BEFS Bulletin – Places of Worship & Conservation
Get The Latest Built Environment News, Policy Developments, Publications, Consultations And More.
BEFS News
Last week the Conservation Officer’s Group (COG) met for the first time with the purpose of creating a forum and network for knowledge sharing and good practice. BEFS is the secretariat and ‘host’ to this neutral space for discussion, with the aim of enhancing policy capacity and advocating for the sector. It is intended there will be 3-4 (virtual) meetings per year and all those working with a built heritage and conservation remit within a local and planning authority context are encouraged to take part. Find out more and get involved.
This week, the Places of Worship Forum (POWF) met for the first time. POWF is a non-denominational, strategic forum, for organisations that are considering the transition pathways, and collectively seeking sustainable future uses (within, and beyond worship) for places of worship within Scotland. Membership is open to any overarching organisation that owns, manages or runs places of worship; any national organisation that does/could fund places of worship; any national organisation that has an interest in the sustainability of communities who may become owners of places of worship, and national bodies giving advice relevant to places of worship. Find out more.
BEFS will be responding to the Local Place Plan consultation closing this Friday, details will be on the BEFS Consultations page shortly after. Thanks to all Members sharing their views to inform BEFS response.
The Scottish parliamentary committees have been named and membership proposed. The Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee’s (previously the Culture, Tourism, Europe & External Affairs Committee) remit covers: the Scottish Government’s EU and external affairs policy; policy in relation to the UK’s exit from the EU; the international activities of the Scottish Administration, including international development; and any other matter falling within the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture and any matter relating to inter-governmental relations within the responsibility of the Deputy First Minister. This suggests the remit for tourism will move back alongside enterprise, mirroring the ministerial set-up. This committee change is proposed as temporary until 31 Dec 2021 or until a motion making the change permanent is brought forward from the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments, when formed.
Consultations
RTPI Digital Skills Online Survey
Local Place Plan Regulations consultation
Closes 25 June 2021.
Petition: To create a tax incentive to favour retrofit instead of demolition and new build
Closes 8 August 2021.
Draft 2030 Climate Strategy – Edinburgh
Opened 14 Jun 2021 and closes 12 Sep 2021.
Consultation Responses
Scottish Land Court and the Lands Tribunal for Scotland: consultation analysis
Publications
Housing: subject profile (SPICe 14/06/21)
Tourism Recovery Plan (DCMS 11/06/21)
Annual Operating Plan 2021-22 (HES 11/06/21)
Beyond COP26: The UK’s Green USPs (PE 09/06/21)
Edinburgh publishes draft climate strategy (ECC 07/06/21)
Open for Business: Gaining business support for transforming city centres (Transform Scotland 06/21)
The future of the planning system in England – First Report of Session 2021–22 (HoC 27/05/21)
Scottish Government News Releases
New fund opens for island communities (SG 17/06/21)
Businesses and community groups located across Scotland’s inhabited islands are now able to apply for grants of up to £150,000 through the new Island Communities Fund (ICF) for projects focussed on supporting sustainable island economies and the journey towards net zero.
Sustainable economic recovery (SG 16/06/21)
An initial 25 projects designed to help meet skills needs in a range of sectors will receive a share of up to £20 million as part of the second phase of the National Transition Training Fund (NTTF).
More than 100,000 affordable homes delivered (SG 15/06/21)
Scotland has delivered more than 100,000 affordable homes since 2007, marking a major milestone on the path to a fairer, more equal nation.
New plan sets out how historic environment will support Scotland’s recovery (HES 11/06/21)
We have published our new Annual Operating Plan for 2021/22, which sets out how the organisation will champion the role of the historic environment to bring positive social, environmental and economic impacts for communities across Scotland
Accelerating green growth (SG 09/06/21)
A new investment programme to help deliver Scotland’s just transition to a net-zero emissions economy has been launched.
Strengthening links with Europe (SG 08/06/21)
Researchers based in Scotland and Europe can apply to a new £3 million scheme aimed at repairing research links with the EU following the damaging impact of Brexit.
Funding to restore Scotland’s iconic peatlands (SG 05/06/21)
Projects to restore Scotland’s peatlands will get a share of £22 million this year to significantly reduce carbon emissions and support biodiversity as part of the government’s climate change plan.
Climate campaign launches (SG 02/06/21)
The Let’s do Net Zero campaign highlights the benefits a net zero society will bring for our economy, health and environment.
News Releases
Scotland’s Summer Dig Season is Back (DigIt! 21/06/21)
From 21 June to 22 September, #ScotlandDigs2021 will shine a spotlight on our world-class archaeology by bringing together events and live updates from Dumfries & Galloway to Shetland.
HEF COP26 Task Group: Call for climate change and sustainability case studies (EHF 21/06/21)
Inspired by the COP26 summit’s aim to ‘unite the world to tackle climate change’ the Historic Environment Forum created a task group to focus on heritage and climate change, using COP26 as a catalyst. The task group will create a sector and public-facing shared statement on climate change and collate best practice case studies to support and strengthen this work.
A&DS and RIAS Scottish Student Awards for Architecture 2021 (A&DS & RIAS 18/06/21)
The student awards are a mark of the continuing high standards of Scottish architectural education and ensure that both construction professionals and the public can enjoy the creativity and vision of Scotland’s future architects.
Greener Towns Focus for New Strategic Partnership (STP 14/06/21)
A new strategic partnership has been announced between Scotland’s Towns Partnership and the Green Action Trust which is set to boost environmental outcomes in towns the length and breadth of Scotland.
New plan to drive rapid recovery of Scottish tourism sector (DCMS 11/06/21)
Measures including a rail pass for UK “staycationers” and a voucher scheme for tourist attractions are part of the plan to boost tourism across the country.
New heritage toolkit to improve community input in conservation (STIR & HES 09/06/21)
A new toolkit for heritage professionals is helping them understand and assess how people and communities value and relate to Scotland’s historic environment.
2021 SURF Awards Formally Open for Applications (SURF 03/06/21)
The prestigious national 2021 SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration were launched today (03/06/21) by the Scottish Government at an online event, in partnership with the Glasgow Canal Co-op and the ‘Year of Coasts and Waters’.
Search for the next UK City of Culture launched (DCMS 29/06/21)
UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has today launched the competition to find the UK’s next City of Culture. The competition is now live and applications are encouraged from towns and cities across the UK. Winner will have baton passed to them from Coventry – UK City of Culture 2021.
Introducing a new content hub – http://MyLand.Scot (SLC 06/21)
Connecting Scots to the land around them & inspiring them to talk about all things land related. Shining a light on various local orgs that are making a positive impact to their community .
Opinion & Comment
Reflecting on the DCMS Tourism Recovery Plan (Heritage Futures 14/06/21)
How has the pandemic changed the way we look at our places? (A&DS 06/21)
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 S6W-00574: Mark Griffin, Central Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 10/06/2021 R
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any workforce shortages in the housebuilding sector that is impacting on the construction of affordable homes, and what support it can provide to that sector to identify and train new staff.
Question S6W-00694: Mark Griffin, Central Scotland, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 14/06/2021 R
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has established the necessary governance process and a monitoring framework to assess progress towards the vision of its Housing 2040 (H2040) strategy.
Question S6W-00749: Craig Hoy, South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 15/06/2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many homes in each local authority area in the South Scotland parliamentary region have been returned to use with support from the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, in each year since 2011.
Question S6W-00967: Rhoda Grant, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 22/06/2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that increasing the Scottish Land Fund significantly in the early years of the current parliamentary session will be the most effective way of ensuring that communities can compete for the ownership of land, given that there is an increasing number of wealthy private owners expressing interest in buying land.
Question S6W-00968: Rhoda Grant, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 22/06/2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers current land ownership patterns to be socially and economically just.
Question S6W-00969: Rhoda Grant, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 22/06/2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that increased community ownership of land and other assets will increase community wealth, and if so, how it considers that this will be achieved.
Question S6W-00971: Rhoda Grant, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 22/06/2021
To ask the Scottish Government when it will carry out a consultation on its proposed Land Reform Bill.
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 S6W-00440: Pam Gosal, West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 03/06/2021
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether planning regulations need reforming, and what its response is to reports of decisions by East Dunbartonshire Council being overturned by Ministers, leading to pressure on local infrastructure and loss of greenbelt land.
Answered by Tom Arthur (16/06/2021)
Question S6W-00917: Kaukab Stewart, Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 18/06/2021
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with introducing the Single Building Assessment, which was announced in a ministerial statement on 19 March 2021.
Answered by Shona Robison (18/06/2021)
Events
For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.
Belief, Burial, Tombs & Tourists: the past & future of Greyfriars Kirkyard
Date & time: Sat, 26 June 2021 from 10:00 – 16:00.
Online.
Greyfriars Kirkyard is famous worldwide for the lasting impressions it makes on researchers and visitors alike. This conference celebrates the role of Greyfriars in shaping Scottish history, religion and architecture and shines a light on the site’s value to visitors today, captivated by links to Harry Potter, Greyfriars Bobby, and dark tourism. Through a wide-ranging programme, the kirkyard’s past, present and future will be explored by leading academics, community researchers and heritage professionals. At the heart of the discussion will be the question: how can the enduring appeal and value of Greyfriars be harnessed to create a sustainable future for this unique and treasured historic greenspace?
Study Day: The Hill House and Hermitage Park, Helensburgh
Date & time: 31st July 2021, 10.30am – 3pm.
Cost: £18.00 – SGLH Members / £25.00 – Non-members.
An opportunity to visit The Hill House in the morning and walk the Hill House Box gantries, with lunch provided at The Hill House on the roof-top cafe comprising soup, sandwich, tea, coffee and a sweet treat. After lunch there is a guided tour of the town’s recently restored Hermitage Park led by project landscape architect Jon Simmons, CMLI between 1.30-2.30pm. Mackintosh’s Hill House is a half mile walk up hill from the main line Helensburgh train station. A taxi rank is located at the railway station. Hermitage Park is a half mile walk down the hill. Meet at the park Pavilion from 1pm onwards. The guided walk, or walks depending on numbers, will begin at 1.30pm.
Training
CPD: An Introduction to Architectural Conservation with Dr. Cristina Gonzalez-Longo
Date & time: Monday 28th June 2021 | 12.30-1.30pm.
Online: GCHT Zoom Meeting.
Conservation is a growing area of work within architecture. As well as creativity and design skills, it requires specialist education and training in conservation to be able to develop in practice the competences required. Architecture is by nature an interdisciplinary field and a specialisation in conservation requires further multidisciplinary knowledge and skills, as well as a collaborative and critical approach. The most difficult aspects in a conservation project are not the resolution of technical problems, but the capacity to make good judgements about the buildings and their settings and to develop a specific intervention criteria that allows to take good project decisions, based on an appropriate understanding of the philosophy of conservation and a scientific analysis of the evidence. Join us for this CPD with Dr Cristina Gonzalez-Longo to explore the challenges of conserving built heritage, the philosophy of conservation and a look at some case studies of Dr Gonzalez-Longo’s work, highlighting the importance of history, design ideas, innovation, scientific approach and care.
Architectural Conservation CPD: Statutory Protection and Managing Change to Listed Buildings
Date & time: Wed. 30 June, 12:30-13:30 (from 12:15).
Online via Microsoft Teams, streamed live from Lower City Mills, Perth.
The third session in the 6-part CPD programme focuses on listed buildings and the legislative framework that protects them. Delivered by Historic Environment Scotland’s Head of Designations Elizabeth McCrone, this session will cover the role of designation, recent reviews, applying for listed building consent and general approached to managing change to listed buildings with examples. Whether you are starting out in a buildings related career, looking to refresh your conservation knowledge, encounter historic buildings as part of your work portfolio, or have limited knowledge of the best conservation practice to employ on a project involving traditionally constructed buildings, this is the CPD programme for you. Sessions are hosted online with Q&A and networking opportunities and delivered using live and recorded content by industry accredited professionals and are recognised CPD by the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) and Scottish Traditional Building Forum (STBF).
Architectural Conservation CPD: Timber Decay and Repair in Traditional Buildings
Date & time: Wed. 25 August, 12:30-13:30 (from 12:15).
Online via Microsoft Teams, streamed live from Lower City Mills, Perth.
The more technical second half of the 2020 CPD programme opens with this session on timber decay and repair. Delivered by Historic Environment Scotland’s Technical Research Manager Roger Curtis, this CPD will look at the use of timber in traditional construction, decay processes, remedial measures and repair techniques to structural and finishing timber. Whether you are starting out in a buildings related career, looking to refresh your conservation knowledge, encounter historic buildings as part of your work portfolio, or have limited knowledge of the best conservation practice to employ on a project involving traditionally constructed buildings, this is the CPD programme for you. Sessions are hosted online with Q&A and networking opportunities and delivered using live and recorded content by industry accredited professionals and are recognised CPD by the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) and Scottish Traditional Building Forum (STBF).
Vacancies
Director of Scotland’s Churches Trust
Due to the retirement of the present post holder at the end of 2021, it is looking to recruit a Director who will be responsible for the day to day running of the Trust and related activities, and who will report to the Board of Trustees.
Closing Date: 1 September 2021.
Volunteer with ?Glasgow Doors Open Days
Become a part of one of Glasgow’s largest annual cultural events, by volunteering with Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival! Meet new people, boost your CV, get involved in our city’s heritage and help others enjoy their time at the festival.
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