Niall Murphy, Planning Convener of Pollokshields Community Council, Chair of Pollokshields Heritage & Vice Chair of Pollokshields Trust reflects on the motivations behind a community-led charrette and the challenges arising out of it.
Pollokshields, on Glasgow’s Southside, is the largest Victorian Garden Suburb in Scotland. It was feued in 1848 by Edinburgh Architect David Rhind on behalf of the Maxwell family who owned neighbouring Pollok Estate, with the family guiding its development for six decades.
Rhind’s plan split the suburb into two halves: West Pollokshields, with leafy avenues of large villas and East Pollokshields, with gridded blocks of sandstone tenements. Conscious of the appalling urban conditions in Glasgow at the time, the family insisted on broad streets and a 3-storey datum for tenements to ensure residents had good daylight and air. Flats incorporated bathrooms from the outset – well in advance of various Police Acts.
Today, East Pollokshields is the most multi-cultural area in Scotland with a BME population share of 52%. Between 2001-2013 the population rose by 16%. More than a quarter of households are overcrowded, 33% of children live in poverty, 93.5% of people live within 500m of vacant or derelict land while East Pollokshields has one of the lowest SIMD (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation) ranks in Scotland.
Though East Pollokshields became a conservation area in 1973 the Victorian tenements are aging and difficult to heat, while the mix of tenures and refuse issues means problems which resulted in the creation of the ‘Enhanced Enforcement Area’ in neighbouring Govanhill, also occurs here.
To help combat these issues in December 2014, Pollokshields Community Council, with support from our MSP, MP and local councillors, obtained agreement from Glasgow City Council that if we secured funding under the SSCI Charrette Mainstreaming Programme they would support us in the preparation of a planning study for the area – something which had been Glasgow City Council policy since the adoption of the City Plan 2 in 2008.
In February 2016, having obtained these funds, augmented by monies from Glasgow City Council, local businesses and amenity societies, we held the ‘Make Your Mark’ East Pollokshields and Port Eglinton Charrette – the first community led charrette in Glasgow – having recruited a consultant team led by Collective Architects.
The key objectives of our brief were how we could make the area a better place to live, to promote the contextual development of the large brownfield sites between Pollokshields and Glasgow city centre, so severance could be reduced and, most importantly, to ensure the charrette report was adopted.
The charrette outcomes were reported at a well-attended community meeting in late March 2016 with the vision publicly endorsed by Nicola Sturgeon MSP and Alison Thewliss MP. The finalised report was lodged with Glasgow City Council for their consideration in June 2016.
Since then, despite plenty of effort including the setting up of the Pollokshields Trust as a community anchor organisation to steer the vision forwards, repeated pre-application engagement with developers of the large brownfield sites to encourage them to take on board the charrette’s design code, to our frustration adoption by Glasgow City Council has still to occur.
Unfortunately, we are not unique. How to get community led charrettes adopted into policy by councils does seem to be the Achilles Heel of the process with the risk of thwarting community enthusiasm which could descend into cynicism and distrust – something sadly flagged up by the survey results for Barriers to Community Engagement in Planning – thereby undermining the efforts of the Scottish Government towards Local Place Plans.
Nevertheless, if we’ve learned anything it is tenacity! Therefore, we welcome a positive overture from Glasgow City Council, at a recent meeting hosted by Nicola Sturgeon MSP, to work collaboratively with us and the Scottish Government on a pilot scheme to ensure that community led charrettes can slot into the development plan process. Will we succeed? Watch this space…
BACK
Bill Pagan, Board member of BEFS, and founding Board member of Cupar Development Trust, offers thoughts on progress in Cupar in 2017 and the challenges to achieving action on the ground.
St Catherine Street from the east, autumn 2017. Completed County Buildings on the left.
Under scaffolding, former Clydesdale Bank on the right, and Burgh Chambers back left, both now completed.
The 2016 CharrettePlus in Cupar, led by PAS, was community-driven and mobilised local businesses, property-owners and the community at large. Many aspirations were identified.
The major tasks of Cupar Development Trust (CDT) in delivering some of the aspirations expressed during the Charrette have not been helped by closures – of another bank, a major office employer, and shops – during 2017. One of the shops explained its closure specifically as a chance to save costs by moving online only, and I believe another is moving in that direction. BEFS Small Towns Reports (including Cupar’s) recognised these sorts of challenges across Scotland.
Nevertheless, Fife Historic Buildings Trust are delivering the CARS and THI schemes, with Fiona Stenke their weel kent representative on the ground. Buildings in the heart of the town centre have been conserved and smartened. A particularly welcome part of the CARS/THI work in 2017 was the conservation of the Burgh Chambers.
The Interpretive Plan, produced in June 2017, after considerable effort by both a local Working Group and CMC Consultants, was the highlight of the year. It was funded by a £15,000 grant from the Scottish Government’s Activating Ideas Fund. The Plan’s main aims are:
- to encourage and define practical steps which will help people engage with Cupar’s rich heritage
- to map the strategic, longer-term goals of the community in ways that policymakers and funders can back.
In the second half of 2017, CDT then made several applications for funding to take the Interpretive Plan forward, with disappointing results. The thrust of these applications was to assist the delivery of “Digital Cupar”, the means identified for enhancing the understanding of Cupar’s Heritage, and increasing footfall in the town centre – both for direct Commercial & Retail activity and for Tourist Interpretation
Another funding application, to the Heritage Enterprise Fund, was for ‘Development Funding’ as a first step to securing capital grant for the renovation of a group of derelict buildings, in the very heart of the town centre. The “Inner Court” project is an important plank of Cupar’s re-generation, and was presented to the Charrette, where it received overwhelming support. Its aims are to deliver 28 new houses, and an element of Community and Commercial facilities, in the backlands bounded by two of Cupar’s main streets, Bonnygate and Crossgate.
This retail development is bound to have some impact on Cupar’s town centre, if indeed there is a market for it – it appears that only one site within it has been let so far.
The main task for CDT in 2018 is to show HLF and others that it is a resilient community-based organisation, with a long-life strategy for delivery. As well as keeping the pot boiling on the Interpretive Plan, the major challenges are the Inner Court Development and George Inn Pend. The overall aspiration is shown in this drawing of Inner Court, George Inn Pend being the one parallel to, and closest to, Bonnygate. The Bonnygate gap site – Cupar’s missing tooth – is shown filled by the only part of the proposals which reaches right through to a main street, the Bonnygate.
CDT’s tasks and aspirations move at a measured pace, dictated by the need for funding. Meantime, other changes intervene. Kingdom Housing Association (who are taking the lead in the Inner Court project) have 49 affordable houses under construction in their Pitscotttie Road site on the south-east boundary; Stephens have lodged a detailed application for 55 mixed housing units, possibly rising to 168, at Gilliesfaulds at the western gateway to the town; and discussions continue on the “Cupar North” site for 1480 houses, with a promised town relief road.
Cupar North has now been included in the Fife Plan. One of the town’s very active groups, Sustainable Cupar, will press for improved road safety provision on the present and future routes to the local services, including schools.
Cupar, like the rest of the country, cannot escape the impact of the financial crash of 2007/2008 on the housing sector. This, and the inordinate length of time taken to approve the Fife Development Plan, has delayed all substantial private house-builder activity in Cupar. Cupar has however been fortunate to have 18 new affordable homes right in the town centre – a part of the CARS/THI scheme for the County Buildings.
While the Tay Cities Deal’s main target in Fife is the St Andrews University ecological development at Guardbridge, some infrastructure in North East Fife may be funded, and this could include a contribution to the Cupar relief road. This would be particularly welcome because the Planning condition currently proposed would demand construction of that road only after the completion of the first 600 houses. This would have a serious impact on congestion and pollution, as much of the additional traffic generated would be fighting its way through the narrow town centre. Negotiations on infrastructure generally – schools, medical services, drainage and other services – have added to delays.
CDT and its partner organisations expect a major part of their efforts over the next three years, and beyond, to be raising funding for, and then delivering, small projects supported by HLF and others. Out of that experience, it will become clearer what the delivery of the Interpretive Plan, and other aspirations identified during the Charrette process, will require, including what structures will be best suited to the tasks. These tasks go beyond heritage alone, and will include social, cultural and environmental initiatives, with a strong element of education incorporated. Success in those will contribute to economic improvement.
You can follow progress via www.cupardevtrust.org.uk, Twitter @CuparCould, Instagram @CuparCould and Facebook.
BACK
Lesley Martin, strategic planner and doctoral researcher, reflects of the challenges and opportunities presented by public engagement and participation.
Lochrin Canal, Edinburgh: image Scottish Canals
Process trumps outcomes?
People may seek a connection but not necessarily active participation; processes are as important to communities as outcomes; and access does not equate to influence. I have been struck by how new studies are uncovering paradoxes and complexities that will continue to make effective participation a challenge. Nick Wright’s interesting case study of his work on community-led planning in Lockerbie is a useful reminder first, that many tools and techniques for community engagement already exist, and second, that there are many ways of becoming ‘involved’.
The public engagement paradox
One issue under more recent scrutiny is the degree to which inequality plays out in participation processes. This has been studied in depth by What Works Scotland in a 2017 evidence review, which analysed 70 studies of the link between community engagement and inequality – surprisingly rare in research studies. In covering dimensions familiar to practitioners: power; partnerships; representation; digital resources; funding; it also confirms ‘hard to shift’ barriers including unrealisable expectations and unrealistic burdens on the few – for example 7% of the Scottish population have volunteered 13 times or more in the previous year under study.
The study also highlights the ’public engagement paradox’, indicating that as participation has grown, so too has inequality. The risk therefore is that unequal societal power, embodied in the ‘rituals’ which are part and parcel of community engagement events, may be reproduced in participative processes.
Nick’s call for resources to support participative processes is echoed in the WWS report which particularly emphasises the need for ‘support to participate’ as a way to equalise opportunity. Jury members are reimbursed for travel expenses, so why should not citizens performing other forms of public service be recognised?
Challenge to linear participation models – embrace the ‘messiness’?
Engagement methods continue to favour ‘rational’ models – popular with strategists and embedded in public policy thinking, yet the essential ‘messiness’ and non-linearity of participative processes seems likely to be an increasing feature in the future. The toolkits we use may therefore need re-imagining. And the need for training is likely to increase – not just for communities, but for the people who organise and facilitate such processes.
In their work on the need for a ‘culture of kindness’ in public services, the Carnegie Trust explores not just the what, but the ‘how’ of service delivery, arguing that the ‘enabling State’ must rethink the modern model of ‘the public servant’ as someone comfortable about going beyond their role. This raises the question about the direction in which local government may find itself travelling, if the twin aims of efficiency and democracy are to be reconciled.
Co-operation needn’t mean consensus
Although Nick’s article questions whether community-led plans really need to be complicated, the drive to inclusion may indeed make participative processes even more complex and potentially confrontational. Moreover, the diagnosis of problems and suggested solutions will inevitably be interpreted differently by ever more participants. Consensus remains a worthwhile goal but learning to understand – while not necessarily agree with – other perspectives which may appear unjust, perverse or plain daft, is a difficult and time-consuming activity. Co-operation doesn’t have to imply consensus, therefore participative outputs may quite rightly express a range of views.
2018 – a year of experiment
As the planning profession enters an important year of change in the wake of new legislation, the experience of planners, who have been practicing participation longer than most, if not all, other professions, should be at the forefront of new thinking. At least there is the learning from the last half century to go on – and the experience of hundreds of excellent recent exemplars around the country. Nevertheless, the context, framing of the policy issues and the public discourse is unique for our times – and therefore so too must be the responses. 2018 is shaping up to be a fascinating year of experiment.
References
1. Nick Wright on LinkedIN ‘Real Community Planning in Lockerbie‘ posted 2 January 2018.
2. Lightbody, R. (2017) Hard to reach’ or ‘easy to ignore’? Promoting equality in community engagement, Edinburgh: What Works Scotland.
3. Brotchie, J. (2017) What do Citizens Want? How professional help and support fits into day to day lives, Edinburgh: The Carnegie Trust.
Lesley Martin MRTPI MCMI FRSA
Consultant and Doctoral Researcher
@lesleymartin216
email: lesley@lesleymartinconsulting.com
www: lesleymartinconsulting.com
Blog originally posted on LinkedIn on 4th January 2018.
BACK
Get The Latest Built Environment News, Events, Vacancies, Consultations And Publications in our news bulletin.
BEFS News
The Maintenance of Tenement Communal Property was debated in the Parliament on Tuesday 9th January. BEFS contacted MSPs ahead of the debate to raise awareness, using the range of case studies we received following our call for evidence at the end of 2017. You can watch the debate here. You can also read the live coverage of the debate on BBC Scotland News. BEFS will continue to engage with the Parliament on this topic and has offered to support any working group formed.
You can vent your own common repair problems in this three minute survey from Under One Roof.
BEFS in partnership with a number of BEFS members and stakeholders has written to Kevin Stewart MSP, Minister for Local Governmnet and Housing, to raise concerns over current government proposals intended to improve the energy performance of Scotland’s private rented housing stock – specifically the potential impact the use of the Energy Performance Certificate will have on Scotland’s stock of traditionally built homes.
The power for communities to have the right to buy abandoned, neglected, or detrimental land and buildings is soon to become available: what opportunities will it offer your community? BEFS in partnership with Glasgow City Heritage Trust invites you to join us at Govanhill Baths in March to find out more about this piece of legislation.
Scotland’s Sustainable Development Goals Network has launched an invitation to organisations and individuals across Scotland to sign an open letter to key decision makers and institutions in Scotland. This letter calls on the Scottish Cabinet and Scotland’s Political Parties, Parliamentary Committees and Local Authorities to demonstrate their commitment to delivering the SDGs in Scotland by publishing the specific actions they are taking towards the goals. BEFS has agreed to sign the open letter. It might be something for your organisation to consider too.
Scottish Civic Trust’s My Place Awards 2018 are still accepting nominations for the best new building, public realm or designed landscape or heritage restoration project in Scotland. Don’t delay, the deadline for nominations is 31 January 2018!
Finally, don’t miss out on the range of upcoming events listed in out events and training sections and a number of job opportunities in the sector.
Consultations
Planning (Scotland) Bill
As with all bills, the Finance and Constitution Committee invites written evidence on the estimated financial implications of the Bill as set out in its accompanying Financial Memorandum (FM).
The deadline for submissions is 26 Janaury 2018.
A Connected Scotland: Tackling social isolation and loneliness and building stronger social connections (SG 16/01/18)
Opened 16 Jan 2018 and closes 27 Apr 2018.
Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Existing Premises with Sleeping Accommodation.
Closes 5 February.
Proposed Social Housing (Automatic Fire Suppression Systems) (Scotland) Bill
Consultation closing date: 16 April 2018.
Law Commission consultation on planning law in Wales (Law Commission x/12/17)
he Law Commission launched a twelve-week public consultation on its proposals to modernise and codify planning law in Wales, with a deadline for responses of 1 March 2018.
Consultation Responses
Publications
Scotland’s Place in Europe: People, Jobs and Investment (SG 15/01/18)
Scottish Government News Releases
Scotland after Brexit (SG 16/01/18)
Nicola Sturgeon delivered the first of the David Hume Institute’s Politicians & Professionals speeches, which continue until the end of February.
Scottish EU Bill likely to be introduced in February (SG 10/01/18)
EU Withdrawal Bill incompatible with devolution. The Scottish Government has begun preparations to introduce an EU Continuity Bill to prepare Scotland’s laws for Brexit after UK Government legislation was called “incompatible with the devolution settlement” by a cross-party Holyrood committee.
Keeping Scotland in Europe (SG 08/01/18)
“Next few months are a window of opportunity” says First Minister. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said today that the first few months of 2018 are a window of opportunity for all those working to protect Scotland’s place in Europe and particularly our membership of the European Single Market.
Forecasting coastal erosion (SG 05/01/18)
Research to map the effects of climate change. The damage that climate change could cause to nearly one fifth of Scotland’s coastline and the steps that could be taken to mitigate it will be forecast in a new two year research project. The next phase of DynamicCoast.com will use the latest monitoring techniques to map and categorise the resilience of the Scottish coast and identify the links between erosion and flooding.
Designing communities (SG 26/12/17)
People to have say in designs for their area. Community projects from Argyll and Bute to Shetland will share around £312,000 to regenerate their neighbourhoods, Local Government Minister Kevin Stewart announced today. As part of the Making Places Initiative, 19 projects will receive funding to bring people together to agree priorities for their area and shape future planning and design.
News Releases
V&A Dundee Museum of Design announces opening date (BBC 18/01/18)
Dundee’s £80.1m V&A Museum of Design will open on 15 September, it has been confirmed. The museum’s opening exhibition will be Ocean Liners: Speed & Style, which will “re-imagine the golden age of ocean travel.”
RICS Brexit position statement on infrastructure (RICS Scotland 16/01/18)
Membership of the EU provides the UK with access to a number of EU funding streams – notably, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF). A loss of these funding streams could have negative consequences for infrastructure investment and development.
12 European heritage sites shortlisted for the 7 Most Endangered programme 2018 (EN 16/01/18)
At the opening of the European Year of Cultural Heritage, Europa Nostra, the leading heritage organisation in Europe, and the European Investment Bank Institute announce the 12 heritage sites shortlisted for the 7 Most Endangered programme 2018 by a panel of experts in various fields.
IHBC’s ‘Heritage from the (Christian) doorstep’: New funding to rescue deteriorating historic churches (IHBC 16/01/18)
Historic churches and chapels in England, Wales, Scotland will benefit from £680,000 of rescue funding from the National Churches Trust, the UK’s church buildings support charity, as reported by Premier Christian Media Trust.
New Report Shows Impact of Climate Change on Historic Sites (HES 15/01/18)
A ground-breaking report outlining the climate change risk to Scotland’s historic sites, and next steps for managing this through in-depth assessment and investment, has been published today (Monday 15 January) by Historic Environment Scotland (HES).
Government’s vision for a greener future launched (DEFRA 11/01/18)
A pledge to eliminate avoidable waste, introduce new safeguards for wildlife and connect more children with nature are among the ambitious plans for a greener future outlined by Prime Minister Theresa May and Environment Secretary Michael Gove today.
Government renews focus on housing with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG 08/01/18)
Following the appointment of Rt Hon. Sajid Javid MP as the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the department will be renamed as the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Deal or No Deal? There are significant issues with City Region Deals, says Holyrood Committee (SP 08/01/18)
There are significant issues with Scotland’s City Region Deals that must be addressed, according to a Holyrood Committee’s Deal or No Deal report. In the report published today, the Local Government and Communities Committee recognises that these Deals are in their infancy but outlines a number of concerns on the economic growth projects.
Historic Environment Scotland celebrates Planning Performance (HES 21/01/18)
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has today (21 Dec 2017) published its 2016-17 Planning Performance Report; the first full-year Planning Performance Report since the merger of Historic Scotland and the Royal Commission on Historic and Ancient Monuments of Scotland in 2015.
Green Infrastructure Community Engagement Fund to re-open for applications (SNH)
We are re-opening our Community Engagement Fund to new applicants at the start of 2018. The Fund is part of SNH’s Green Infrastructure project which is working to transform some of Scotland’s most deprived urban areas by developing and improving their green spaces. The deadline for applications is Tuesday 3 April with funding decisions to be announced in May.
New App, Litlong, Lets You Take a Literary Tour of Edinburgh: Features 50,000 Book Excerpts
The University of Edinburgh and Napier University have teamed up to create Litlong, a website and mobile app that lets you explore Edinburgh and its rich literary tradition.
SPAB Briefings (SPAB)
The SPAB Briefings offer a summary of recent work by the Society. Briefings offer cutting-edge information to help both owners and building professionals. They contain views, advice and information from specialists and members of the Society’s staff and cover: ‘Disaster and Recovery’, ‘
Energy Efficiency in Old Buildings’, ‘Lime’ and ‘Windows and Doors’.
Opinion & Comment
The Challenges and Opportunities for Scottish Planners in 2018 (Craig McLaren, RTPI Scotland)
After Grenfell (Professor Mark Stephens, Heriot-Watt University)
Carillion’s Missing Millions (Grace Blakeley, Think tank researcher)
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-13719: Claudia Beamish, South Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 09/01/2018
To ask the Scottish Government whether, in furthering its land reform policies, local community organisations, such as those types referred to in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, are given the first opportunity to buy any Scottish Government-owned land or property, or part thereof. (SP 09/01/18)
Question S5W-13670: Ben Macpherson, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 04/01/2018
To ask the Scottish Government how many affordable homes have been delivered since 2007, and how the supply of affordable housing per head of population in Scotland compares with that in England. (SP 04/01/18)
Question S5W-13671: Ben Macpherson, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 04/01/2018
To ask the Scottish Government how many homes have been delivered since 2007 for social rent, and how the supply of homes for social rent compares with that in England. (SP 04/01/18)
Question S5W-13672: Ben Macpherson, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 04/01/2018
To ask the Scottish Government what the average level of grant funding is for each affordable housing unit in Scotland, and how this compares with England. (SP 04/01/18)
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-13531: Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 19/12/2017
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the assessment that underpins its assertion that the provisions in its Planning (Scotland) Bill are compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answered by Angela Constance (09/01/2018)
Question S5W-13532: Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 19/12/2017
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether the provisions in its Planning (Scotland) Bill are compliant with the obligations in the UN Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, also known as the Aarhus Convention, and when it will publish any such assessment.
Answered by Angela Constance (09/01/2018)
Question S5W-13327: Elaine Smith, Central Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 11/12/2017
To ask the Scottish Government how it will support local authorities in mitigating the effect of reports of rising rents in some inner city areas on low-income workers.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (21/12/2017)
Question S5W-13328: Elaine Smith, Central Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 11/12/2017
To ask the Scottish Government how the provisions of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 that require local authorities to take due regard of the long-term supply of appropriately trained construction and maintenance labour has been monitored, and how it will be recorded during the Affordable Supply Housing. Programme
Answered by Kevin Stewart (20/12/2017)
Question S5W-13324: Elaine Smith, Central Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 11/12/2017
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of local authority-owned land has been (a) sold to private developers and (b) retained for the purpose of building council housing for social rent in each of the last five years.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (20/12/2017)
Debates
Members’ Business for debate
Ben Macpherson: Maintenance of Tenement Communal Property—That the Parliament recognises that a significant proportion of people in Edinburgh and across Scotland live in tenement buildings; believes that the maintenance of communal property, otherwise known as the common parts or “Scheme Property” as defined in the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004, in tenements is essential to the upkeep of the buildings and the standard of living for owner occupiers and tenants; understands with concern that, in many cases, such Scheme Property is in a state of disrepair, degradation or deterioration; believes that current legislation is not consistently fulfilling its intention to encourage owners to establish effective arrangements for managing communal repairs and undertaking maintenance; acknowledges the various potential solutions put forward by groups and individuals in the housing sector to help address this issue, and notes the view that, for the wellbeing of owner occupiers and tenants and to sustain and enhance the country’s urban infrastructure and environments, the government should review the situation and consider any legislative changes, new initiatives, enhanced use of existing rules and/or further action by local authorities that could facilitate improved upkeep of Scheme Property. (SP 09/01/18)
Find the transcript of the debate here.
Events
For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.
Join us for the launch of our Youth Volunteer programme as part of our celebration of the Year of Young People 2018!
When: 25 January 2018 – 12.45 – 2pm, with lunch provided.
Where: PAS Office, 3rd floor, 125 Princes Street, Edinburgh.
Over our 25 years of existence, the PAS volunteer network has been made up of built environment professionals – mainly planners, architects and designers. Now, to mark our 25th anniversary and Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018, we will launch a brand new youth volunteer programme on 25 January. Through the youth volunteer programme, we hope to promote active citizenship among 16-25 year olds, encourage young people to be actively involved in placemaking in their community and broaden young people’s skills and confidence to participate in the decision-making processes in their place. We’re pleased that Kevin Stewart MSP, Minister for Local Government and Housing has agreed to speak at the launch. Please RSVP to Volunteer Manager, Erin Fulton: erin@pas.org.uk.
Heroines of the Canongate: Urban Reform in Edwardian Old Town
When: Monday 5th February 2018, at 6.30pm.
Where: St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, 13 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PA.
Dr Elizabeth Darling is Reader in Architectural History at Oxford Brookes University. Her work focuses on gender, space and reform in the 1890s – 1940s. Elizabeth offers us a different perspective on urban reform in the Old Town, highlighting the many women working around the same time as Patrick Geddes, and the change they effected in environments in and around the Canongate.
Tradition and Innovation: The Modernist legacy in Cambodia and Vietnam
When: Tuesday, 06 February 2018, from 18:15 to 19:15.
Where: City of Edinburgh Methodist Church, 25 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh EH8 9BX.
In this Docomomo Scotland talk, Nick Haynes, an architectural historian living in Edinburgh, will share Modernist impressions of his recent journey through Cambodia and Vietnam. More holiday slideshow than academic lecture, the tour will take us to various places in both countries, looking at the fascinating mid-20th century legacy of architectural and urban planning in socialist Southeast Asia. This will, of course, feature the architecture of the Cambodian star architect Vann Mollyvann, but also many works by other designers.
Maximising Tourism Opportunities in Towns
When: FEBRUARY 07, 2018 AT 1:30PM – 4PM
Where: Architecture + Design Scotland, Bakehouse Close, Edinburgh.
Learn how to maximise the opportunities from tourism in your town at this interactive workshop with VisitScotland and Scotland’s Towns Partnership. The event is free for STP members – join today! Hear from VisitScotland experts in marketing, events and inclusive tourism, and receive information about support and funding available from the national tourism agency. You will also hear case studies from the VisitScotland Growth Fund and discuss opportunities to attract the local community and visitors from outwith the region to your town centres and its businesses.
Debate – Glasgow’s Tenement Tradition: Are we British or European?
When: Thursday 15th February 2018 | 6-8pm.
Where: St Luke’s, Bain Street.
73% of us in Glasgow live in flats, compared with around 24% in most comparable English cities. In Spain and Germany flatted living is much more prevalent, so are we just more European, north of the border? Or are our traditional tenements actually a quirk of British housing? Our panel of speakers will discuss the character of tenements in Glasgow and beyond and what our housing pattern means for the city.
William Adam and Formal Landscape Design in Scotland 1720 – 1745
When: Monday 12th March 2018, at 6.30pm.
Where: St Andrew’s & St George’s West Church, 13 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PA.
A graduate of St. Andrew’s University, Louisa Humm works for Historic Environment Scotland- initially in their listing team and now as a Senior Casework Officer responsible for listed building consent work in Glasgow and other parts of South-West Scotland. Her lecture investigates how Adam’s garden designs related to contemporary and earlier fashions in Scotland and England. Featured estates include Newliston and Blair Crambeth.
Power to the People: Understanding Community Right to Buy
When: Wednesday 14th March 2018 | 6-8pm.
Where: Govanhill Baths, 99 Calder Street, Glasgow, G42 7RA.
The power for communities to have the right to buy abandoned, neglected, or detrimental land and buildings is soon to become available: what opportunities will it offer your community? Glasgow City Heritage Trust in partnership with the Built Environment Forum Scotland (BEFS) invite you to join us at Govanhill Baths to find out more about this legislation, which will give communities significant power and rights to acquire land and buildings. Throughout the evening we will hear from a variety of organisations about what land is eligible, which community bodies can apply and the process for doing so. There will be opportunity for discussion and to learn from other communities that have taken on ownership responsibilities.
The Collapse of Holyrood Abbey Church in 1768
When: Monday 9th April 2018, at 6.30pm.
Where: St Andrew’s & St George’s West Church, 13 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PA.
Dr Dimitris Theodossopoulos teaches conservation and architectural technology at the University of Edinburgh, and is also a civil engineer. He is particularly interested in the technical aspects of monuments and their preservation. His talk sheds light onto the collapse of Holyrood Abbey Church, following the puzzling substitution of decaying roof trusses with masonry walls in 1760.
Training
CPD: Geology of Building Stone in Scotland
When: Wednesday 7th February 2018 | 12.30-1.30pm.
Where: 54 Bell Street, Glasgow.
Stone has been used as a vital element of Scotland’s historic built environment from prehistoric times to the present day. In this CPD session Dr Callum Graham of Historic Environment Scotland will explore the geology of Scotland’s rock types to highlight the fundamental physical properties of stone and why it was once the predominant material of choice for building traditional Scottish structures.
CPD: Approaches to Stone Conservation
When: Wednesday 21st February 2018 | 12.30-1.30pm.
Where: 54 Bell Street, Glasgow.
‘Approaches to Stone Conservation’ illustrates common symptoms and causes of stone decay and their means of determination before the main preventive and remedial conservation actions are discussed in the context of traditional stone buildings. These will cover stone cleaning, pointing, stone indents and surface coatings.
The Structural Repair of Historic Buildings
When: 23 February 2018, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Workshops & Merryhill Training Centre.
Cost: £190 + vat (if you are a BLF, IHBC or RIAS member you are eligible for 20% discount on this seminar. Please just give us a call with your member number).
The aim of this seminar is to provide professionals with a sound understanding of the philosophy of conservation and a better understanding of the relationship between structural engineering and conservation, of safety issues and of the aesthetics of conservation based structural repairs. This seminar, led by Ian Hume is suitable for anyone involved in the structural repair of historic buildings, conservation officers, architects, engineers, site managers and others would find this seminar helpful. The course will consist of lectures, case studies and group activities.
CPD: Stone Matching
When: Wednesday 7th March 2018 | 12.30-1.30pm.
Where: 54 Bell Street, Glasgow.
Throughout Scotland there is a wealth of traditional buildings constructed of stone. When the time comes to repair and replace stonework, a detailed knowledge of the chemical, physical and mineralogical properties of the existing stone is required. Only with that understanding can we select compatible materials to replace it with. This CPD session will explore why stone matching is required, the difficulties of stone replacement in the UK and what services are available, as well as the petrographic stone matching procedures, its requirements, time restraints and what the technician undertaking the test actually does.
Vacancies
Project Manager (STP)
Scotland’s Towns Partnership, the national agency for towns in Scotland, is seeking a Project Manager (part time) for a 3 – 6 month period. The post offers a flexible working pattern. The post holder will be expected to work closely alongside our Chief Officer as we reshape the Business Improvement District Model towards a more expansive Community Improvement District approach and develop a new range of supports, partnerships and activities related to this. The role will involve developing new stakeholder relationships and helping to shape central support services and tools for the new Community Improvement District model.
The deadline for applications is 5pm, 19th January 2018.
Glasgow’s Historic Environment Scoping Study: Invitation to Tender (GCHT)
Glasgow City Heritage Trust (GCHT) wishes to engage a suitable professional to conduct a study into the state of Glasgow’s built environment and the landscape of organisations and community groups involved in the sector within Glasgow. This study would form the framework and supporting background documentation for an event in Spring 2018 which would challenge attendees to consider: what do we need to do together to improve the state of the city’s built heritage? The final document would inform GCHT’s strategic direction and would also be disseminated online to anyone with an interest, allowing them to evidence and develop their own activities in the sector. This study will suit a variety of professionals and the Trust is flexible in the appointment of this contract.
Deadline: 12 noon, Monday 22nd January 2018.
Grants Operations Manager (HES)
The Grants Operations Manager will undertake all day to day management functions of the delivery of HES’s grant investment in the historic environment. You will be responsible for ensuring annual spend meets the allocated budgets, commitments for future spend are suitably accounted and that the Delivery Team is well line managed.
Closing Date: 24 January 2018 at midday.
International Training Officer (EWH)
Edinburgh World Heritage looking to appoint an International Training Officer to assist with the delivery of the Interreg Atlantic Area European Regional Development Fund (AtlaS.WH) project. This is a European project to improve the preservation, enhancement and sustainability of historic city centres. Partner cities include Porto (project co-ordinator), Edinburgh, Florence, Bordeaux, and Santiago de Compostela. The project objectives are to improve the protection and promotion of World Heritage Sites, reinforce the sense of belonging for residents, promote local economic activities and promote sustainable management of urban World Heritage Sites. To apply for this role, please send us your CV, together with a completed application from and covering letter in support of your application by 5PM, Wednesday 24th January 2018.
Heritage Impact Fund – Project Manager (Consultant) Tender Opportunity (AHF)
The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF), the leading social investor in the heritage sector, is developing a new Heritage Impact Fund (HIF). This fund is designed to assist community businesses, social enterprises and charities to find enterprising new uses for historic buildings they value and to produce socially-beneficial heritage projects. In preparation for launching this Fund, the AHF is now seeking a Project Manager who will support the Architectural Heritage Fund’s Investment Manager on the establishment of the HIF. Completed tenders to be returned to the AHF by 24th January 2018;
Chief Executive (Shetland Amenity Trust)
In stunning surroundings and with an unparalleled history, this is a rare chance to lead Shetland Amenity Trust, a charity set up in 1983 to care for the islands’ exceptional culture and heritage and improve access to them. As well as being a grant giver, the Trust runs a large number of projects and events. These include the Geopark which is of international and UNESCO interest, a Viking project, a woodland conservation scheme, a museum and archives which hosts a cafe, a range of community history projects, tourist holidays and accommodation, and a number of cultural events which have global appeal. The role of CEO with the Trust will be varied, exciting and challenging while allowing you to showcase your talents to the max.
Closing Date: Midnight, Monday 5th February 2018.
Five (5) High-Quality Grant Supported Traineeships at Scottish Heritage Organisations (Next Step Initiative)
Next Step Initiative is offering The Ethnic Minority Career Museum, & Built Environment Heritage Traineeships (With Bursary).
Next Step Initiative is a leading Ethnic Minority Social enterprise and Charity established in 2009, that works to empower, improve and transform the quality of life of African and Caribbean/Ethnic Minority Communities in Scotland. Next Step Initiative, through the support of its strategic heritage partners, has created this unique and exciting new skills training programme. ‘The Ethnic Minority Career Museum and Built Environment Heritage Programme’, (EMCMBEHP). EMCMBEHP aim is to focus on widening and strengthening skills development and access of people from the African and Caribbean/Ethnic Minority Communities across Scotland into the world of both the museum and built environment heritage sectors. EMCMBEHP is supported through the Heritage Lottery Fund’s National Skills for the Future Initiative.
Application Deadline: 5 pm on Friday 9th of February 2018.
CSGN Young Persons Travel Grant (CSGN)
The High Line in New York, Gardens by the Bay in Singapore and the Bosco Verticale in Milan are just some of the world-renowned examples of green infrastructure which are already being used to inspire the development of projects in central Scotland. By applying for our travel grant of up to £1,000 (£500 if visiting an initiative in the UK), you could be in with a chance to visit anywhere in the world to learn more about green infrastructure projects like these and to bring the knowledge back to the Central Belt.
Deadline for applications is midnight 1 April 2018.
Heritage consultant (Simpson & Brown)
Simpson & Brown is looking to appoint a new member to its Heritage Consultancy Team. Simpson & Brown is looking for an enthusiastic, dynamic and experienced person to join the Heritage Consultancy Team in Edinburgh. The position would be part time, three days per week. Simpson & Brown are leading experts in historic buildings and sites with 40 years of experience working with some of the United Kingdom’s most important built heritage. The Heritage Consultancy Team specialises in conservation plans and statements of significance for all types of heritage asset. Working in this team requires versatility and a willingness to be involved in a variety of work relating to the historic built environment.
Further details will be released on Simpson & Brown’s website in the last week of January 2018
Further to a Scottish Government consultation on energy efficiency and the private rented sector this joint letter flags issues around the use of energy performance certificates and traditional buildings
Wednesday 10 January 2018
The undersigned have written to Kevin Stewart MSP, Minister for Local Governmnet and Housing to raise our concerns over current government proposals intended to improve the energy performance of Scotland’s private rented housing stock – specifically the potential impact the use of the Energy Performance Certificate will have on Scotland’s stock of traditionally built homes. We are a group of heritage professionals, responsible for assessing, planning and executing the maintenance and improvement of Scotland’s built heritage.
As a group, we strongly support the drive to improve the energy performance of Scotland’s homes, including traditionally-built properties. The continued use of historic properties is the best guarantee of their survival. These properties form a fifth of Scotland’s overall housing stock and they are a prominent part of Scotland’s heritage, shaping the character of our towns and villages. These properties are also a disproportionately important part of rural housing stock.
However, adverse or incorrect adaptations of traditionally-built properties can fail to improve their energy performance, and by limiting air circulation may degrade both occupants’ health and the building fabric. We are also concerned that, if the phasing or cost estimates are not aligned with what is actually feasible, then housing stock will be taken out of rental use and may instead go to holiday home use, or fall out of use altogether. This would have the greatest impact on rural areas in Scotland, where there are already pressures on housing availability.
In relation to the government’s current proposals for minimum energy requirements in private-rented properties (and their potential extension to privately-owned properties) we have identified the following issues:
Real-world baselines – the current EPC baselines for traditionally-built, stone-walled buildings do not reflect their real-world performance. There is therefore a risk of making unneeded interventions based on inaccurate data.
Availability of assessor skills – to implement the proposals will require an adequate supply of assessors trained in how traditional buildings perform and how they can best be improved.
Availability of installation skills and suitable materials – similarly, we will need to have suitably trained professionals and trades able to carry out the adaptations, and a supply chain to meet the demand. This can be developed, particularly if there is a strong market signal from government, from assessors and from owners, but may need time to grow.
The government’s regulator, Historic Environment Scotland, has previously raised concerns over the lack of professional and trades skills available to support the traditional building sector, including the capacity to meet the Government’s commitments under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.[1]
Realistic timeframe – if the timeframe is too short for the assessor and installer skills to be developed and applied, we risk damaging interventions or stock being taken out of use.
This is all entirely avoidable. With the correct policy prescription in place, traditional buildings are amongst the most sustainable of all building types, with embodied energy, durable materials, and capable of being adapted to a variety of uses.
We believe that these problems can be avoided through:
- Updating the EPC baselines with more accurate data on the actual environmental performance of Scottish traditional buildings.
- Assessing the availability of assessor and installer skills against the likely demand for resources, and estimate how these can best be developed, and how quickly this can be done.
- Developing and applying a timeframe for upgrade that respects these limits.
We note that other jurisdictions, including England and Germany, have recognised these issues and provided specific remedies for these types of homes.
The inadequacies of the Energy Performance Certificate in relation to traditional buildings have recently been raised by heritage professionals in England with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
We would be happy to meet with you and your colleagues to discuss how we can find the best resolution that maintains the integrity of Scotland’s traditional buildings, that keeps them as wind, water tight and warm homes, and that meets Scotland’s ambitious climate change goals.
Yours sincerely,
Martin Robertson, Chair, Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland
Euan Leitch, Director, Built Environment Forum Scotland
Rebecca Thompson, President, Chartered Institute of Building
Earl of Hopetoun, Chair, Historic Houses Association Scotland
Sean O’Reilly, Director, Institute of Historic Building Conservation
Simon Skinner, Chief Executive, National Trust for Scotland
Karen Stevenson, Acting Secretary, Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland
Gail Hunter, Regional Director – Scotland, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
Colin Maclean, Chair, Scottish Civic Trust
John McKinney, Convener, Scottish Traditional Building Forum
[1] Historic Scotland (2011) Traditional Building Skills: A strategy for sustaining and developing traditional building skills in Scotland
BACK
Get The Latest Built Environment News, Events, Vacancies, Consultations And Publications in our final bulletin of the year.
BEFS News
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution Derek Mackay MSP laid out the details of the Scottish Government’s draft budget 2018-19 last Thursday. Key documents have also been published, including a Scotland Performs Update. Details on the funding of Historic Environment Scotland within the Culture, Tourism and External Affairs portfolio can be found in our latest news item.
Scotland’s national fundraising conference specifically dedicated to the heritage sector will take place on Thursday 26th April 2018 in Edinburgh. Celebrating Scotland’s Heritage and the Resourcing Scotland’s Heritage (RSH) Training Programme, the conference will focus on various fundraising avenues, share the RSH legacies from the past four years and look forward to future training opportunities, following the conclusion of the training programme in March 2018. Further details in the new year but save the date!
BEFS is delighted to introduce three new Trustees. Read a little about Tom Addyman, Stuart Beattie and Kate Houghton, and their ambitions in their new roles on BEFS board.
Finally, the team at BEFS would like to wish you all a wonderful festive season and a great start to 2018. The BBC has helpfully pulled together some of the best and worst politician Christmas cards of the year…enjoy!
Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (Relief from Additional Amount) (Scotland) Bill
The Finance and Constitution Committee is the lead Committee responsible for scrutiny of the Bill. Accordingly, the Committee would be interested in hearing your views on the Bill.
Consultation Responses
Climate Change Bill: Consultation Summary Report (SG 18/12/17)
A summary report from independent contractors analysing responses to the public consultation on Scottish Government proposals for a Climate Change Bill.
Publications
The Taylor Review: Sustainability of English Churches and Cathedrals (DDCMS 20/12/17)
An independent review, chaired by Bernard Taylor, into the sustainability of Church of England Church and Cathedral buildings.
Places, people and planning: simplified development zone flowchart (SG 18/12/17)
Understanding the Archaeology of Landscapes: A Guide to Good Recording Practice (Second Edition) (CiFA 14/12/17)
This document outlines non-invasive fieldwork approaches to surveying, investigating and interpreting archaeological sites and landscapes. It is relevant to archaeologists working in the commercial sector, to those conducting academic research projects, and to the voluntary sector and community groups.
‘Hard to reach’ or ‘easy to ignore’? Promoting equality in community engagement – Evidence review (WWS 12/12/17)
This evidence review explores the intersection between community engagement and inequality. It examines evidence, from Scotland and the UK, on what is being done to overcome inequality in community engagement.
Estimate of Community Owned Land in Scotland 2017 (SG 08/12/17)
Code of Conduct for Persons Lobbying MSPs (SP 08/12/17)
TheLobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 requires the Scottish Parliament to publish a code of conduct for persons lobbying members of the Scottish Parliament. This Code of Conduct has been produced to meet this statutory obligation.
Scottish Government News Releases
Building a fairer Scotland (SG 20/12/17)
£756 million investment in affordable housing. A 28% funding increase will help deliver at least 50,000 affordable homes over this Parliament, as announced in the Draft Budget by Finance Secretary Derek Mackay.
Building and fire safety (SG 18/12/17)
Response to independent interim review. Communities Secretary Angela Constance has welcomed the publication of an interim report into UK building regulations and fire safety. Dame Judith Hackitt was commissioned to carry out the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety following the Grenfell Tower fire.
Scotland’s Budget (SG 14/12/17)
Investing in the NHS, protecting low earners, backing Scotland’s economy. The 2018-19 Draft Budget will protect the NHS and public services, support low earners and unlock Scotland’s economic potential, according to Finance Secretary Derek Mackay.
13% increase in number of new build homes started (SG 13/12/17)
A National Statistics Publication for Scotland. There were 19,598 new build homes started across all sectors over the year ending June 2017, an increase of 13%, or 2,188 homes, on the previous year.
Returning EU powers (SG 12/12/17)
Preparations underway for ‘Continuity Bill’. The Scottish Government will press ahead with preparations for a ‘Continuity Bill’ if significant changes are not made to UK Brexit legislation, Minister for UK Negotiations on Scotland’s Place in Europe Michael Russell has said.
70,000 affordable homes delivered (SG 12/12/17)
Housing figures published today. More than 70,000 affordable homes have now been delivered since 2007- a total of 48,813 homes for social rent, including 8,819 council homes, as well as 4,936 for affordable rent and 17,112 for affordable home ownership.
Community ownership is increasing in Scotland (SG 08/12/17)
Scotland’s Chief Statistician today published the Estimate of Community Owned Land in Scotland 2017 publication. The publication presents the area of land in community ownership, the number of land parcels/assets in community ownership and the number of community groups that own land parcels/assets.
News Releases
New Planning Bill needs national and regional housing targets, says Henry McLeish (SHN 21/12/17)
The chair of the Scottish Alliance for People and Places and the former First Minister of Scotland, the Rt. Hon. Henry McLeish, has pressed the Scottish Government to be more ambitious on housing in its recently published Planning (Scotland) Bill.
Survey of community archaeologists (CiFA 19/12/17)
The CIfA Voluntary and Community SIG has launched a survey of community archaeologists to get a better idea of who is working in community archaeology and to find out what everyone would like to have or need in terms of support and training. What can we do to support community archaeology across the sector and promote best practice and standards? The survey is open until the end of January 2018.
Call for Entries – RIAS/RIBA Awards for Scotland 2018 (RIAS 14/12/17)
This year we are launching entirely in tandem with the RIBA. All types of architectural projects are eligible, including conservation, conversions, extensions, interiors, new-build, public realm, regeneration and restoration. Entries submitted will be eligible to win the new RIAS Awards and Special Category Awards, RIBA Awards for Scotland and RIBA Special Awards. RIAS Award winners will also be eligible for the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award. RIBA Award winners will also be eligible for the RIBA Stirling Prize. Only one submission and one entry fee per project submitted is required.
Independent review calls for greater community use to give church buildings a sustainable future (DDCMS 20/12/17)
Churches should be opened up for new and different uses by communities to help build a more sustainable future for the buildings, an independent report has recommended. The Taylor Review: Sustainability of English Churches and Cathedrals says that congregations should be empowered to involve more local people in enjoying, valuing, using and caring for their churches.
SURF Award Winners Announced (SURF 07/12/17)
The outcomes of the prestigious 2017 SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration were announced tonight (07/12/17) at a celebratory presentation event in Glasgow’s Grand Central Hotel.
Opinion & Comment
Reflections on the Planning (Scotland) Bill (RTPI Scotland 19/12/17)
Communities across Scotland at risk from flooding reservoirs (18/12/17)
Land Value Taxation (Scottish Land Commission 15/12/17)
Arctic Circle Forum: Scotland and the New North (RTPI Scotland 14/12/17)
Blog: The housing land market in Scotland (SHN 08/12/17)
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”.
Elaine Smith S5W-13324
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of local authority-owned land has been (a) sold to private developers and (b) retained for the purpose of building council housing for social rent in each of the last five years. (SP 11/12/17)
Elaine Smith S5W-13327
To ask the Scottish Government how it will support local authorities in mitigating the effect of reports of rising rents in some inner city areas on low-income workers. (SP 11/12/17)
Elaine Smith S5W-13328
To ask the Scottish Government how the provisions of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 that require local authorities to take due regard of the long-term supply of appropriately trained construction and maintenance labour has been monitored, and how it will be recorded during the Affordable Supply Housing Programme (SP 11/12/17).
Jackie Baillie S5W-13531
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the assessment that underpins its assertion that the provisions in its Planning (Scotland) Bill are compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. (SP 20/12/17)
Jackie Baillie S5W-13532
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether the provisions in its Planning (Scotland) Bill are compliant with the obligations in the UN Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, also known as the Aarhus Convention, and when it will publish any such assessment. (SP 20/12/17)
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-12953: Liam McArthur, Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 23/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in the 2016 SNP manifesto to deliver a warm homes bill “to support our work to tackle fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency”, whether it will set out what specific measures it will introduce to combat fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (05/12/2017)
Question S5W-13032: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 29/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the introduction of new towns as a means to tackle housing shortages, as recommended by RICS and similar to those announced for England by the UK Government.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (06/12/2017)
Question S5W-13066: Liam McArthur, Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 29/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to use (a) the (i) Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP) and (ii) Warm Homes bill and (b) other measures to invest in and support work (A) to bring more existing stock back in to use and (B) where properties need repaired or upgraded before insulation work begins.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (12/12/2017)
Question S5W-13033: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 29/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-11853 and S5W-11854 by Kevin Stewart on 25 October 2017, what provisions are in place to ensure the same standards are met for listed and pre-1919 buildings that are not grant-funded by HES.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (12/12/2017)
Question S5W-13034: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 29/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to ensure that all (a) listed and (b) pre-1919 buildings have an accredited professional adviser on energy efficiency adaptations.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (12/12/2017)
Question S5W-13036: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 30/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-11854 by Kevin Stewart on 25 October 2017, in light of the development of the skills listed being voluntary, what plans it has to make accreditation mandatory for retrofit work on listed and traditional buildings.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (12/12/2017)
Question S5W-13028: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 29/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government how many new skilled workers it estimates are needed to meet its house-building targets.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (13/12/2017)
Question S5W-13030: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 29/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to providing additional funding for training new workers in the construction sector.
Answered by Jamie Hepburn (12/12/2017)
Question S5W-13031: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 29/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it will give to the recommendations in the UK Government’s interim report on the review of the gap between planning permission being granted and house building completion, and whether it will consider these when tackling similar issues for housing developments in Scotland.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (12/12/2017)
Question S5W-13037: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 30/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-11852 by Kevin Stewart on 25 October 2017, what protections are in place for alterations and changes that may be damaging but are allowed to take place without a Listed Building Consent.
Answered by Fiona Hyslop (12/12/2017)
Question S5W-13038: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 30/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of pre-1919 residential buildings are not listed.
Answered by Fiona Hyslop (12/12/2017)
Question S5W-13039: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 30/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether EPC measures for the U-value of stone construction in Scotland fairly represent actual in situ performance.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (12/12/2017)
Events
For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.
Property repair and maintenance event
When: 5th February 2018 at 5.30pm-7.30pm
Where: ESPC Property Information Centre,107 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3ES
Living in a tenement? Have you considered the best way to maintain the communal building in which you live to protect your property from damp or other such problems? Or worry about how to go about fixing repairs on your shared building now that the council’s statutory notices are no longer issued? Is there funding available for your property? Hypostyle Architects has worked with homeowners for many years providing a professional service to help them repair and maintain their properties. ESPC has teamed up with Hypostyle to host a Property Maintenance Event to provide homeowners with the tools required to assess their building’s condition and demonstrate how to carry out repairs and ensure correct maintenance of their property. This means you don’t have to worry about any sudden large bills due to degrading buildings.
Training
Building Craft Programme
Start date: 9 July 2018
Duration: 8 months
Bursary: £1,000 per month
Overview: The Prince’s Foundation Building Craft Programme gives practical experience in traditional building crafts and an opportunity to gain a Heritage Skills NVQ Level 3. This course is designed for craftspeople looking to bridge the gap between basic qualifications and becoming a master craftsperson working within the heritage sector. The programme offers something for everyone, and we’ve worked with people across the world to deliver it. Over the course of this eight-month programme, you will work with a wide range of building crafts and expert craftspeople to learn all of the subtle nuances of the craft, taking your skills to the next level.
Transform your approach to community engagement
Upcoming date for Part 1:
Edinburgh, Thursday 25 January 2018 *last few places remaining*
Become recognised for your community engagement skills!
SP=EED Verification is for anyone who would like to enhance their skills and become recognised as a community engagement practitioner. Previous participants have come from local authorities, planning consultancies, the energy sector, and third sector organisations. SP=EED is a two-part programme: Part 1 is an interactive workshop facilitated by our trainers, with Part 2 being an assessed written reflective learning assessment based on a real life engagement process you have been involved in. The cost of the two-part programme is £250 per person. For full details and to book your place please visit our website. For further details please contact David Wood or on 0131 659 9774.
Vacancies
IHBC joint project and HESPR ‘Pick’: ‘Guidelines for Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment – Request for Expressions of Interest for a Writer’
The IHBC and partners, IEMA and The Chartered Institute of Archaeologists (CIfA), seek a ‘Writer’ to prepare ‘Guidelines for Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment’, due out April 2019, with a deadline for tender queries of 12 January 2018; closing date for submissions 2 February, with the opportunity also posted on the weekly ‘News and Tender Alert’ to the IHBC’s heritage business listing, HESPR – the Historic Environment Service Providers Recognition scheme.
Closing 2 Feb 2018.
The Architectural Heritage Fund – Trustee Vacancies
The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is currently seeking to appoint three new trustees to join its Board. The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is a leading heritage charity founded in 1976 to help charities, community businesses and social enterprises across the UK find solutions for vulnerable historic buildings. We do this by offering advice, grants and loans.
Closing: Friday 15th January.
Information in the Bulletin is extracted from a number of websites including the Scottish Government (SG); the Scottish Parliament (SP); Architecture and Design Scotland (A+DS); Historic Environment Scotland (HES); Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH); Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO); English Heritage (EH); Design Council (DC); Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG); Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS); Department of Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA); National Assembly for Wales (NAW); Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS); Scottish Government Building Standards (SGBS); Europa Nostra (EN); Historic England (HE).
If you have any questions or comments on the above, or would like to submit information to be included, please get in touch with Saskia Smellie or tel: BEFS Office on 0131 220 6241.
BACK
Details of funding for Historic Environment Scotland in the Scottish Government’s draft budget.
The Scottish Government published its Draft Budget 2018-19 on 14 December with details on the funding of Historic Environment Scotland within the Culture, Tourism and External Affairs portfolio.
The total budget for HES in 2018-19 is £92.2 million, an increase of just under 9%.
Capital Expenditure is increased to £6 million but the rest of the grant is reduced to £32.6 million, a drop of almost 11% following a 4% reduction the previous year. This is against HES generating a forecast income of £57 million, a 27% increase over the previous period which should be in line with their record breaking summer season.
While the Draft Budget states that HES will continue to dispense grants it does not specify the amount: the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs has directed them to offer grants totalling £14.5 million each year for the last 11 years and we understand this will be maintained.
The overall increase is to be welcomed but is built upon a very successful couple of years due to increased tourist activity with Outlander and the Year of History, Heritage & Archaeology and a weak Sterling no doubt playing a part. Raising 62% of its annual costs is a first.
Historic Environment Scotland Priorities
In 2018-19 HES will:
- continue to lead the delivery of ‘Our Place in Time’: The Historic Environment Strategy for Scotland;
- promote and deliver a range of events in support of Scotland’s Year of Young People;
- offer grant support to help regenerate and promote the active use, care and maintenance of the historic environment, promoting sustainable economic development and reinforcing local identity;
- provide expert advice and guidance to deliver the right balance between conservation and sustainable change; and
- promote learning and education to enhance knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of the historic environment, delivering learning programmes linked to the Curriculum for Excellence, to National and Vocational Qualifications and to opportunities in further and higher education.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) Spending Plans (Level 3)
| Level 3 | 2016-17 Budget £m |
2017-18 Budget £m |
2018-19 Draft Budget £m |
| Operational Costs | 81.6 | 84.8 | 92.2 |
| Capital Expenditure | 3.4 | 5.6 | 6.0 |
| Less Income | (40.0) | (44.9) | (57.1) |
| Total | 45.0 | 45.5 | 41.1 |
| of which: | |||
| Fiscal Resource | 38.3 | 36.6 | 32.6 |
| Non-cash | 3.3 | 3.3 | 2.5 |
| Capital | 3.4 | 5.6 | 6.0 |
What the Historic Environment Scotland budget does
Historic Environment Scotland is the lead public body for the historic environment in Scotland, and takes the lead in delivering Scotland’s historic environment strategy ‘Our Place in Time’, in addition to having delegated responsibility for the care and management of Scottish Ministers’ Properties in Care. A significant portion of the grant-in-aid funding which HES receives is passed on to Scottish communities by way of grant schemes which fund the regeneration of Scotland’s town centres and the repair of historic buildings.
BACK
Get The Latest Built Environment News, Events, Vacancies, Consultations And Publications With BEFS Bi-Monthly Bulletin.
The wonderful Riddles Court
BEFS News
The Planning (Scotland) Bill was published on Tuesday and followed by a Ministerial Statement on ‘Planning and Inclusive Growth’ by Kevin Stewart MSP, Minister for Local Government and Housing. The Bill is intended to strengthen and simplify the planning system. It is anticipated that the Bill will receive Royal Assent in Autumn 2018, with preparation of the new National Planning Framework (NPF) beginning in 2018. The new NPF will be in place from 2020 to inform the preparation of local development plans.
Some of BEFS members have provided an initial response to the new Planning Bill, including RTPI Scotland’s call for the planning bill to be bold and comments from PAS and RICS Scotland in Scottish Housing News. BEFS Planning Bill Taskforce will meet to discuss the content of the Bill and briefings arising in January 2018.
The Scottish Household Conditions Survey 2016 has now been published. Key findings include that 67% of pre-1919 dwellings had critical element disrepair (which refers to weather tightness and structural stability) in 2016, compared to 68% in 2015.
In our blog this week, BEFS Director, Euan Leitch, reflects on links between recent built environment events and academic analysis, in light of the forthcoming changes in the funding landscape.
Finally, we were delighted to see many of you at BEFS AGM yesterday, at the fabulous Riddles Court. We would like to officially welcome and introduce our newest Associate Members: the Cockburn Association and SURF – Scotland’s Regeneration Forum.
Consultations
A consultation on a draft revised code of conduct for registered property factors
Closes on 15 January 2018.
Consultation on a Draft Order extending coverage of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to Registered Social Landlords
Opened 6 Dec 2017 and closes on 7 March 2018.
Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme: Second Consultation on Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategies, and Regulation of District and Communal Heating.
Opened 14 Nov 2017 and closes on 20 February 2018.
Consultation Responses
Housing Supply Budget: Summary of written evidence (SP 05/12/17)
Strategic Housing Investment Plans (SHIPs): Summary of written evidence (SP 05/12/17)
Publications
The housing land market in Scotland: A discussion paper (Scottish Land Commission 05/12/17)
SPICe Briefing on the Scottish Government’s More Homes Budget (SP 05/12/17)
Building Britain’s Future? The Construction Workforce after Brexit (IPPR 11/17)
Construction Industry Brexit Manifesto (UK Construction Industry 11/17)
The Architectural Heritage Fund’s Annual Review 2016/17 (AHF 11/17)
Planning Performance Framework Annual Report 2016-17 (SG 11/11/17)
Scottish Government News Releases
Scottish House Condition Survey 2016 (SG 05/12/17)
In 2016 fuel poverty rates declined by about 4 percentage points, equivalent to 99,000 fewer households living in fuel poverty compared to 2015. 26.5% (or around 649,000 households) were fuel poor. This is the lowest rate recorded by the survey since 2005/6 and the same as in 2007. 7.5% (or 183,000 households) were living in extreme fuel poverty in 2016.
Transforming planning (SG 05/12/17)
New legislation to simplify and improve the planning system has been set out by Local Government Minister Kevin Stewart. Mr Stewart described how the Planning (Scotland) Bill, will create a new structure for a more proactive and enabling system with clearer development plans, earlier engagement with communities, streamlined procedures and smarter resourcing.
New Private Residential Tenancy (01/12/17)
Greater security for tenants and safeguards for landlords. The biggest change to the private rental sector in a generation will mean tenants have more security and stability coupled with better safeguards for landlords, lenders and investors.
Royal Edinburgh Building opened (SG 29/11/17)
£48 million hospital redevelopment complete. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today officially opened the Royal Edinburgh Building – the first phase of the £48 million Royal Edinburgh Hospital redevelopment.
Discretionary Housing Payments (SG 28/11/17)
Statistics released today by Scotland’s Chief Statistician show that during the period 1 April to 30 September 2017, Local Authorities in Scotland made nearly 98,000 awards under the Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) Scheme, with a total value of £52.6 million and an average award of £537.
News Releases
Landscape for Scotland (LIS 04/12/17)
The Landscape Institute Scotland is delighted to present ‘Landscape for Scotland’. The document encourages Scotland’s commitment to international best practice in landscape protection, planning and management and supports the Scottish Government in delivering its Programme for Scotland. It demonstrates that Scottish landscapes are an essential aspect of people’s sense of place and belonging.
Changes to our grant making (HLF 01/12/17)
In early 2019 the Heritage Lottery Fund will begin a new, five-year Strategic Funding Framework that sets out how we will distribute National Lottery good causes money to the heritage sector. In January 2018 we will begin a public consultation on our priorities and how that will work.
IHBC’s update on HLF forward planning with lower budgets, from CE Ros Kerslake OBE (IHBC 01/12/17)
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), through its Chief Executive Ros Kerslake OBE, has informed key stakeholders such as the IHBC and its members, about its plans to ‘optimise how [the HLF will] use a lower, but still substantial, budget of some £190m next year – set in light of reduced National Lottery income and the need to align our grant commitments with reserves’.
My Place Awards launched for 2018 (SCT 01/12/17)
As the countdown to Christmas begins, so too does the search for 2018’s best new building, public realm or designed landscape or heritage restoration project in Scotland. Deadline for nominations is 31 January 2018!
Creative industries’ record contribution to UK economy (DDCMS 29/11/17)
The UK’s booming creative industries made a record contribution to the economy in 2016, new statistics show. Industries including advertising and marketing, arts and film, TV and radio, and museums and galleries are all part of this thriving economic sector, which is now worth almost £92bn, according to the figures published today by the Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport.
Housing and infrastructure draft planning delivery advice: Chief Planner letter (SG 29/11/17)
Letter from the Chief Planner about the withdrawal of the housing and infrastructure draft planning delivery advice from 1 December 2017.
Young Professionals Panel (National Infrastructure Commission 28/11/17)
The UK’s up-and-coming planners, designers, architects and engineers are being encouraged to give their views on meeting the country’s future infrastructure needs. The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has unveiled plans for a young professionals panel to advise its chairman Lord Adonis and fellow commissioners. Adonis said this was a “unique opportunity” for professionals at the outset of their careers to have an influence.
Tailored review of the Heritage Lottery Fund and National Heritage Memorial Fund (DDMCS 27/11/17)
The review found that HLF’s role in distributing funding for heritage was seen as crucial to the conservation of heritage assets, to engaging communities across the UK with their heritage, and to providing support for heritage organisations to survive and thrive. Whilst HLF has a good reputation in the sector, the review found scope for it to become a more strategic organisation.
The IFS hosted its post-Budget briefing yesterday (IFS 23/11/17)
Opening remarks and information in the economic downgrade, public spending, housing, and tax and benefits have been published. It warned that the UK was in danger of losing two decades of earnings growth, leading to a forecast increase in borrowing. The Chancellor’s commitment to reducing the deficit by £25bn by 2022-23 was described as optimistic. It also noted there are £12bn of welfare cuts still to come and public spending is expected to be reduced by a further 3.6%.
Brexit scuppers Dundee’s 2023 European Capital of Culture bids (BBC 23/11/7)
Dundee will not be able to compete in the European Capital of Culture 2023 competition due to Brexit, the European Commission has confirmed.
Industry raises £127,000 at launch of RICS and LandAid fundraising campaign (RICS 20/11/17)
The Pledge150 campaign will see RICS partnering with property industry charity LandAid, to lead the built environment sector in raising £2.25m for the provision of 150 bed spaces across all 12 UK regions by December 2018. The kick-off event raised £127,000 towards the £2.25m target.
Enter RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence now: be a winner in 2018 (RTPI 13/11/17)
The RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence are the longest running and most high-profile awards in the industry. They are now open for entries. Make sure you get yours in before midnight, 8 December.
Opinion & Comment
Exploring ways to increase the supply of affordable housing (SHN 07/12/17)
McLeish: Planning Bill’s a good start, but there is space to build on the ambition (SAPP 05/12/17)
Planning for the wrong homes in the wrong places? (NT 13/11/17)
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”.
Graham Simpson S5W-13039
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether EPC measures for the U-value of stone construction in Scotland fairly represent actual in situ performance. (SP 30/11/17)
Graham Simpson S5W-13038
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of pre-1919 residential buildings are not listed. (SP 30/11/17)
Graham Simpson S5W-13037
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-11852 by Kevin Stewart on 25 October 2017, what protections are in place for alterations and changes that may be damaging but are allowed to take place without a Listed Building Consent. (SP 30/11/17)
Graham Simpson S5W-13036
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-11854 by Kevin Stewart on 25 October 2017, in light of the development of the skills listed being voluntary, what plans it has to make accreditation mandatory for retrofit work on listed and traditional buildings. (SP 30/11/17)
Graham Simpson S5W-13028
To ask the Scottish Government how many new skilled workers it estimates are needed to meet its house-building targets. (SP 29/11/17)
Graham Simpson S5W-13030
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to providing additional funding for training new workers in the construction sector. (SP 29/11/17)
Graham Simpson S5W-13031
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the recommendations in the UK Government’s interim report on the review of the gap between planning permission being granted and house building completion, and whether it will consider these when tackling similar issues for housing developments in Scotland. (SP 29/11/17)
Graham Simpson S5W-13032
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the introduction of new towns as a means to tackle housing shortages, as recommended by RICS and similar to those announced for England by the UK Government. (SP 29/11/17)
Graham Simpson S5W-13033
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-11853 and S5W-11854 by Kevin Stewart on 25 October 2017, what provisions are in place to ensure the same standards are met for listed and pre-1919 buildings that are not grant-funded by HES. (SP 29/11/17)
Graham Simpson S5W-13034
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to ensure that all (a) listed and (b) pre-1919 buildings have an accredited professional adviser on energy efficiency adaptations. (SP 29/11/17)
Liam McArthur S5W-13066
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to use (a) the (i) Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP) and (ii) Warm Homes bill and (b) other measures to invest in and support work (A) to bring more existing stock back in to use and (B) where properties need repaired or upgraded before insulation work begins. (SP 29/11/17)
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-12771: Alison Johnstone, Lothian, Scottish Green Party, Date Lodged: 16/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-19841 by Derek Mackay on 10 March 2014, whether it will provide an update on what progress it is making on delivering the recommendations in A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland: 2013 Update.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (27/11/2017)
Question S5W-12770: Alison Johnstone, Lothian, Scottish Green Party, Date Lodged: 16/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendation in A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland that it should have been introduced in 2016-17, when it will set the date for the delivery of net zero-carbon new buildings.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (27/11/2017)
Question S5W-12873: Richard Lyle, Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 21/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) housing and (b) electrical safety standards must Airbnb and other similarly-let premises meet, and what assessment it has made of how many are meeting these.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (04/12/2017)
Question S5W-12957: Liam McArthur, Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 23/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its plan for all homes to be given a minimum energy performance rating by 2040, whether it will confirm (a) what the minimum rating will be and (b) how the energy performance will be measured.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (29/11/2017)
Question S5W-12956: Liam McArthur, Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 23/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government whether the forthcoming Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP) bill will contain (a) proposals for an independent body to oversee the delivery of SEEP and (b) targets and milestones for the delivery of each proposal.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (29/11/2017)
Question S5W-12953: Liam McArthur, Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 23/11/2017
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in the 2016 SNP manifesto to deliver a warm homes bill “to support our work to tackle fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency”, whether it will set out what specific measures it will introduce to combat fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (05/12/2017)
Other Parliamentary Activity
The Parliament has agreed the following parliamentary recess dates in 2017:
- 23 December 2017 to 7 January 2018 (inclusive)
Events
For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.
RSA Scottish Land Commission Strategy Debate
When: Mon 11 December 2017, from 17:00 – 19:00 GMT.
Where: James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH.
Please join us for a presentation by Andrew Thin, Chairman, Scottish Land Commission, followed by a Q&A/debate about the work of the Commission and its potential impact on both urban and rural Scotland. This event, being run jointly by the James Hutton Institute and RSA – via its MCICH Network – is open to Fellows of the RSA, staff and board members of the James Hutton Institute and to all those interested in the Commission’s work from private, public and third sector perspectives. It is envisaged delegates may also have questions about the recently announced Esmee Fairbairn Foundation funded “Food, Farming, and Countryside Commission”. Queries to organiser Ann Packard FRSA via 0131 556 2052.
‘The General Register of Sasines – celebrating 400 years’
When: December 11th, from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm.
Where: National Museum Scotland Auditorium, Edinburgh, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF.
Lecture given by Isla MacLeod, Registers of Scotland. Created by the 1617 Registration Act of the Parliament of Scotland, the General Register of Sasines was the first of its kind in the world. Whilst it is probably one of the lesser known world firsts chalked up for Scotland, its impact has been fundamental – here and aboard. The story of the General Register of Sasines and the organisation responsible for it, Registers of Scotland, reflects the social, economic and political history of Scotland across the last four centuries. This illustrated talk will bring together the stories, people and projects that have characterised Scottish land registration over the last 400 years.
‘The General Register of Sasines – celebrating 400 years’
When: December 12th, from 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm.
Where: Regent Building Lecture Theatre, Regent Walk, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX.
Lecture given by Isla MacLeod, Registers of Scotland. Created by the 1617 Registration Act of the Parliament of Scotland, the General Register of Sasines was the first of its kind in the world. Whilst it is probably one of the lesser known world firsts chalked up for Scotland, its impact has been fundamental – here and aboard. The story of the General Register of Sasines and the organisation responsible for it, Registers of Scotland, reflects the social, economic and political history of Scotland across the last four centuries. This illustrated talk will bring together the stories, people and projects that have characterised Scottish land registration over the last 400 years.
GCHT Festive Winter Warmer
When: 14th December, from 4pm-7pm.
Where: GCHT HQ, 54 Bell Street, Glasgow.
Join us on Thursday 14th December for an evening of festive treats and crafts and the opportunity to browse a large selection of framed prints and canvasses featuring stunning photographs of Glasgow’s historic buildings and features, priced from £5. Can’t make it on the 14th? Don’t worry, we’ll have prints available for sale Monday 18th – Friday 22nd December – just pop into our HQ at 54 Bell Street between 9am and 5pm!
IHBC’s 2018 Annual School
When: 21-23 June 2018.
Where: Belfast.
The Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) is delighted to announce the IHBC’s 2018 Annual School, in Belfast, 21-23rd June 2018, which will take as its title ‘Our Shared Heritage’, reflecting the theme for the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage, and with keynote speakers:
• Bill Drummond – Scottish artist, co-founder of avant-garde pop group The KLF, and art provocateur known for burning £1millon cash, whose 10 Commandments for Art include ‘Make art for everyone’ and ‘Stand on the outside looking further out’.
• Jukka Jokilehto – Celebrated conservation architect, leader in international heritage policy advice and education, and author of the definitive ‘A History of Architectural Conservation’, exploring how heritage professionals can work more effectively with communities.
Vacancies
Planning Officer (Falkirk Council)
The Falkirk Council area is changing for the better. As a Planning Officer you will assist in administering the Council’s Statutory Development Plan responsibilities. Based at Abbotsford House in Development Services you will be part of our planning policy team.
Closes: Sunday, 10th December 2017.
Conservation Adviser (SAVE Britain’s Heritage)
The conservation adviser role involves liaising with local groups, conservation officers and other heritage bodies, commenting on planning applications, as well as mounting campaigns to save threatened buildings at risk of imminent demolition. Excellent writing and analytical skills are required for this position. You must have a genuine enthusiasm for architecture and the ability to work quickly and with flexibility to tight deadlines. Working as part of a small team, from drafting press releases and researching reports, to advising a local campaign or commenting on planning applications, no single day is the same.
The closing date for applications is Friday January 5th and interviews will be held 11th and 12th January 2018.
SCVO Convener (Edinburgh/Glasgow/Across Scotland)
We’re on the hunt for a new Convener. Could you take on one of the most influential board positions in Scotland’s third sector? At SCVO, we passionately believe in the power of people, communities and the third sector.
We are searching for a special individual who can advocate for the third sector, and lead SCVO’s board and staff into the future. Candidates will already have significant experience and a high profile in Scottish public life, but they will also have a special affinity with the values and aspirations of Scotland’s third sector. Closing: 22 December 2017.
Information in the Bulletin is extracted from a number of websites including the Scottish Government (SG); the Scottish Parliament (SP); Architecture and Design Scotland (A+DS); Historic Environment Scotland (HES); Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH); Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO); English Heritage (EH); Design Council (DC); Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG); Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS); Department of Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA); National Assembly for Wales (NAW); Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS); Scottish Government Building Standards (SGBS); Europa Nostra (EN); Historic England (HE).
If you have any questions or comments on the above, or would like to submit information to be included, please get in touch with Saskia Smellie or tel: BEFS Office on 0131 220 6241.
BACK
BEFS Director, Euan Leitch, reflects on linkages between recent built environment events and academic analysis, in light of the forthcoming changes in the funding landscape.
The two-day Community Heritage Conference in Glasgow in early November was a real celebration of the breadth of activity taking place across Scotland, with some inspirational projects from further afield showcased. Catherine Gillies’ rallying talk on Saturday morning was a call for the creation of a Community Heritage Network to establish just quite how extensive the activity is and then to offer mutual support.
I then sat in on a fascinating session on Communities and Asset Transfers, chaired by Linda Gillespie of COSS where we heard details from the experiences of the Gairloch Heritage Museum, Govanhill Baths and Braemar Castle. Each reflected their varying locations and communities and are all successful projects – Govanhill Baths subsequently having gone on to raise £267,000 through community shares. All talked of the challenges of fundraising and of volunteer burn out. In the panel discussion Fatima Uygun made some interesting comments on the danger of communities ultimately delivering services that should be delivered by the state.
Community empowerment and asset transfer are not just buzzwords, they are legislative acts of the Scottish Parliament intended to enable communities to have more control of the places in which they live and the services delivered there. The three examples mentioned illustrate different forms this can take and the Conference only showcases the heritage portion of activity and the extent of volunteering in this area alone is large.
Two days before the Community Heritage Conference the International Journal of Heritage Studies published a paper titled Endangerment-driven heritage volunteering: democratisation or ‘Changeless Change’ by Harald Friedman of the University of York that makes thought provoking reading. Friedman posits that the attempt to democratise heritage through increased public participation may actually reinforce existing power structures (through neoliberal approaches) and result in “exploiting volunteers, devaluing professionals and marginalising traditionally underrepresented demographics”. He writes from a position that not everything can, or should, be saved and is critical of some of the claims made about the instrumental role of heritage as championed by some heritage bodies. Is greater public participation in heritage unwittingly enabling the austerity agenda? Or is community empowerment the necessary response to gaps arising to due to public sector cuts?
It was a delight to see one community lead project, Hastings Pier, win the RIBA Stirling Prize in October. It is a £14million pound project that resurrected the burnt-out pier with fundraising under community ownership achieved through community shares that raised £258,000. It’s then sad news that the Hastings Pier Charity has already gone into administration as funders rejected its 3 year business plan. Understandably, funders are seeking evidence that a project is financially sustainable but how easy is sustainability in a period of reduced public spending and economic instability?
The Heritage Lottery Fund was one of the main funders of Hastings Pier but even its generous grants are now challenged as a result of a drop in people buying lottery tickets. The recent Tailored Review has published its recommendations and the HLF has already responded with some significant interim changes to its grant making programme for 2019. There will be no major grants (over £5m) and there will be further open consultation on the best use of Heritage Lottery Funds: are the big projects the best use of funds, or is it a smaller but wider spread that benefits communities most?
Entrepreneurship and pragmatism are necessary in securing the assets we want future generations to benefit. However, the question remains whether or not community ownership is going to result in sustainable uses in the long term. This may require prioritisation – of assets? Of communities? – But just who is willing and able to rise to the challenge of prioritisation?
BACK
Get The Latest Built Environment News, Events, Vacancies, Consultations And Publications With BEFS Bi-Monthly Bulletin.
BEFS News
The Chancellor, Phillip Hammond, has presented the Autumn Budget, the second budget of 2017. The key heritage announcements include £4 million to Jodrell Bank, the UK’s next candidate for UNESCO World Heritage Site status and £2 million Cultural Development Fund funding for place based cultural development. Read The Heritage Alliance’s full summary of the Budget from a heritage perspective, here.
Within the context of the Scottish planning review, the National Trust for Scotland commissioned research to better understand public perceptions of how well the planning system is delivering. The results show there is still much to be done to get a planning system that people have confidence in, and that delivers the kind of places that they want. Read the full report.
We have a fitting blog for you this week, given that we are celebrating Scotland’s Towns Week. Lauren Pennycook, Policy and Development Officer at Carnegie UK Trust, reflects on the Trust’s new report Searching for Space: What place for towns in public policy? and the challenges facing Scotland’s towns.
Consultations
Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme: Second Consultation on Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategies, and Regulation of District and Communal Heating
Opened 14 November and closes 20 February 2018.
Consultation Responses
Consultation on the socio-economic duty: Analysis of responses (SG 23/11/17)
Consultation on Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme: Analysis of Responses (SG 14/11/17)
Publications
Icon launches next five-year strategy: 2017-21 (ICON 11/17)
Housing (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill – SPICe Breifing (16/11/17)
Private Sector Rent Statistics, Scotland, 2010 to 2017 (SG 14/11/17)
The Land Question: Fixing the dysfunction at the root of the housing crisis (Civitas 11/11/17)
Scottish Government News Releases
Budget falls short for Scotland (SG 22/11/17)
Finance Secretary responds to UK Government financial plans. The UK Government’s budget does not represent a good deal for Scotland, as a consequence of a real terms cut to Scotland’s revenue block grant of over £200m next year.
Average 2 bedroom private rents up by 4.4% (SG 14/11/17)
An Official Statistics Publication for Scotland. Between 2016 and 2017, 15 out of 18 areas of Scotland saw increases in average rent levels for 2 bedroom private rental properties, ranging from 0.7% in the Ayrshires to 6.9% in Lothian and 7.0% in Greater Glasgow.
State of Economy report (SG 10/11/17)
Strong jobs market drives pick-up in growth. The latest report on Scotland’s economic performance has shown a strong first half of 2017. The State of the Economy paper has been published by Scotland’s Chief Economist, Dr Gary Gillespie.
News Releases
Builders vow to ensure Scots not left behind following Budget for housing (SHN 23/11/17)
With the Chancellor yesterday announcing a raft of measures aimed at significantly increasing levels of home building and “reviving the British dream of home ownership”, Scotland’s home building industry vowed to continue to hold the Scottish Government to account to ensure those living north of the border were not left behind.
Forres Voted Scotland’s most Beautiful High Street (STP 23/11/17)
The Moray town of Forres has been crowned as Scotland’s Most Beautiful High Street, after winning a public vote out of a final shortlist of ten towns competing for the title. See full results here.
Call for Scottish third sector to show value and support for EU nationals (SCVO 11/17)
The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is calling for third sector organisations across the country to put supports in place to encourage EU nationals on their staff to remain in Scotland.
Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland – Special Notice (RIAS 17/11/17)
The Royal Incorporation has agreed to the request from our Secretary, Neil Baxter Hon FRIAS Hon FRIBA, to leave the organisation after ten years of service.
PM: We must get back to building the homes this country needs (DCLG 15/11/17)
Prime Minister Theresa May will pledge that it is her personal mission to ‘build more homes, more quickly’. The number of new homes delivered each year has been increasing since 2010, but the Prime Minister will say there is more we can do to build the homes the country needs.
Interactive map of construction activity across UK and Ireland launched (IHBC 15/11/17)
Considerate Constructors Scheme(CCScheme) has launched a pioneering construction map information to offer a single point of reference for construction activity across the UK and Ireland.
Glorious Gardens – the Second Stage is under way (SGLH 13/11/17)
Scotland’s Garden and Landscape Heritage’s Glorious Gardens project is entering its second stage. The purpose is to produce a conservation strategy for the historic designed landscapes of the Clyde and Avon Valleys based on site records, researched and written by a team of volunteers, during Phase 1 of the project.
Creating Inspiring Learning Spaces (A&DS 11/17)
One of our top priorities is to help create inspiring places for learning. Drawing from our years of experience of working across the learning estate, we collaborate with local authorities to regenerate space for learning, by design. Our focus is on facilitating ‘space to succeed’ for all learners. We work to these principles derived from policy drivers, and in collaboration with learners, educators and estates practitioners.
The Heritage Alliance response to the Migration Advisory Committee (THA 11/11/17)
The Heritage Alliance has responded to The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC)’s call for evidence to advise the Government on the likely economic and social impacts of the UK’s exit from the European Union, and on how the UK’s immigration system should be aligned with a modern industrial strategy
IHBC New Research Note ‘New arrangements for National Amenity Society (NAS) statutory consultations in England’ (IHBC 11/17)
For anyone looking for insights on new NAS consultation arrangements in England, and related good practice more generally, the IHBC’s new Guidance Note – developed in consultation with England’s NASs and available on the IHBC’s ToolBox resource – is an essential new starting point.
Scotland’s environment website
The gateway to everything you want to know about Scotland’s environment. This website brings together environmental information and data in one place so that is easy to search, discover, analyse and interpret. Find out more about Scotland’s environment web.
Forestry Commission Scotland’s Revised Historic Environment Resource Guide (FCS 11/17)
This resource guide has been designed as a route map to the information and advice available to forest and woodland managers in regard to the historic environment. The guide identifies the various designations and legislation that may apply to the historic environment, and provides links to the legislation and guidance on these designations.
Self and custom build challenge fund: prospectus and form (SG 09/11/17)
The Self and Custom Build Challenge Fund is now open for applications. It will support projects which deliver innovative housing models that contribute to increasing housing supply through self and custom build. Applications should be submitted by Friday 1 December 2017.
Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning (SG 09/11/17)
The Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning are one of the Government’s most prestigious awards. They celebrate achievements in planning, from the detail of processing to the bigger picture of creating places which will become the legacy of our professionalism. Having shortlisted 22 projects in the four categories of Partnership, Place, Plans and Process, they have now recognised 16 projects with awards for 2017.
Opinion & Comment
Interview: Roseanna Cunningham on what Brexit means for the environment (Holyrood 23/11/17)
Blog: We’re changing private renting for the better (SHN 23/11/17)
What Makes a Great Learning Environment? Designer Blogs (A&DS 17/11/17)
Real community planning in Lockerbie? (Nick Wright 13/11/17)
Blog: Why I am sleeping in the park – Graham Ross (A&DS 11/17)
Blog: Why I am sleeping in the park – Jim MacDonald (A&DS 11/17)
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”.
Richard Lyle S5W-12873
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) housing and (b) electrical safety standards must Airbnb and other similarly-let premises meet, and what assessment it has made of how many are meeting these. (SP 22/11/17)
Alison Johnstone S5W-12770
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendation in A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland that it should have been introduced in 2016-17, when it will set the date for the delivery of net zero-carbon new buildings. (SP 16/11/17)
Alison Johnstone S5W-12771
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-19841 by Derek Mackay on 10 March 2014, whether it will provide an update on what progress it is making on delivering the recommendations in A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland: 2013 Update. (SP 16/11/17)
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-12180: Michelle Ballantyne, South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 24/10/2017
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the Regulation of Energy Efficiency in Private Sector Homes (REEPS) will not disproportionately disadvantage rural homeowners.
Answered by Kevin Stewart (06/11/2017)
Debates
Motions for debate today (23/11/17)
Bob Doris: Building Regulations and Fire Safety in Scotland – That the Parliament notes the conclusions and recommendations in the Local Government & Communities Committee’s 9th Report 2017 (Session 5), Building Regulations and Fire Safety in Scotland (SP Paper 213), and welcomes contributions from Members on the key issues and questions set out in that report.
Events
For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.
COTAC 2018 conference – ‘BIM for Heritage: Stepping into the Future with the Past’
When: 8 December
Where: London
COTAC’s 2017 conference, ‘BIM for Heritage: Stepping into the Future with the Past’, on 8 December in London, is co-sponsored by IHBC and Ramboll, and offers delegates a unique overview of the challenges and benefits in heritage-related BIM practice, including recent publications and emerging case studies.
Training
Structural Repair of Historic Buildings Masterclass
Date: 23 February 2018
Venue: Charlestown Workshops, Fife
Time: 09.30 – 16.30
Cost: £190 + vat …… Remember if you are a BLF, IHBC or RIAS member you are eligible for 20% discount on this seminar. Please just give us a call with your member number.
The aim of this Masterclass is to provide professionals with a sound understanding of the philosophy of conservation and a better understanding of the relationship between structural engineering and conservation, of safety issues and of the aesthetics of conservation based structural repairs.
Transform your approach to community engagement
SP=EED Verification is for anyone who would like to enhance their skills and become recognised as a community engagement practitioner. Previous participants have come from local authorities, planning consultancies, the energy sector, and third sector organisations. SP=EED is a two-part programme: Part 1 is an interactive workshop facilitated by our trainers, with Part 2 being an assessed written reflective learning assessment based on a real life engagement process you have been involved in. Upcoming date for Part 1: Edinburgh, Thursday 25 January 2018 *places still available*
Information in the Bulletin is extracted from a number of websites including the Scottish Government (SG); the Scottish Parliament (SP); Architecture and Design Scotland (A+DS); Historic Environment Scotland (HES); Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH); Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO); English Heritage (EH); Design Council (DC); Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG); Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS); Department of Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA); National Assembly for Wales (NAW); Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS); Scottish Government Building Standards (SGBS); Europa Nostra (EN); Historic England (HE).
If you have any questions or comments on the above, or would like to submit information to be included, please get in touch with Saskia Smellie or tel: BEFS Office on 0131 220 6241
BACK