13 Feb 2020

BEFS Bulletin – Prioritisation & Church Buildings

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BEFS News

BEFS held a workshop on behalf of the Our Place in Time (OPiT) Built Heritage Investment Group (BHIG) on the Sustainable Investment Prioritisation/Diagnostic Tool. This tool has been created through consultation with the wider heritage sector, including the OPIT BHIG, over a number of years. The toolkit aims to enable visualisation around decision-making and investment in built heritage. It is being designed to help funders and organisations, as well as community and interest groups with heritage assets, explore priorities for action and investment. It will help prioritise and clearly communicate decision-making by demonstrating the Economic, Cultural, Environmental and Social outcomes of potential investment in built heritage across a range of categories, tested by the sector. The workshop was a peer-review session to inform a consultation on the tool. Read the workshop report here. More background information can be found here.

Work will continue on forming and refining the official consultation, which will be nationally released through Historic Environment Scotland on behalf of the OPiT Built Heritage Investment Group. This consultation is expected to take place in mid-March 2020 and BEFS will promote the process widely.

From August until the end of October 2019, BEFS was engaged to run a consultation process on how best to manage church land and buildings on behalf of the Church of Scotland General Trustees. The process included a series of workshops across Scotland, a webinar, an online survey and an event with the built environment sector. Further information on the consultation process and the final report are now available here. If you would like to engage BEFS to run a consultation process or facilitate your event, do get in contact.

BEFS responded to the Scottish Government’s consultation on the Replacement of the European Structural Fund in Scotland Post EU-Exit. BEFS highlights the need for a wider approach where the Climate Act, Communities Act, Infrastructure Commission Report and the National Planning Framework (NPF4) are considered to support healthy places, the wellbeing of citizens and the aims of a wellbeing economy. Read the full response here.

Last week, Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy Kate Forbes set out the Scottish Government’s spending and tax plans for 2020-21. Historic Environment Scotland’s budget has increased slightly since last year. Further details here.

Nick Wright reflects on his recent research commissioned by the Scottish Government in preparation of draft regulations and guidance for Local Place Plans, in our blog this week.

Finally, don’t forget to check out the range of built environment events taking place in the coming months, in the events section below.

Scottish Government News Releases

Investing in affordable homes (12/02/20)
Last week’s budget announced a £17 million increase to help meet the Scottish Government’s commitment to deliver 50,000 affordable homes over the course of this parliament.

Scottish Budget 2020-21 (SG 06/02/20)
Tackling the climate emergency and protecting public services.

The Big Climate Conversation (SG 30/01/20)
A public engagement programme on how to end Scotland’s contribution to climate change has shown widespread support for home energy efficiency improvements, increased use of public transport and transitioning to a more circular economy.

Fire safety in specialised housing (SG 30/01/20)
New guidance to reduce the risk from fire in specialised housing, such as sheltered and supported accommodation, has been published.

News Releases

SPAB Announces an Opportunity to Sponsor a Youth Placement (SPAB 12/02/20)
Support places for young people at the upcoming SPAB Scotland Working Parties. Our working parties are a fun and unique way for people with a love for Scottish Heritage to get involved with repair projects on a building in need. Assisting young people to learn more about traditional skills and materials encourages a life-long appreciation for these crafts.

Check your tech maturity with new Digital Culture Compass tool (HF 12/02/20)
The free online tool is designed to help heritage, arts and culture organisations develop their digital capabilities. Arts Council England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund have launched the Digital Culture Compass, a free toolkit designed to help organisations get the most out of digital.

Over £800,000 funding awarded to heritage projects across Scotland (HES 10/02/20)
Historic Environment Scotland has announced funding of £842,802 to support conservation repair projects to historic buildings throughout the country.

RIAS/RIBA Awards for Scotland 2020 (RIAS 10/20/20)
Entries are being invited for the RIAS/RIBA Awards for Scotland 2020 – celebrating the best in Scottish architecture! Now in their 9th year, the Awards continue to demonstrate the quality and breadth of current architectural endeavour in Scotland. Submission deadline: Thursday 20th February 2020.

Call for papers – Archaeological Research in Progress Conference (ARP) 2020 (AS 10/02/20)
Do you have exciting research findings that you would like to present at the ARP in Aberdeen on 23rd May 2020? We are inviting proposals for 20 minute papers that demonstrate the most up-to-date information and best practice. Please submit proposals to e.macqueen@archaeologyscotland.org.uk by Sunday 23rd February 2020.

Meeting the 21st Century challenges for archaeology (CIfA 07/02/20)
Historic England and the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) are pleased to announce a Memorandum of Understanding setting out the basis for cooperating on addressing the most urgent and important challenges identified by our joint project Twenty-first-century challenges for archaeology.

RTPI Scotland welcomes Scottish Budget but calls for more investment in planning (RTPI Scotland 07/02/20)
RTPI Scotland has welcomed commitments in the Scottish Budget to tackle the climate crisis but has called for more investment in the planning system to enable key targets to be met.

Maintaining Your Property (ES 04/02/20)
Maintaining and repairing a property is incredibly important and a real commitment. If you’re looking for advice on building components, materials or common defects, look no further than our website which is brimming with information and advice.

NPF4 early engagement – Feb 2020 (P&A 03/02/20)
One month into 2020 and the substantial task of producing Scotland’s fourth National Planning Framework is well in motion and picking up pace. Now it’s time for you to join in!

Beautiful homes should become ‘norm’ (MHCLG 30/01/20)
The Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission’s report – Living with beauty – supports the creation of more beautiful communities.

Calculating the full cost of energy used by buildings (DBEIS 24/01/20)
The Whole Life Cost of Energy (WLCoE) calculator – issued by government in BETA form – is intended to help building owners and operators to understand the full financial cost of the energy their buildings use, and welcomes feedback to hndu@beis.gov.uk.

Welsh Slate Landscape nominated for UNESCO World Heritage status (DCMS 24/01/20)
The Slate Landscape of North West Wales has been nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Status.

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-27262: Joan McAlpine, South Scotland, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 04/02/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what role encouraging the construction of more homes to certified Passivhaus standard could have on lifting residents out of fuel poverty.

Question S5W-27261: Joan McAlpine, South Scotland, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 04/02/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether accelerating the construction of new houses to certified Passivhaus standard would be a positive response to the climate crisis declared in Scotland.

Question S5W-27260: Joan McAlpine, South Scotland, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 04/02/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to providing financial incentives to developers to enable the accelerated construction of new homes to certified Passivhaus standard.

Question S5W-27258: Joan McAlpine, South Scotland, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 04/02/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the health benefits to householders resulting from living in a house built to certified Passivhaus standard.

Question S5W-27257: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 04/02/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the total cost to local planning authorities of the introduction of short-term let control areas, as set out in Section 17 of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019.

Question S5W-27255: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 04/02/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that the introduction of a licensing system for short-term lets will have on the number of such lets in Scotland.

Question S5W-27254: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 04/02/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what estimates it has made of the resource implications for local authorities and related bodies to introduce, administer and monitor a system of licensing for short-term lets.

Question S5W-27253: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 04/02/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the total cost of a licensing system for short-term lets to (a) owners of short-term lets and (b) local authorities.

Question S5W-27252: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 04/02/2020
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its consultation on a regulatory framework for short-term lets, how many local authorities have requested the introduction of a licensing system.

Question S5W-27251: Graham Simpson, Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Date Lodged: 04/02/2020
To ask the Scottish Government whether people (a) letting out a spare room in their primary residence and (b) occasionally letting out their entire primary residence will be subject to the proposed licensing regime for short-term lets.

Question S5W-27187: Alex Cole-Hamilton, Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Date Lodged: 29/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to use the money received through the Barnett formula as a result of the UK Government’s Stronger Towns Fund.

Events

For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.

Save Egyptian Halls
Date & time: 21 February 2020 13:30 – 18:00
Venue: The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow, G1 3NU
The SPAB joins efforts with organisations across Scotland to help save Glasgow’s Egyptian Halls. The day, coordinated by The Alexander Thomson Society, will host an enlightening afternoon variety of events from experts in their fields, including SPAB Scotland Chair, Jamie McNamara as we make a case to Save Egyptian Halls.

Planning for demographic change
Date & time: Thursday 27 February 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Venue: Committee Room No 9, 18 John St, Glasgow G1 1JQ
What changes are projected for Scotland’s population over the next few decades? What are the challenges for planners in addressing these? And what are the opportunities? Demographic change is one of the main factors that define the issues facing planners over the coming decades, so understanding what lies on the horizon is crucial. This event will consider what the most recent demographic data tells us about Scotland’s future population and the planning implications across the West of Scotland, focusing on housing and health & equalities perspectives.

Planning and ecology
Date & time: Tuesday 10 March 2020, 4pm to 5pm
Venue: Cairngorms National Park Authority, 14 The Square, Grantown-on-Spey PH26 3HG
The Cairngorms National Park is the UK’s largest protected landscape. Being home to around 25% of the UK’s threatened bird, animal and plant species and having around 50% land protected by European nature designations, it is one of the country’s most sensitive locations for development. National Park Authority ecologist, Dr Sally Mackenzie will give a talk on how ecology, habitats and protected species have been taken account of in development within the Park, including the importance of habitat and species management plans. The event will be followed at 5pm by RTPI Highlands and Islands and RTPI Scotland’s event on National Planning Framework 4.

Going Digital: Tools and ideas for a successful project
Date & time: Tue, 17 March 2020; 09:30 – 15:00.
Venue: Maryhill Burgh Halls, 24 Gairbraid Avenue, Glasgow G20 8YE.
Join us for an HTN Scotland Members’ Meeting to learn how boost your project using online platforms and digital technologies. Our theme for the event will be ‘Going Digital’ ideas and examples of how you can use online tools and digital visualisations, to promote and enhance your project. As with all our events, this will be a great opportunity to share updates on your own project, troubleshoot challenges and connect with new people who may be able to help.

Icon Conference Highlights
Date & time: 20th of March 2020; 9.20am – 4.45pm
Venue: City Art Gallery, 2 Market Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DE.
This one-day conference is organised by Icon Scotland Group and features 12 talks that presented at the Icon 19 triennial conference in Belfast last year. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion, plus opportunities for networking and socialising. If you have any questions about this event, please contact the organiser Isobel Griffin (i.griffin@nationalgalleries.org).

Your Career in Conservation: The Purpose and Process of Accreditation
Date & time: Thursday 26th March 2020 | 9:30-17:00.
Venue: Reid Building, Glasgow School of Art.
Scotland currently has a deficit of conservation accredited professionals, which presents a major hurdle for the delivery of appropriate repairs and maintenance to the historic environment. In order to help address this gap, Glasgow City Heritage Trust is hosting a one-day conference on conservation accreditation within the heritage and built environment sectors. Attendees will be able to hear from leading accreditation bodies about the value of accreditation for conserving our historic environment, how the application process works and how being conservation accredited can open new career paths.

Achieving wider community regeneration outcomes through housing led approaches: SURF Awards Shared Learning Workshop
Date & time: 7th May, 10.15am-2pm
Venue: Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh
This free half-day SURF Awards workshop event in the Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh on 7th May provides an opportunity to explore successful approaches to housing led regeneration initiatives providing wider community outcomes. The winning and highly commended projects from the ‘Housing and Regeneration’ category highlighted in the 2019 SURF Awards process will provide comment on their experiences and transferable learning.

Transferable lessons for place-based regeneration: SURF Awards Shared Learning Workshop
Date & time: 13th May, 10am-2pm
Venue: St Luke’s, The Glasgow Barras
This free half-day SURF Awards workshop event in St Luke’s, Glasgow on 13th May provides an opportunity to explore successful current approaches towards regenerating Scotland’s places with two winning projects from the ‘Most Improved Place’ and ‘Community Led Regeneration’ categories highlighted in the 2019 SURF Awards process.

Successful methods of supporting young people to overcome barriers to employment: SURF Awards Shared Learning Workshop
Date & time: 20th May, 10am-2pm
Venue: The Glasgow Women’s Library, Bridgeton
This free half-day SURF Awards workshop event in the Glasgow Women’s Library, Bridgeton, Glasgow on 20th May provides an opportunity to explore successful approaches towards tackling barriers to employment facing young people in Scotland. The winning and highly commended projects from the ‘Youth Employability’ category highlighted in the 2019 SURF Awards process will provide comment on their experiences and transferable learning.

How can embedding artistic approaches enable communities to become agents for change?: SURF Awards Shared Learning Workshop
Date & time: 28th May, 10am-2pm
Venue: The Grassmarket Community Project, Edinburgh
This free half-day SURF Awards workshop event in the Grassmarket Community Project, Edinburgh on 28th May provides an opportunity to explore successful approaches towards linking creative arts and culture into regeneration initiatives. The winning and highly commended projects from the ‘Creative Regeneration’ category highlighted in the 2019 SURF Awards process will provide comment on their experiences and transferable learning.

Training

RICS CPD day Dunblane
Date: 12 March 2020.
Venue: DoubleTree by Hilton Dunblane Hydro, Perth Rd, Dunblane, FK15 0HG.
A RICS regional conference for Scotland. Hear the latest guidance, technical updates and best practice across the built environment, land and property sectors. Covering today’s ever-changing market trends, legislation and technical guidance, CPD day Dunblane focuses on the specific knowledge and practical skills you will need over the next 12 months.

Vacancies

Edinburgh World Heritage trustees
Edinburgh World Heritage is looking for new Board trustees who are passionate about Edinburgh and the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site; interested in how we connect and engage all people in our heritage; skilled and experienced in aspects of the historic environment, leadership, marketing and communications, strategic thinking and fundraising, or individuals keen to develop in these areas. We also welcome applications from young people or those interested in applying for their first trusteeship.
Closing date for applications: Monday 2nd March at 5pm.

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BEFS Bulletin – Prioritisation & Church Buildings

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