BEFS Bulletin – Budget Reaction & New Consultations

BEFS News

Kate Forbes delivered the budget statement in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 9 December. Find the full statement and accompanying documents below, under Scottish Government Publications. BEFS Director, Ailsa Macfarlane, gives her overview of place and historic environment within the draft budget on the BEFS blog.

Attention is also drawn to several newly released Consultations and Calls for Views. Committees seek early responses on NPF4 and on the role of local government and its cross-sectoral partners in financing and delivering a net-zero Scotland. Meanwhile, a closing date of 31 March has been set for new consultations on Local Development Planning and Open Space Strategies and Play Sufficiency Assessments, along with the public consultation on the draft NPF4.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2021 SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration, who were announced on the 9th December at a celebratory presentation event in Glasgow.

BEFS was delighted to see Hannah Smith, ICE, has been invited to join the Just Transition Commission. Congratulations also go to BEFS Board Member, Tyler Lott Johnston, who becomes SPAB Scotland Chair.

As part of the Facing Our Past project, the National Trust for Scotland has published an interim report on the connections between the properties in their care and historical enslavement.

BEFS is very pleased to back Stirling’s bid for UK City of Culture 2025. Stirling is the only Scottish city to make the UK longlist.

A Call for Papers is now open for Archaeological Research in Progress (ARP) 2022, a one-day conference presenting new research ?ndings and best practice in archaeology, taking place 28 May 2022. The deadline for proposals is 27 Feb 2022.

BEFS remains hopeful of holding a social event for Members and Associates at the end of January, but given the current uncertainty around potential restrictions, now looks forward to issuing invitations in the New Year.

Finally, BEFS Team and Board wish all of our readers a relaxing festive period, and a happy New Year.

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Consultations

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee – Call for Views: National Planning Framework (NPF4)
Closes 10 January 2022

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee – Call for Views: The role of local government and its cross-sectoral partners in financing and delivering a net-zero Scotland
*NEW * Closes 21 January 2022

Building Regulations – Compliance And Enforcement: Consultation
Closes 4 February 2022

Heat in buildings – National Public Energy Agency: consultation – call for evidence 2021/2022
Closes 8 February 2022

Local Development Planning – regulations and guidance: consultation
*NEW * Closes 31 March 2022

Open Space Strategies and Play Sufficiency Assessments: consultation
*NEW * Closes 31 March 2022

Draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) – Public Consultation
Closes 31 March 2022

Publications

20 Minute Neighbourhoods in draft NPF4 (SURF, 29/11/21)

Historic Opportunities: How heritage-led regeneration can drive town centre change (Lichfields, 1/12/21)

RTPI Scotland responds to budget (10/12/21)

Culture Counts responds to the budget (16/12/21)

Interim report on the connections between the properties now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland and historical enslavement (NTS 20/12/21)

Levelling up policies should target disparities between entire regions and within them (Bennett Institute 16/08/21)

The role of ‘Place’ in collaborations between HEI’s and the Arts and Cultural Sector (11/2021)

Scottish Government’s response to Scotland’s Climate Assembly Goal 3: Retrofitting Homes 

Scottish Government Publications

The Scottish Budget 2022-23 has been published with the following accompanying documents:
Scottish Income Tax: 2022-2023
Equality and Fairer Scotland Budget Statement 2022-23
Changes to Scottish Income Tax for 2022 to 2023: factsheet
Scottish Income Tax: distributional analysis 2022-2023
Scottish Rate Resolution 2022-23: motion and explanatory note
Public sector pay policy 2022 to 2023
Public sector pay policy 2022 to 2023: equality impact assessment
Investing in Scotland’s Future: Resource Spending Review Framework
The Scottish Government’s Medium Term Financial Strategy

Regeneration Capital Grant Fund: projects in some of Scotland’s more disadvantaged and rural communities will share more than £25 million of funding (SG, 17/12/21)

News Releases

12 European heritage sites shortlisted for the 7 Most Endangered Programme 2022 (Europa Nostra, 14/12/21)

GHA’s Bell Street development wins another design award (Scottish Housing News, 17/12/21)

Help for residents who faced £330k bill for major roof works to Aberdeen tenement (Scottish Housing News, 20/12/21)

Opinion & Comment

Move over Mack, Scotland’s forgotten architectural geniuses deserve their moment in the limelight (The Herald, 11/12/21)

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”.

S6W-05062: Liam Kerr, North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date Lodged: 14/12/2021
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the best and most cost effective way to insulate traditional granite homes, such as those in the north east and Aberdeen; what the reasons and evidence are for its position, and how it plans to support the decarbonisation of such homes.

S6W-05067: Liam Kerr, North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: 15 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Historic Environment Scotland publication, Guide to Energy Retrofit of Traditional Buildings, regarding the need for “an extensive programme of domestic retrofit” and the part that “the existing built environment, including older or historic buildings, will need to play…in the national refurbishment effort”.

S6W-05249: Willie Rennie, North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: 20 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the climate emergency, and in regard to energy saving and efficiency improvements delivered through its national fuel poverty scheme and other related schemes, what action it has taken to ensure that improvements that are made to homes prioritise environmentally-friendly technologies and heating systems.

Parliamentary Questions & Answers

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”.

S6W-04639: Jeremy Balfour, Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: 25 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on its Single Building Assessment programme, and when it anticipates the programme will be concluded.
Answered by Shona Robison on 10 December 2021

Motions

Motion ref. S6M-02425
Sauchiehall Avenue Wins National Urban Design Award 2021
Submitted by: Kaukab Stewart, Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party.
Date lodged: Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Motion ref. S6M-02531
The Furniture Project (Stranraer) Wins Prestigious Regeneration Award
Submitted by: Finlay Carson, Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.
Date lodged: Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Motion ref. S6M-02530
Fraserburgh Wins SURF Award for Scotland’s Most Improved Place 2021
Submitted by: Liam Kerr, North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.
Date lodged: Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Motion ref. S6M-02522
RIG Arts Wins Creative Regeneration Category at 2021 SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration
Submitted by: Stuart McMillan, Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party.
Date lodged: Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Events

For the full list of BEFS Members’ upcoming events see our events calendar.

RSA Fellows’ MCICH Network: Re-Purposing Heritage
Date & Time: 18 January, 18:00 – 19:30
Online
Learn about two great examples of Italian heritage buildings finding a new purpose in the modern world. These very different projects began before the pandemic, one in 2000, one later. Both were challenging, as Charlotte Horton and Paolo Petrocelli will explain via illustrated presentations followed by facilitated debate. For exploration are challenges and opportunities since, post pandemic, many heritage buildings – both urban and rural – assume new lives and purpose.

SCT: My Place 2022 Awards open for entry
Entries close 6 February 2022
The My Place Awards celebrate community-led built environment projects. Eligible projects include new buildings, historic buildings or monuments that have been reused or refurbished, designed public realm schemes (streetworks, parks) and designed landscapes (gardens, public green spaces).

SCT: My Place Photography 2022 competition open for entry
Entries close 6 February 2022
My Place Photography Competition is a Scotland-wide built environment photography competition for young people aged 4-18. If you’re a teacher, home educator or leader of a youth group, having your young people participate in the competition encourages them to explore their local area and experiment with using photography as a means of creative expression.

Vacancies

Glasgow City Heritage Trust: Heritage Officer (Grants)
GCHT seek a Grants Officer to support the implementation of the Trust’s new Historic Built Environment Grants programme for the benefit of all people living and working in and visiting Glasgow. Managing a caseload of external grants, the core of this role is working closely with residents, communities, professionals and contractors in Glasgow in support of the Trust’s Strategic Plan to promote the benefits of safeguarding, enhancing and engaging with Glasgow’s Historic Built Environment.
Closing date: Noon, 17 January

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