on land ownership in Scotland (SLC 12/08/20)
Two new protocols published today by the Scottish Land Commission will help to give communities a greater stake in how land is owned and used in Scotland to help create inclusive and resilient local economies.
Scottish Design Awards nominations revealed (UR 11/08/20)
The Scottish Design Awards have announced a packed roster of nominated work for 2020 following two days of intense debate, dialogue and discussion by our panel of 11 judges.
Interactive BREEAM and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) mapping (UNSDG 11/08/20)
Every organisation has a part to play in facilitating the achievement of the SDGs, and the construction industry has an essential role in the move towards a more sustainable world for all.
Most people living in Scotland want a green recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic (SEL 07/08/20)
A new poll shows people in Scotland believe the Government should prioritise economic recovery measures that tackle climate change and enhance nature.
Don’t demolish old buildings, urge architects (BBC 05/08/20)
Footage of buildings being flattened in a noisy demolition may be a popular feature of local TV news reports, but architects say such structures should be protected – to fight climate change.
Collaborative Doctoral Awards: Partner Organisations (SGSAH 08/20)
The Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities has introduced an exciting new range of research opportunities, which aim to align research more closely with practice. As part of the Collaborative Doctoral Awards scheme, there is the option for ideas generated by industry partners to be the starting point for research by completing this short online form.
Are You Nearly There Yet? Reopening Scotland’s Historic Doors (HES 28/07/20)
Wondering what it takes to reopen over 200 Historic Scotland sites following the UK Lockdown? Get the 101 on reopening in this post.
Open Call: A&DS and RIAS Scottish Student Awards for Architecture 2020 (RIAS 27/07/20)
The student awards are an annual highlight – marking the vigour of Scotland’s architectural schools and the tremendous talent of our student members. They are a mark of the continuing high standards of Scottish architectural education and ensure that both construction professionals and the public can enjoy the creativity and vision of Scotland’s future architects. The submission deadline is Monday 24th August 2020.
Nominate your heritage ‘lockdown legends’ for a National Lottery Award (NLHF 08/07/20)
This year the annual search for the UK’s most popular National Lottery funded projects will, for the first time, honour individuals who have made an extraordinary impact in their community – especially those who have adapted during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Opinion & Comment
The Power of Community-led Regeneration (SLC 13/08/20)
The Blank Page Approach to Cultural Heritage (RSA 07/08/20)
Rethinking land use for future generations (SLC 06/08/20)
Land and collective wellbeing: fertile soil (SLC 04/08/20)
Parliamentary Questions & Answers
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Government in order to facilitate the provision of information to the Parliament.
Question S5W-31012: Finlay Carson, Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 30/07/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce a grant scheme to increase energy efficiency in the homes of employed people.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (11/08/2020)
Events
For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.
Acknowledging the Past, Sharing the Future
Date & time: 21st August 2020, 10am-12pm.
Online platform details: GoToWebinar
Join us to explore ways that our projects can address racial inequality and injustice, and attract new audiences. We want to include people from minority ethnic backgrounds with our heritage projects, do it effectively, inclusively and without getting it wrong. This HTN event will help you understand how to approach different communities within your area and make them feel welcome and included in your project.
RIAS Convention 2020: WITH THE GRAIN
Date: Monday 28th September – Friday 2nd October
Cost: £20 per person (one ticket gives access to the full programme)
Venue: Online event
With the Grain will bring architects, built environment professionals and the wider public together online for discussion around how we can work with nature, natural materials and our climate to build resilient communities – reshaping spaces, repurposing the buildings we live and work in and exploring innovative solutions from architects. Our speakers include: Roz Barr (Roz Barr Architects) Andy Groarke (Carmody Groarke), Andrew Waugh (Waugh Thistleton), William Mann (Witherford Watson Mann Architects) and contributions from Architecture Fringe, SEDA, GIA, Zero Waste Scotland and more! The programme will also include the announcement of the A&DS and RIAS Student Awards at a virtual ceremony. View the programme and speakers here. Join us and be part of the conversation. #RIASWITHTHEGRAIN
Vacancies
Trustee Vacancies
The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is currently seeking two new trustees to join its Board. This is a unique opportunity to join an ambitious, innovative and forward looking organisation.
Your application should reach us by 5pm on the 24th August.
Policy & Partnerships Manager (Scotland)
The Landscape Institute (LI)?is seeking a?Policy and Partnerships Manager to support?our?ambitions in Scotland and beyond. The post?will work with?the Head of Policy and LI membership?to develop policy?positions, undertake research, prepare?expert?briefings, build our network,?and ensure that the voice of landscape is heard by decision-makers. You will act as the LI’s country manager for Scotland, being the key point of contact for the sector, and working flexibly on national priorities and opportunities.
The deadline for applications is midnight, Sunday 6th September 2020.
The Review and Refresh of Historic Environment Scotland’s Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS)
Historic Environment Scotland is seeking a consultant to undertake an evaluation of our Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) since its inception in 2007 to better understand its overall impact, successes and potential areas for improvement. In addition to undertaking the review, the consultant will provide recommendations to inform the design of a refreshed, area-based funding scheme which contributes to the development of sustainable places in Scotland through community-led regeneration of the historic environment. Full information about this opportunity can be found on Public Contracts Scotland.
Deadline for submission of tenders is 11 September 2020 at noon.
Dr. Graeme Purves, BEFS past Chair, reflects on recent commentary on the planning system.
Reflecting on the emergency measures introduced in March to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, the columnist Neal Ascherson observed, “The state is back.” And “the longer the virus emergency lasts,” he pointed out, “the more the memory of the pre-virus world begins to grow unreal, unconvincing. Now, unmistakably, there’s a feeling that ‘things will never be the same after it’s over’ and ‘we can’t go back to all that’.”
That feeling has arisen before. The trauma of the Great War led to the demand for ‘homes fit for heroes’ and the construction of good quality working class housing by local authorities right across Scotland, under the Housing and Town Planning (Scotland) Act of 1919. It arose again after the Great Depression. The ‘reconstruction planning’ which came to the fore after the Second World War was originally a response to Scotland’s experience of industrial depression and mass unemployment. Professor Douglas Robertson has drawn my attention to a film which captures the aspirations and vision of the time. Wealth of a Nation was one of seven documentaries made by Films of Scotland for the 1938 Empire Exhibition in Glasgow, under the supervision of John Grierson. It looks forward to better housing and social facilities, modern industrial estates, improved transport infrastructure, electrical power from the glens, and a National Park readily accessible to the population of West Central Scotland.
In April, the Scottish Government charged an independent advisory group chaired by Benny Higgins with providing expert advice on economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. Their report, entitled Towards a Robust, Resilient Wellbeing Economy for Scotland, was submitted to the Scottish Government in June. On 5 August, the Scottish Government responded to the Advisory Group’s recommendations in a document entitled the Economic Recovery Implementation Plan.
Some of the recommendations in the Higgins Report are very much in tune with the thinking of the UK2070 Commission established under the chairmanship of Lord Kerslake to address regional inequalities across the United Kingdom. The Advisory Group calls for an investment-led recovery. It recognises the need to address regional disparities in Scotland and advocates a regionally focused model of economic development. However, unlike the Commission, it fails to make the necessary connections between economic development, strategic spatial planning and the strengthening of local government. Planning is portrayed as a regulatory impediment to recovery, part of the problem rather than an important part of the solution.
The Scottish Government’s Implementation Plan places emphasis on housing and infrastructure; decarbonising and greening the economy; economic and social renewal; and changing the way we work and travel. These are all areas where planners at national and local levels can contribute valuable skills and expertise. Regrettably, the Scottish Government neglects to recognise that fact.
Instead, the Implementation Plan follows the lead of the advisory group in seeing planning as a barrier to recovery. The Scottish Government’s commitments on Planning are ‘to carry out a comprehensive review of national planning policies and an extension of permitted development rights’; and an exploration of ‘the options to alleviate planning restraints.’ We are not told what these ‘restraints’ might be, but we can be fairly certain that bad developments in the wrong places will neither assist recovery nor contribute to wellbeing.
Neither reviewing national planning policy nor tinkering with permitted development rights will make any significant contribution to economic recovery. They will simply be a counter-productive distraction when the skills and energies of planners should be fully focused on measures to promote economic and social recovery.
Businesses large and small face huge challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brexit will shortly deliver a further blow. It is entirely appropriate that measures to sustain and support them through and beyond the current crisis should be at the heart of the Scottish Government’s economic recovery plan. But the Higgins Report adheres to a discredited neoliberal narrative which seeks to portray the public sector as a barrier to rather than an essential partner in recovery. It seeks to set the public and private sectors in opposition to each other, when their roles are complementary. A successful recovery plan requires the building of a broad consensus on the way forward, not divisive rhetoric. The Scottish Government’s Council of Economic Advisers includes the former Chief Medical officer, Sir Harry Burns, who has long promoted the Wellbeing agenda, and Marianna Mazzucato, the champion of the entrepreneurial state. Katherine Trebeck is a leading advocate of the Wellbeing Economy based in Scotland. The Advisory Group on Economic Recovery would benefit from their wise counsel.
The Scottish Government’s Economic Recovery Implementation Plan indicates that the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) will be brought to Parliament in September 2021. It also intends that the Regional Land Use Partnerships which will be introduced from 2021 should have a role in regional economic development and meeting climate change goals. The Scottish Government needs to develop a positive narrative which explicitly identifies Planning as an important agent of recovery, setting out the important contribution planners can make to delivering housing, creating better places, developing district and communal heating systems, economic and social renewal, improving infrastructure, and changing the way we work and travel; and explaining the roles the National Planning Framework and Regional Land Use Partnerships will play in providing a strategic spatial policy context for that work.
Dr. Graeme Purves is a member of the UK2070 Commission, which submitted its Final Report to the UK Government in February. He gave expert advice on spatial planning to the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee of the National Assembly for Wales in the autumn of 2019.
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Get The Latest Built Environment News, Policy Developments, Publications, Consultations And More.
BEFS News
The Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Committee has published its report on the impact of COVID-19 on the UK’s cultural infrastructure, institutions and workforce. The report highlights how small departmental budgets and staff numbers have hampered the sector’s ability to tackle the challenges created by the pandemic.
The £4 million Museums Resilience and Recovery Fund has been announced by Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop. The fund will provide vital support to the independent museums sector following the severe financial and organisational impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and will be administered by Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS).
The Scottish Government have published a consultation on proposals to clarify certain parts of the Scottish Planning Policy that relate to planning for housing. The proposals aim to provide greater clarity for all those involved in the planning system, addressing the presumption in favour of development that contributes to sustainable development and the five-year effective housing land supply. You can access and complete the consultation via the Scottish Government’s consultation page.
Section 40 of the new Planning Act requires the Scottish Ministers to issue guidance, by July 2021, on the promotion and use of mediation in planning. In advance of a Scottish Government consultation, Scottish Mediation and PAS have been progressing work on some outline proposals. They have published an interactive survey outlining some ideas and would be keen to hear the views of stakeholders. Completion of the survey is welcomed by Friday 21st August 2020, and you can access the survey here.
The Infrastructure Commission for Scotland has launched its Phase Two report into infrastructure development. It makes recommendations including creating an independent body to offer long-term strategic advice to the Scottish Government; enshrining the Place Principle in law to support sustainable development and ensure a “one public sector” approach to planning; and strengthening the relationship between the public sector and construction industry by creating a Construction Accord, which would include measures to support a diverse and capable workforce in the sector. It also recommends an increased focus on digital technology through the creation of a digital data co-ordination, standards and facilitation role.
Scotland’s Strategic Archaeology Committee are currently pulling material together for Celebrating Archaeology in Scotland 2020. It seeks to showcase the value Archaeology brings to Scotland and report on our progress delivering Scotland’s Archaeology Strategy. Send your submissions by 17th of August.
The 8th Edinburgh Traditional Building Festival will be running from 24-28 August. Normally a part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, this year Edinburgh Traditional Building Forum are taking the festival online for all to enjoy. They are excited by the opportunity to open their ‘doors’ to many more to attend in this virtual capacity and “Celebrate Edinburgh’s Traditional Buildings”.
Consultations
A consultation on the future of the Land Court and the Lands Tribunal
Opened 27 Jul 2020 and closes 19 Oct 2020.
Town Centre Action Plan Expert Review Group – call for evidence
The deadline for written evidence is Friday 21st August 2020 at 17:00.
Scottish Planning Policy and Housing: Technical Consultation on Proposed Policy Amendments
Opened 17 Jul 2020 and closes 9 Oct 2020.
Call for Evidence on impact of COVID-19 on the rural economy and connectivity in Scotland
The Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee has launched a call for views on the impact of COVID-19 on Scotland’s culture and tourism sectors.
There is currently no deadline for responding.
COVID-19: Economic recovery
Closes 31 Jul 2020.
The Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee (ECCLRC) call for views on UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Bill.
The call for views will close on Friday 31 July 2020.
The Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee (ECCLRC) call for views on Green Recovery.
The call for views will be open until Friday 7 August 2020.
Publications
Just Transition Commission: Advice on a Green Recovery (SG 30/07/20)
Warmer Homes Scotland Programme Annual Review 2018/19 (SG 30/07/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): events sector guidance (SG 27/07/20)
Managing Scotland’s parks and greenspaces during covid-19 (greenspace Scotland 27/07/20)
Phase 2: Delivery Findings Report A blueprint for Scotland (ICS 27/07/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): European Structural and Investment Funds (SG 24/07/20)
Building Back for the Better – a perspective from Carnegie UK Trust (CUKT 23/07/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for homeworking (SG 23/07/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): tourism and hospitality sector guidance (SG 23/07/20)
Impact of COVID-19 on DCMS sectors: First Report (UKP 23/07/20)
Scottish Government News Releases
Further funding for tourism (SG 29/07/20)
Two new funding packages worth £15 million will support the tourism sector as it continues to feel the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Supporting events (SG 26/07/20)
A funding package of £10 million has been established to help the events sector recover from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Vital support for museums and galleries (SG 25/07/20)
A new funding stream for the independent museums sector to help bolster resilience following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been announced by Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop.
£50 million for islands (SG 22/07/20)
The Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland will benefit from investment of up to £50 million by the Scottish Government as part of the Islands Growth Deal.
£50 million for Falkirk (SG 20/07/20)
Investment of up to £50 million by the Scottish Government in the Falkirk area will drive inclusive and sustainable economic recovery and growth across the region as part of the Falkirk Growth Deal.
£100 million for employment support and training (SG 16/07/20)
People looking for work or those at risk of redundancy will benefit from additional assistance to move into work or retrain.
News Releases
RICS calls for offices to be converted to housing as commercial sector demand falls (SHN 29/07/20)
As the global pandemic continues to take its toll, RICS has said the Scottish Government should enable more offices to be converted to housing as commetcial sector demand falls.
Rise in illegal activity at historic sites during lockdown (SLN 29/07/20)
Illegal activity at historic sites in Scotland has increased during the lockdown, it has been reported. Instances of breaking into castles, illegal metal detecting and digging were among the alleged offences.
Open Call: A&DS and RIAS Scottish Student Awards for Architecture 2020 (RIAS 27/07/20)
The student awards are an annual highlight – marking the vigour of Scotland’s architectural schools and the tremendous talent of our student members. They are a mark of the continuing high standards of Scottish architectural education and ensure that both construction professionals and the public can enjoy the creativity and vision of Scotland’s future architects. The submission deadline is Monday 24th August 2020.
RE-imagining a NEW Outdoors – A Showcase of Design Ideas (LIS 24/07/20)
The Landscape Institute Scotland are proud to present this digital showcase from its members that focus on reclaiming the outdoors as we emerge from the effects of the Covid19 global pandemic. The followed on from the Reflections Series discussion between Senior Practitioners on the Impact of Covid 19 on the landscape profession in Scotland
Black Live Matter charter calls on heritage sector to turn words into action (MA 24/07/20)
A charter from the arts and education charity Culture& is calling on cutlure institutions to do more to “decolonise their relationship with the UK black community”. The charity, which promotes diversity in the workplace, has published a charter of recommendations to spur the sector to follow up on its pledges.
Edinburgh Tram archaeology excavation vlogs (CoEC 21/07/20)
City of Edinburgh Council are currently excavating part of South Leith Parish Church’s graveyard dating to c1300-1650 as part of the Edinburgh Tram Extension works. As part of the public engagement process are creating weekly vlogs on youtube and the Tram website each Thursday. Although principally of this graveyard excavation, it will include others from the rest of the site including the recording of a large public WWII air-raid shelter.
Scotland Loves Local Launches (STP 20/07/20)
Today (20th July) a new campaign launches calling on the public to support their local shops and businesses, while continuing to take care and follow public health guidelines.
Scotland’s churches forced to ‘go digital’ after huge financial losses due to Covid-19 (Herald 19/07/20)
A FORMER head of the Kirk has warned the coronavirus pandemic has shown that it has too many churches and needs to embrace a more digital future.
Showcasing Community Resilience (SURF 17/07/20)
Over a collectively challenging 15 week period SURF is delivering a series of special SURF e-bulletins showcasing positive examples written by organisations delivering services or providing support to communities across Scotland, whilst we navigate through the Covid crisis.
Opinion & Comment
Thoughts on Covid-19 Recovery (Ann Allen, Chair A&DS Board 07/20)
Just say no to demolition (RIBA 23/07/20)
A Response to ‘Putting land back into the economic model’ (SLC 22/07/20)
Cutting VAT on home improvement would create jobs and save the planet (Times 19/07/20)
Round table discussion: Covid, Community Engagement and the Planning System (PAS 16/07/20)
Parliamentary Questions & Answers
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Government in order to facilitate the provision of information to the Parliament.
Question S5W-30307: Monica Lennon, Central Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 29/06/2020
To ask the Scottish Government how it will engage the renewable energy industry in developing a green economic recovery to the COVID-19 public health emergency, and what discussions it has had with the sector during the pandemic.
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse (27/07/2020)
Question S5W-30306: Monica Lennon, Central Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 29/06/2020 R
To ask the Scottish Government whether the climate emergency and the achievement of Scotland’s net-zero targets will be potential material considerations in any planning applications made prior to the National Planning Framework 4 coming into effect.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (14/07/2020)
Events
For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.
Land Ownership by Private Trusts Charities
Date & time: Aug 18, 2020 02:00 PM.
Webinar.
Come and join us to learn more about our new Land Rights and Responsibilities protocols. The way land is owned and used affects the quality of life for everyone in Scotland. People and organisations that make decisions relating to land, in urban and rural Scotland, should recognise and act in line with their responsibilities, as well as their rights. The series of protocols set out how landowners, land managers land communities can work together to make better – and fairer – decisions about land use. This webinar will look at the Land Ownership by Private Trusts and Charities protocols. These protocols will help improve understanding and transparency about the way trusts and charities operate as land owners.
Unexpected Delights of North Glasgow
Date & time: Wednesday 19th August 2020, 6pm.
Online platform details: Zoom.
The city’s north has been revitalised in recent years to become an urban playground, a haven of wildlife, green space and a creative hub with strong community spirit and an important industrial heritage. We’ll continue to our tour of the city in lockdown with Paul Sweeney and Lisa Snedden, who’ll help us explore this often overlooked area of Glasgow.
Acknowledging the Past, Sharing the Future
Date & time: 21st August 2020, 10am-12pm.
Online platform details: GoToWebinar
Join us to explore ways that our projects can address racial inequality and injustice, and attract new audiences. We want to include people from minority ethnic backgrounds with our heritage projects, do it effectively, inclusively and without getting it wrong. This HTN event will help you understand how to approach different communities within your area and make them feel welcome and included in your project.
Diversification in Ownership and Negotiating Transfer of Land to Communities
Date & time: Aug 25, 2020 02:00 PM.6t
Webinar.
This webinar will look at the Diversification in Ownership and Tenure and Negotiating Transfer of Land to Communities protocols. This webinar sets out how landowners can help achieve a more diverse pattern of land ownership and tenure across Scotland. It explains the expectations we have for landowners in assessing the use and ownership of their current landholdings and in taking measures to maximise the opportunities for acquisition and use of land by a broad range of interested parties. It applies to all types of owners of both land and buildings in Scotland, including private estates, public bodies and community organisations.
SURF Annual Conference Session 1: A Sustainable Climate and Economy
Date & time: 27th August, 10am-11.30am
Online platform details: Zoom
A 90 minute session on the overarching challenge of climate change and necessary shifts in economic priorities and processes. Featuring input from Katherine Trebeck of WEALL.
Good Stewardship of Land Protocol
Date & time: Sep 1, 2020 02:00 PM.
Webinar.
This webinar will look at the Good Stewardship of Land Protocol which sets out how landowners can take account of their responsibilities to meet high standards of land ownership, management and use of both urban and rural land. This webinar promotes good stewardship and high standards of land management across Scotland. Decisions made about land can contribute to better and more productive economic, social, cultural and environmental outcomes. Decisions made with a focus on good stewardship are made with consideration for the needs of local communities and the delivery of public good in support of wider national outcomes.
SURF Annual Conference Session 2: Land and Transport in a Climate Emergency
Date & time: 3rd September, 10am-11.30am
Online platform details: Zoom
A 90 minute session on land use and ownership and transport investment and planning in relation to climate change and post-Covid economic and social wellbeing recovery. Featuring input from the Scottish Land Commission, Transport Scotland and Stantec.
SURF Annual Conference Session 3: Post Covid lessons for building back better
Date & time: 10th September, 10am-11.30am
Online platform details: Zoom
A 90 minute session on SURF’s Covid response key learning points and Scottish Government policy and investment plans post-Covid. Featuring input from Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, Aileen Campbell MSP.
Training
CPD: Glass in Traditional Buildings
Date & time: Wednesday 12th August 2020, 12.30-1.30pm.
Online platform details: Zoom.
Original, historic glass lends character to many buildings and can also influence the appearance of entire streetscapes. Join Conservation Consultant Darren McLean for this online technical CPD to discuss these questions and debunk some common myths about traditional and historic glass.
Get The Latest Built Environment News, Publications, Policy Developments, Vacancies And More.
BEFS News
The Scottish Government has published new good practice guidelines for re-opening museums, galleries and heritage attractions during the coronavirus pandemic.
Historic Environment Scotland has published policy and guidance for the reopening of its historic properties. The COVID-19 Policy and Minimum Operating Standards outline the requirements that must be met before sites will be able to reopen in line with official government guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. HES has also set out its approach to the reopening of their heritage sites across Scotland as COVID-19 restrictions are eased. More details can be found here.
The fifth and final initial workshop hosted by the COVID Historic Environment Resilience Forum (CHERF) took place last week and focused on the role of education and research in sector wide recovery. You can find out more about CHERF and read previous workshop reports here.
We have also updated our overview of COVID-19 funding advice and guidance for the heritage and built environment sector here.
Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) are looking for an experienced professional to deliver a new project Surviving to Thriving: Supporting Sustainable Heritage Businesses which will run in 2020 – 2022. This is a project run by MGS in partnership with BEFS and greenspace Scotland and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Business Support Project Manager will be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with heritage organisations and training providers across Scotland. More details can be found here.
The Prebble Trust has published 15 policy recommendations to support the sustainable renovation of our existing building stock which is timely given the talk of a Green Recovery for Scotland’s economy. Find the details here.
Consultations
COP26 expert database and survey (UK Parliament)
Call for Evidence on impact of COVID-19 on the rural economy and connectivity in Scotland
The Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee has launched a call for views on the impact of COVID-19 on Scotland’s culture and tourism sectors.
There is currently no deadline for responding.
COVID-19: Economic recovery
Opened 3 Jul 2020 and closes 31 Jul 2020.
The Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee (ECCLRC) call for views on UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Bill.
The call for views will close on Friday 31 July 2020.
The Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee (ECCLRC) call for views on Green Recovery.
The call for views will be open until Friday 7 August 2020.
Consultation Responses
National Planning Framework 4 Call for Ideas: Evidence now published
Publications
Impact of Covid-19 on Local Authority Archaeology Services (ALGAO 15/07/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Phase 3: business and physical distancing guidance (SG 15/07/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Phase 3: guidance for the safe use of places of worship (SG 14/07/20)
The Role of Land in Enabling New Housing Supply in Rural Scotland (SLC 14/07/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Phase 3: staying safe and protecting others (SG 13/07/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): tourism and hospitality sector guidance (SG 10/07/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for retail, tourism and hospitality customers (SG 10/07/20)
Guidance on Assessing the Full Economic Benefits of the Productive Reuse of Land (SLC 09/07/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Phase 3: Scotland’s route map update (SG 09/07/20)
Minimum Operating Standards for Property Management and Visitor Operations (HES 07/07/20)
Archaeological Market Survey report (CIfA, HES & FAME 07/07/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for museums, galleries and heritage attractions (SG 06/07/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): events sector guidance (SG 03/07/20)
The virus and the climate: winning consent for Net Zero (Social Market Foundation 03/07/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Phase 2: Scotland’s route map – physical distancing update (SG 02/07/20)
COVID-19 Advisory Group: physical distancing advice (SG 02/07/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): planning – use of outdoors spaces and ‘the ‘28-day rule’ (SG 02/07/20)
Lockdown living – Housing quality across the generations (Resolution Foundation 02/07/20)
Transforming the economy after Covid–19: A clean, fair and resilient recovery (IPPR 02/07/20)
The Green Recovery Act – A report produced by Common Wealth (CW 07/20)
Short-Term Lets – Homes First Survey Results Briefing Paper No. 6 (Andy Wightman 07/20)
10th annual report of the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP 06/20)
Scottish Government News Releases
Tourism sector reopens (SG 15/07/20)
The majority of Scotland’s tourism sector can begin to restart from today (Wednesday 15 July) after lockdown restrictions were further eased.
Cultural venues start to re-open (SG 15/07/20)
Visitor attractions such as museums, galleries and heritage sites across Scotland can start to re-open to visitors from today.
Safe re-opening of places of worship (SG 14/07/20)
Guidance published following consultation with faith and belief communities.
Support for coastal communities (SG 11/07/20)
Coastal communities across Scotland will receive £9.7 million of revenue generated by the Scottish Crown Estate’s marine assets, providing vital support for responding to the impact of coronavirus.
Help for homebuyers and employment support (SG 09/07/20)
New initiatives to support homebuyers and help people into work or to re-train have been announced by Finance Secretary Kate Forbes.
Moving to Phase 3 of lockdown route map (SG 09/07/20)
Opening dates confirmed for places of worship, hairdressers, museums and galleries.
Lifeline support for Performing Arts Venues (SG 03/07/20)
A targeted £10 million fund to support Scotland’s performing arts venues has been announced by Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop.
Supporting outdoor hospitality (SG 06/07/20)
Pubs, restaurants and cafes in Scotland will have greater flexibility to make use of outside spaces. Regulations on planning are being temporarily relaxed to support the industry to safely restart as the country emerges from lockdown.
Promoting skills and employment (SG 03/07/20)
A group of industry experts have submitted an action plan to limit unemployment caused by the economic impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Lifeline support for Performing Arts Venues (SG 03/07/20)
A targeted £10 million fund to support Scotland’s performing arts venues has been announced by Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop.
News Releases
New approach needed to deliver houses for rural Scotland (SLC 14/07/20)
Scotland needs to look at new models of bringing land forward to deliver the much-needed rural housing, according to a new report published today.
Historic houses and castles face mounting repairs backlog due to Covid-19 (Herald 13/07/20)
Scotland’s historic homes and castles face a mounting backlog of repairs amid a “catastrophic” fall in income during the coronavirus lockdown, it has been warned.
Scotland’s Garden and Landscape Heritage (SGLH 13/07/20)
The latest issue of the Scotland’s Garden and Landscape Heritage (SGLH) e-news has recently been issued, containing details of our recent conservation work, and other news.
Stealing our cities: land-use analysis (SP 11/07/20)
Land-use analysis of three sites in two Scottish cities shows that private cars are taking more than their fair share of the available space.
The value of land is more than pounds and pence (SLC 09/07/20)
Guidance published this week by the Scottish Land Commission places wellbeing as a central consideration when assessing the business case for developing vacant or derelict land.
Chancellor to unveil £3 billion retrofit funding (AJ 07/07/20)
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is committing £3 billion to retrofitting schools, hospitals, and privately owned homes to make them more energy-efficient.
Introducing Heritage Digital – free digital skills training for the sector (07/07/20)
The Heritage Alliance are delighted to launch the National Lottery Heritage Funded Heritage Digital project. Until the end of July 2021, free digital skills training will be available as part of this partnership project, producing a programme based around the themes of digital communications, digital marketing strategy, digital rights and digital technology.
Culture is a part of every community (Inspiring Scotland 07/20)
Creative Communities is a new programme that aims to support and empower communities to develop cultural activities. The programme will distribute up to £600,000 to support communities to develop new initiatives involving culture and creative arts for the period October 2020-June 2021.
£1.57 billion investment to protect Britain’s world-class cultural, arts and heritage institutions (DCMS 05/07/20)
Future of Britain’s museums, galleries, theatres, independent cinemas, heritage sites and music venues will be protected with emergency grants and loans. Funding will also be provided to restart construction work at cultural and heritage sites paused as a result of the pandemic.
We want to do more to eliminate racism and drive greater equality, diversity and inclusion in heritage (NLHF 23/06/20)
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is launching a wide-ranging review of its approach to diversity and inclusion.
Opinion & Comment
Why the Whiteness of Archaeology Is a Problem (Sapiens 07/07/20)
Parliamentary Questions
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Scottish Government in order to facilitate the provision of information to the Parliament.Questions in which a member has indicated a declarable interest are marked with an “R”.
Question S5W-30652: Maurice Golden, West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 10/07/2020
To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide details on how arts and culture in Scotland will be supported by the £97 million of extra funding announced by the UK Government.
Parliamentary Questions & Answers
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Government in order to facilitate the provision of information to the Parliament.
Question S5W-30290: Finlay Carson, Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 29/06/2020
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29857 by Fiona Hyslop on 22 June 2020, what work it is doing to help the National Trust for Scotland and what assistance was requested.
Answered by Fiona Hyslop (13/07/2020)
Question S5W-30308: Monica Lennon, Central Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 29/06/2020 R
To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to ensure that public inquiries into planning applications that are being conducted via video during the COVID-19 crisis deliver fairness to all parties.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (08/07/2020)
Question S5W-30309: Monica Lennon, Central Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 29/06/2020 R
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to recommence physical public inquiries into planning applications, and how it plans to ensure that these are conducted safely.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (08/07/2020)
Events
For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.
Architecture and History Tour of Dean Village
Date & time: Saturday, 25 July 2020: 11:30 – 13:30
Venue: Dean Village, Edinburgh
Join an architect-guide as you stroll through the lush valley of the Water of Leith to discover the hidden treasures of Edinburgh’s Dean Village. During this guided tour, you will find visible signs of former industrial activity, identify which Scottish castle the Well Court design is based on, learn why Georgian orphanages resemble extravagant country mansions, and why the Lord Provost paid for the Dean Bridge out of his own pocket. All tours are COVID-19 considerate and all proceeds of this event will be donated to the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in Scotland for building conservation efforts.
5th Annual Falkland Craft Symposium Day 1: The House of Falkland and the SPAB Approach
Date & time: 18 August 2020 – 14:00 – 16:00
Venue: Online via Zoom
A window into the world of Craftsmanship as expressed through a rural Estate in Fife committed to sustainability, and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Join Falkland Estate Trust Chair Ninian Stuart and Matthew Slocombe, Director of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings for presentations on the importance of craftsmanship and sustainability in estate management and building conservation.
5th Annual Falkland Craft Symposium Day 2: Craftsmanship and Excellent Examples of Craftsmanship at House of Falkland
Date & time: 19 August 2020: 14:00 – 16:00
Venue: Online via Zoom
Join Marietta Crichton Stuart historian, archivist, Trustee of Falkland Stewardship Trust and Darren McLean, conservation joiner and craftsman, for an inside look at the history of craftsmanship at the House of Falkland and a first-hand account of applied skills and principles to the challenges of repairing the outstanding example of 1840s joinery craftsmanship at House of Falkland.
5th Annual Falkland Craft Symposium Day 3: Historic Plasterwork
Date & time: 20 August 2020: 14:00 – 16:00
Venue: Online via Zoom
William Napier of Adams Napier and Steven Blench of Chalk Plaster Design present on Tradesmen, Architects & Artists – changing patterns of production in 19th century plasterwork, the House of Falkland being a good example.
5th Annual Falkland Craft Symposium Day 4: The Conservation of Historic Building Materials
Date & time: 21 August 2020: 14:00 – 16:00
Venue: Online via Zoom
Current PhD researcher Tim Meek presents on the Evidence-based conservation of buildings constructed of traditional building materials followed by Stone Conservation Consultant and SPAB Scotland Guardian Nic Boyes on Temple of Decision on the Falkland Estate by Alexander Roos, rescuing it from the brink of complete collapse, the value of ‘curated ruins’.
8th Annual Edinburgh Traditional Building Festival
Date & time: 24 – 28 August 2020: 11:00am
Venue: Online via Zoom
The 8th Annual Traditional Building Festival, is pleased to announce it will be delivering it’s programme online through a series of online offerings throughout the week of 24th August. Kevin Stewart, Minister for Local Government and Planning will be delivering the opening address, followed by a curated selection of traditional building topics. Lectures will be given daily at 11:00 and 14:00. A detailed full programme is forthcoming but to obtain more information, please contact Tyler C. Lott, SPAB Scotland Officer on tyler.lott@spab.org.uk.
Vacancies
Archaeology Scotland are very pleased to announce that they are offering a traineeship in partnership with Next Step Initiative through their Ethnic Minority Career in Museum and Built Environment Heritage Programme.
Closing date is Wednesday 22nd July.
Business Support Project Manager
Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) are looking for an experienced professional to deliver a new project Surviving to Thriving: Supporting Sustainable Heritage Businesses which will run in 2020 – 2022. This is a project run by MGS in partnership with BEFS and greenspace Scotland and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It is an 18-month capacity-building and leadership programme designed to support organisations from across Scotland’s heritage sector. The Business Support Project Manager will be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with heritage organisations and training providers across Scotland.
Closing date for applications is Thursday 23rd July 2020 at 09.00 am.
Invitation to Tender: World Heritage UK Business Options Appraisal
Contract: August 2020 – December 2020
Fee: up to £12,500 (including expenses, excluding VAT)
World Heritage UK (WH:UK) is seeking to appoint an experienced consultant to undertake a Business Options Appraisal as part of our NLHF-funded “Unlocking the Potential” Resilient Heritage project. Full details can be found in the Invitation to Tender document – which outlines the detailed requirements, tender process and timescales – on the World Heritage UK website.
Submission Deadline: Sunday August 2nd 2020.
Get The Latest Built Environment News, Publications, Policy Developments, Vacancies And More.
BEFS News
Built Environment Forum Scotland (BEFS) is pleased to announce that led by Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) and in partnership with greenspace scotland they have been awarded £497,300 from National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF), to support major investment in building the resilience of the heritage sector. Sector feedback has highlighted the immediate need for support and strategic investment to help heritage organisations to develop sustainable business models, improve their ways of working, and evidence the impact of their role within Scotland’s communities. The partnership will deliver an 18-month project that will provide Scotland’s heritage organisations and businesses with support through a programme of training that will build sustainability with immediate and long-term impacts on their organisations and the sector as a whole. More information and expression of interest form can be found here.
Four COVID Historic Environment Resilience Forum (CHERF) workshops have now taken place exploring medium to long-term strategies to support the built environment sector to recover and build sustainability following the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest workshop reports can be found here. There is still time to sign up for the fifth and last of the initial workshops, focusing on education and research next Wednesday, here.
We have updated our COVID-19 heritage funding and advice page and downloadable Pdf with the latest information here.
The Scottish Government has published guidance to assist businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector to reopen safely on Wednesday 15 July. The guidance sets out the public health measures which will need to be implemented to allow safe reopening, including establishing physical distancing, enhanced hand hygiene measures and cleaning practices. Meanwhile, the Scottish Tourism Recovery Taskforce met for the first time on 25th June, co-chaired by Fergus Ewing and Jamie Hepburn and made up of more than 30 businesses. The taskforce will meet regularly in the coming weeks to provide strategic advice on the COVID-19 recovery.
Museums Galleries Scotland have launched a new survey to understand museums & galleries readiness to reopen and what support is required. They are keen for people to respond as soon as possible as this information is vital to help them advocate on behalf of the sector.
Scottish Community Heritage Alliance are also keen to find out how many organisations are planning to open their heritage sites this year and have launched a short survey with 7 anonymous questions to gather some data on the overall picture.
In response to consultation feedback on the draft culture strategy, the Scottish Government has established a National Partnership for Culture (NPC) to provide a cross-sector, interdisciplinary voice which can both advise and influence Scottish Ministers on the delivery of the Culture Strategy for Scotland. The National Partnership for Culture will start meeting soon to consider how the culture sector can recover from the coronavirus crisis and build on the recommendations set made by the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery. The Partnership is led by Joanna Baker, a former managing director of the Edinburgh International Festival. Further details and a list of membership can now be found here.
The UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Bill [2020] has been introduced. The Bill retains alignment with the four EU guiding principles on the environment and establishes a new Scottish public body, Environmental Standards Scotland. More details here.
BEFS responded to the Just Transition Commission’s call for evidence, focusing on the opportunities for skilled work that the built environment, and particularly a maintenance agenda, can provide across Scotland. BEFS submission also highlighted the asks made by the Built Heritage Investment Group, which outline the economic and social benefits in relation to our transition to net zero, as well as the work of the Infrastructure Commission and its recommendations.
A new group has been launched to rebuild town centres. Experts in town planning, public health, transport and business are being brought together to consider the views of local communities in revitalising town centres in the wake of COVID-19. More details here.
Scotland Digs with DigIt has gone digital this year with archaeologists and experts running online events and sharing the “before and after” side of excavations. Find out more here.
Finally, have you submitted your favourite historic environment project or initiative as a best practice case study for our database and the OPiT 2019-20 report? The deadline is now approaching on 24th July. More details.
Consultations
The Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee has launched a call for views on the impact of COVID-19 on Scotland’s culture and tourism sectors. There is currently no deadline for responding.
Scotland Business Survey – Impact of COVID-19
Consultation on proposed changes to the Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012
This consultation closes at 11:45pm on 14 July 2020.
The Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee (ECCLRC) call for views on UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Bill.
The call for views will close on Friday 31 July 2020.
The Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee (ECCLRC) call for views on Green Recovery.
The call for views will be open until Friday 7 August 2020.
Publications
Coronavirus (COVID-19): note on application of building regulations to adaptations (SG 01/07/20)
Building Scotland’s Green Recovery (SCDI 30/06/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for retail, tourism and hospitality customers (SG 30/06/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for creative studios and shared workspaces (SG 03/06/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): UK Fiscal Path – A New Approach (SG 29/06/20)
Energy efficiency: advice and support for industry (SG 29/06/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Phase 2: business and physical distancing guidance (SG 29/06/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): opening public and customer toilets (SG 27/06/20)
Planning and Environmental Appeals division: annual review 2019-2020 (SG 26/06/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): European Structural and Investment Funds (SG 26/06/20)
National Value of UNESCO to the United Kingdom (UNESCO 25/06/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): business support fund grant statistics (SG 25/06/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): returning to work safely (SG 24/06/20)
Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) – Guidance for Heritage Locations (DCMS 24/06/20)
Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) (DCMS 24/06/20)
Key Agencies Planning Group offer: green recovery (SG 23/06/20)
Report: Local government in Scotland Overview 2020 (Audit Scotland 23/06/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): construction sector guidance (SG 22/06/20)
Guidance for reopening your museum (GoIndustrial 19/06/20)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): tourism and hospitality sector guidance (SG 18/06/20)
New report: ‘Connected Recovery: Enabling the digital commute’ (Transform Scotland 18/06/20)
Scottish Government News Releases
Healthier, greener town centres (SG 01/07/02)
Diverse views from urban, town, rural and island communities must be heard if town centres are to be revitalised and renewed in the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Blueprint for economic recovery (SG 29/06/20)
A UK-wide £80 billion stimulus package should be created to regenerate the economy and reduce inequalities following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a new Scottish Government report proposes.
New tourism taskforce (SG 25/06/20)
A new taskforce created to drive forward the recovery of Scotland’s vital tourism sector is to meet for the first time.
National Partnership for Culture (SG 24/06/20)
A new group formed to deliver Scotland’s culture strategy is to meet for the first time.
Working towards economic recovery (SG 22/06/20)
Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop has welcomed the recommendations of the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery.
Restarting tourism safely (SG 20/06/20)
Guidance to support Scotland’s tourism and hospitality sector to reopen safely has been published.
News Releases
New Chief Executive starts today (NTS 01/07/06)
Philip Long OBE is proud to be part of the team protecting Scotland’s natural and national treasures.
SCDI Publish Green Recovery Plan (SCDI 30/06/20)
The Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) has today published its plan for a Green Recovery from the COVID-19 crisis with a call for the Scottish and UK governments to deliver an ambitious ‘green stimulus’ to kick-start the economy, create new green jobs and fuel ‘clean growth’.
RIAS Elects Youngest Ever Candidate as President (RIAS 30/06/20)
At 33, Christina will be the youngest President in the Incorporation’s history and only the second female President (Dr Joyce Deans CBE was elected President from 1991 to 1993).
Partnership marks record-breaking decade of bringing empty homes back into use (SHN 29/06/20)
Scottish councils have been urged to make empty homes work a cornerstone of post-pandemic recovery after a record number of privately-owned vacant properties were brought back into use last year.
UNESCO sites lead the way on sustainable development and create value for communities across the UK (UNESCO 25/06/20)
Published today by the UK National Commission for UNESCO, new research shows UNESCO projects can help build a greener, more equal and more peaceful world, while also creating financial value.
New guidance for reopening of museums, galleries and the heritage sector (DCMS & HE 25/06/20)
The Prime Minister has announced that museums, galleries and heritage attractions will be able to open from 4 July.
COVID-19 can be an historic turning point in tackling the global climate crisis (CCC 25/06/20)
Ministers must seize the opportunity to turn the COVID-19 crisis into a defining moment in the fight against climate change, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) says today.
CIfA response to Policy Exchange’s ‘Planning Anew’ and ‘Rethinking the Planning System for the 21st Century’ (CIfA 25/06/20)
Two recent publications from the think tank Policy Exchange, published in January[1] and June[2] 2020, respectively, have illustrated a renewed intent by some to promote reform which undermines the ability of the planning system to deliver sustainable development.
Entries to the A&DS and RIAS Scottish Student Awards for Architecture are now being invited (A&DS 23/06/20)
Now in their 19th year, the student awards are a mark of the continuing high standards of Scottish architectural education and ensure that both construction professionals and the public can enjoy the creativity and vision of Scotland’s future architects.
Advocacy update (CIfA 22/06/20)
CIfA is continuing to advocate on behalf of the archaeology sector and help inform UK governments of the impacts of the pandemic in archaeology.
Museums Galleries Scotland dedicates £332k to help sector reopen (Museums&Heritage 19/06/20)
As Scottish cultural institutions prepare to reopen when Phase 3 of the Government’s economic recovery plan begins, Museums Galleries Scotland is offering financial support to enable this to happen safely and promptly.
Opinion & Comment
Kevin Stewart MSP: What kind of Scotland do we want to see post-lockdown? (SG 26/06/20)
We are building grandiose venues while existing ones are collapsing (Times 26/06/20)
Planning for Scotland’s future – Fraser of Allander Institute Commentary (FAI 23/06/20)
How communities in Scotland are breaking up the old land monopolies (PN 22/06/20)
Parliamentary Questions
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Scottish Government in order to facilitate the provision of information to the Parliament.Questions in which a member has indicated a declarable interest are marked with an “R”.
Question S5W-30307: Monica Lennon, Central Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 29/06/2020
To ask the Scottish Government how it will engage the renewable energy industry in developing a green economic recovery to the COVID-19 public health emergency, and what discussions it has had with the sector during the pandemic.
Question S5W-30309: Monica Lennon, Central Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 29/06/2020 R
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to recommence physical public inquiries into planning applications, and how it plans to ensure that these are conducted safely.
Question S5W-30308: Monica Lennon, Central Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 29/06/2020 R
To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to ensure that public inquiries into planning applications that are being conducted via video during the COVID-19 crisis deliver fairness to all parties.
Question S5W-30306: Monica Lennon, Central Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 29/06/2020 R
To ask the Scottish Government whether the climate emergency and the achievement of Scotland’s net-zero targets will be potential material considerations in any planning applications made prior to the National Planning Framework 4 coming into effect.
Question S5W-30290: Finlay Carson, Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 29/06/2020
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29857 by Fiona Hyslop on 22 June 2020, what work it is doing to help the National Trust for Scotland and what assistance was requested.
Question S5W-30092: Miles Briggs, Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 19/06/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been allocated under the £20 million COVID-19 resilience fund.
Parliamentary Questions & Answers
Questions marked with a triangle (?) are initiated by the Government in order to facilitate the provision of information to the Parliament.
Question S5W-29227: Claire Baker, Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 20/05/2020
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for support from the Creative, Tourism and Hospitality Enterprises Fund it has received; what the total value of funding requested was; how many applications were approved, and what the total value of the awards made was, also broken down by the (a) creative and cultural, (b) tourism and (c) hospitality sector.
Answered by Fiona Hyslop (09/06/2020)
Question S5W-29571: Alexander Stewart, Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 02/06/2020
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to the Creative, Tourism and Hospitality Enterprises Hardship fund have been (a) approved and (b) rejected, and how many payments have been made.
Answered by Fiona Hyslop (16/06/2020)
Question S5W-29591: Finlay Carson, Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 03/06/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what mechanisms are in place to enable Historic Environment Scotland to progress current projects while staff are furloughed.
Answered by Fiona Hyslop (15/06/2020)
Question S5W-29767: Claire Baker, Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 09/06/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it will provide to businesses and tourist attractions that are allowed to reopen at phase 3 of its COVID-19 route map.
Answered by Fergus Ewing (22/06/2020)
Question S5W-29760: Claire Baker, Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 09/06/2020
To ask the Scottish Government which tourist attractions it considers will not be allowed to reopen at phase 3 of its COVID-19 route map.
Answered by Fergus Ewing (22/06/2020)
Question S5W-29674: Rachael Hamilton, Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 08/06/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the performance of the land use strategy in contributing to meeting its climate change and biodiversity targets.
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham (18/06/2020)
Question S5W-29671: Rachael Hamilton, Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 08/06/2020
To ask the Scottish Government how the updated land use strategy will reflect changes in climate change policy, and what engagement it has had with stakeholders regarding this.
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham (18/06/2020)
Question S5W-29669: Rachael Hamilton, Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 08/06/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the efficacy of the 2016-21 land use strategy, and what progress is being made with the preparations for the updated strategy.
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham (18/06/2020)
Question S5W-29858: Maurice Golden, West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 11/06/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what immediate support it can provide to properties owned by the National Trust for Scotland that are unable to support social distancing regulations, while the talks over long-term assistance are ongoing.
Answered by Fiona Hyslop (22/06/2020)
Question S5W-29857: Maurice Golden, West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 11/06/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what the timeline is for further talks between it, the National Trust for Scotland and Scottish Enterprise, following the meeting on 26 May 2020.
Answered by Fiona Hyslop (22/06/2020)
Other Parliamentary
Motion S5M-22069: Maurice Corry, West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 17/06/2020
Scotland’s War Memorials
That the Parliament recognises the importance of Scotland’s war memorials in honouring the sacrifices made by servicemen and women; notes that these memorials, such as the Cross Monument located in Shandon, on the west coast, stand as confronting reminders of the human cost of war, past and present; agrees that their continued conservation and protection, which is often undertaken by community associations, is paramount in promoting both local and national remembrance; condemns therefore any attempt to desecrate or vandalise any of Scotland’s war memorials, such as the recent vandalism of the Boer War memorial in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Park by demonstrators; understands that, in England, there is cross-party interest in bringing forward legislation against such desecration, and welcomes discussion on how war memorials and monuments across Scotland can be further protected to allow current and future generations to remember the impact of war and the people who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Supported by: Miles Briggs, Alexander Stewart, Gordon Lindhurst, Richard Lyle, Murdo Fraser, Bill Kidd, Kenneth Gibson, Edward Mountain, Donald Cameron, Margaret Mitchell, Clare Adamson, Jeremy Balfour, Alison Harris, David Torrance, Peter Chapman, Finlay Carson, Liam Kerr.
Events
For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.
Historians on Dundas and Slavery
Date & time: 7th July from 17.30 – 19.30.
Online.
Urgent discussions are taking place across the world about monuments and streets dedicated to Henry Dundas, mainly focused on his insertion of ‘gradual’ into the 1792 bill for the abolition of the slave trade. But Dundas’s connections to slavery were broader. Join historians with specialist knowledge of Dundas’s career for in-depth information and analysis of all aspects of Dundas’s relationship to slavery.
Alternative Models of Architecture Practice
Date & time: Wed, 8 July 2020 from 18:00 – 19:30.
Online.
Inspired by evidence of a growing innovative approach to practicing architecture, the EAA has curated a series of talks titled ‘Alternative Models of Architecture Practice’. Throughout this series we will hear from architects undertaking community engagement, becoming makers or developers, and taking back the term ‘Design & Build’. The EAA has invited three practices to our first talk. Akiko Kobayashi, Matt + Fiona, and John Kinsley Architects. Each of the practices will look at their own approach to architecture practice, explain what inspired them to take these alternative routes and some of the challenges and rewards they have experienced.
Urban History summer seminar series – ‘Questioning the consensus? ‘
Date & time: Fri, 17 July 2020; 11:00 – 12:00.
Online.
Over the next few months, this seminar series will showcase leading edge research in the field of urban history. Our second speaker, Dr James Lesh from the University of Melbourne, will be talking about his work on heritage conservation in 1990s Melbourne and Sydney.
Training
e-Learning with CIfA
Welcome to CIfA’s e-learning portal. Here we provide online learning courses to help you develop your knowledge and understanding regarding heritage and the historic environment. Our current courses are:
• Professionalism in historic environment practice, an introduction
• Making sense of the planning system: An introduction
• Planning your career: understanding Personal Development Plans and Continuing Professional Development
Museums Galleries Scotland partnership with BEFS and greenspace scotland receive £497K for major investment in sector resilience training.
Built Environment Forum Scotland (BEFS) is pleased to announce that led by Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) and in partnership with greenspace scotland we have been awarded £497,300 from National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF), to support major investment in building the resilience of the heritage sector.
Sector feedback has highlighted the immediate need for support and strategic investment to help heritage organisations to develop sustainable business models, improve their ways of working, and evidence the impact of their role within Scotland’s communities.
The partnership will deliver an 18-month project that will provide Scotland’s heritage organisations and businesses with support through a programme of training that will build sustainability with immediate and long-term impacts on their organisations and the sector as a whole. Leadership is the overarching theme of the programme and there are four main areas of training in the programme, which have been identified through sector feedback: board development, community engagement, financial planning, and business resilience. Organisations who are interested in participating are encouraged to fill out the Expression of Interest Survey.
MGS, BEFS, and greenspace scotland are national strategic organisations who work across all of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, supporting 300 voluntary built environment groups, 407 museums and galleries, and 180 parks/greenspace organisations and groups. They have come together to deliver this project based on a legacy of shared values and previous successful partnership working. The strength of the partnership lies in the active relationships held by the organisations with and across different sectors.
Lucy Casot, CEO of Museums Galleries Scotland said:
“The sector has shown remarkable resilience in adapting to changing circumstances, but after a decade of austerity and consequent public sector funding cuts, and now the impact of COVID-19, many organisations have told us that they are struggling to plan and invest to adapt to these new financial realities.
We are very grateful for the investment from NLHF in this project, which enables us to work in partnership with BEFS and greenspace scotland to deliver a strategic programme that will upskill the sector in the business skills they need to support their immediate and long-term future.”
Caroline Clark, Director Scotland of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
“Collaboration is critical in building a successful and resilient heritage sector. I am delighted that this initiative will bring together cultural, built and natural heritage organisations to develop their business models and support capacity building. At this challenging time our funding, which comes from people playing The National Lottery, is crucial to helping the heritage sector manage change and improve sustainability so that its role in our nation and our economy is strengthened and recognised.”
Euan Leitch, Director of Built Environment Forum Scotland said:
“The unfolding economic scenario has made this resilience training ever more prescient. We look forward to working with our partner organisations in providing this stream of support to aid the sector as it works through the challenges ahead.”
Julie Procter, Chief Executive of greenspace scotland said:
“The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated how vital our parks and greenspaces are to our health, wellbeing and communities. After a decade of austerity and budget cuts, many parks, greenspace and other heritage organisations were already facing challenges. This timely new programme of strategic training and capacity building will support the wider heritage sector to develop the skills needed to move from surviving to thriving, with sustainable and resilient business models, to ensure that Scotland’s treasured heritage is sustained and continues to benefit communities today, tomorrow and for future generations.”
The programme has committed to support up to forty organisations and upskill up to eighty people within the sector. Each attendee will be paid a bursary and travel costs to attend the programme. The programme will be delivered in line with COVID-19 guidance.
To help deliver the programme MGS and partners will recruit a Business Support Manager and Business Support Assistant in the coming months.
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Museums Galleries Scotland is the National Development Body for museums and galleries in Scotland and offers strategic development support to the sector. For further information about Museums Galleries Scotland visit the website.
- For organisations interested in participating in the programme fill out an Expression of Interest, which is designed to give a brief overview of the programme and capture interest at an early stage from heritage organisations. Full details of the programme will be announced later in 2020 accompanied by a range of information sessions.
- About the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Using money raised by the National Lottery, we Inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund
- greenspace scotland is Scotland’s parks and greenspace charity, a social enterprise working with national and local partners towards the goal that everyone can access and enjoy quality greenspace. More information at here and follow @greenspacescot.
- Built Environment Forum Scotland is an umbrella body for organisations working in the built environment in Scotland, drawing on extensive expertise in a membership-led forum. Further details are available on our website.