BEFS Bulletin 365: Budget, Regeneration and BEFS year in review

BEFS YEAR IN REVIEW…In brief!

This will be BEFS last bulletin of the year, as the team takes a break over the festive period – and an excellent excuse to glance back at the year that was!
It has been a busy one, with new additions and changes to BEFS small team; in January we welcomed Malini Chakrabarty to the role of Communications Lead and in July we said farewell to Ailsa Macfarlane who moved on to a role at National Museums Scotland. Hazel Johnson has been in post as Director since August and Ilona McAllister moved to the role of Head of Operations, expanding on her previous role as Company Secretary and Business Administrator.

As ever it was another full year for the sector, reflected in the variety of work BEFS has undertaken. A few select highlights below:

• At the end of last year, BEFS launched the Sustainable Investment Tool (SIT). The SIT can help visualise the different positive aspects associated with existing buildings and start conversations around the wider benefits and potential that our existing buildings and places can deliver, exploring positive outcomes for Wellbeing, Climate, Culture, and Economy.
• BEFS welcomed one new Member, the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust and one new Associate, Dundee Heritage Trust.
• A new Policy Map, devised and published by BEFS to help visualise the complex and interconnected policy landscape towards enabling more joined up and holistic sector advocacy.
• BEFS has submitted over 30 policy consultation responses on behalf of Members over the last year.
• The Tenement Maintenance Working Group, with BEFS and Under One Roof as secretariat, has seen a significant milestone this year, with the Scottish Law Commission Discussion Paper on Compulsory Owners’ Associations published as one of the recommendations of the group. Alongside this are working groups towards five yearly inspections and the establishment of building reserve funds.
• In spring 2024 a report, Meeting Scotland’s Retrofit Challenge: solutions from the industry was released by CIOB, BEFS and sector partners, recommending a Ministerial Oversight Group for Retrofit. A motion supporting this garnered cross-party approval
• BEFS continues to coordinate the Places of Worship Forum (POWF), Conservation Officer Group (COG), and the Historic Environment Working Group (HEWG).

BEFS team would like to thank all our Members, Associates, and organisations across the sector for their continued engagement, enthusiasm, and support for BEFS work.

BEFS NEWS

Looking to the year ahead, all eyes have been on the budget. Whilst the proposed budget will require cross-party support and parliamentary confirmation – a result is expected in February 2025 – some key takeaways are summarised below:

• Cabinet Secretary Shona Robison announced funding for local authorities of over £1bn alongside the expansion of regeneration funding to £62m to invest in towns and communities, supporting place-based regeneration.
• £300m has been pledged to upgrade heating and installation in homes, reducing emissions and tackling fuel poverty.
• The Culture budget is set to increase by £34m with a commitment to increase arts and culture funding a further £20m in 2025.

The outcomes of the prestigious 2024 SURF Awards for Best Practice in Community Regeneration were announced on Thursday 5 December at a celebratory presentation event in Glasgow. Winners were congratulated on their inspiring work by the Scottish Government’s Minister for Employment and Investment, Tom Arthur. Read more about all the wonderful projects shortlisted and the winners on the SURF website.

Following recruitment back in October, Culture Counts has announced new Steering Group members. The Steering Group provides direction, shares intelligence, and insight from their own membership, networks, and experience across a network of arts, heritage, and creative industries organisations. The new members are introduced here.

And finally – in 2025 BEFS will be seeking new Trustees to help deliver our vision for a strong built environment sector in Scotland, addressing the strategic issues, challenges and opportunities faced by Scotland’s historic and built environment. We’ll be inviting applications from BEFS Membership and beyond – more information to follow in the new year!

BEFS Team wish all our readers a restorative festive break. We’ll be back with a short bulletin on Wednesday 8 January.

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Please see our Link to Parliamentary Questions and Answers for recent questions regarding traditional building skills, the culture sector, and Creative Scotland.

CONSULTATIONS

Historic Environment Scotland’s corporate plan 2025-28
Historic Environment Scotland
The Historic Environment (Scotland) Act 2014 mandates that HES has a corporate plan and that it is renewed every 3 years. The purpose of a corporate plan is to provide a roadmap for decision-making, resource allocation, and performance measurement, ensuring alignment and direction across the organisation. HES current Corporate Plan, Heritage for All, was first published in 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it underwent only a light-touch refresh when it was due to expire at the end of 2022-23 and now needs to undergo a more thorough review and update to ensure our new plan reflects this. This consultation draft is the product of engagement with people and organisations across Scotland. HES now want to hear thoughts on the draft plan from as broad and diverse a range of people and organisations as possible, and to give everyone the chance to have their say on the document before its finalised.
Closes 3 January 2025

Designating HMP Barlinnie
Historic Environment Scotland
HES are proposing to designate the earliest phases of development of HMP Barlinnie, 81 Lee Avenue, Riddrie, Glasgow as a listed building at category A. HMP Barlinnie is a purpose-built prison complex designed in 1880 and opened in 1882 with subsequent phases of early development up to 1908. It is located within the residential area of Riddrie to the northeast of Glasgow City centre. As Scotland’s largest prison, the building has a place in the national consciousness. Having been in continual use since the 1880s, the site is also of outstanding social historical interest for what it can tell us about changes in penal discipline and reform in Scotland from the late 19th to 21st century. HES are now gathering views on their proposal to list this building at category A.
*NEW* Closes 22 January 2025

A Proposed New National Park in Scotland
NatureScot
Scottish Ministers have made a statutory proposal to establish a new National Park in the Galloway area (including parts of East and South Ayrshire). Ministers are keen to gauge the level of support for the proposal and alternatives to it and have appointed NatureScot as the ‘Reporter’ to consult and advise them on the proposal. It follows a phase of pre-consultation work to inform and engage communities and stakeholders across the proposed area. This consultation therefore seeks all views on designating a National Park in the southwest of Scotland, and on the possible area and potential functions, powers, and governance it could have.
Closes 14 February 2025

Building regulations – proposed review of fire safety topics
Scottish Government
The purpose of this review is to consider changes to the standards and processes set within The Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (as amended) and other published guidance documents to improve provisions addressing fire safety. This consultation seeks to obtain the views and opinions of stakeholders on a review of building standards relating to the fire safety of historic buildings converted for hotel use and several other specific fire safety issues, to help ensure the safety of people in and around Scotland’s buildings. The Building and Fire Safety Expert Working Group was created to look at the long-term commitments outlined within the Cameron House Hotel SLWG Report and to review other aspects of Scottish Building Standards and fire safety guidance. This consultation reflects the outcomes and proposals of the Expert Working Group. Information on the review process to date, including minutes of the building and fire safety expert panel meetings, can be found here.
*NEW* Closes 7 March 2024

CONSULTATION RESPONSES

Infrastructure Levy for Scotland – Overview of Responses to the Discussion Paper (Scot Gov 12/12/2024)

NEWS RELEASES

New Scottish Climate Intelligence Service Website Launched (Improvement Service July 2024)

New Building Restoration Initiative Using Community Skills Training (SHBT 24/10/2024)

Autumn Budget: important update for UK churches (National Churches Trust 31/10/2024)

Scottish Budget Remains Tight Despite Extra Funding Following UK Autumn Budget (Scottish Fiscal Commission 04/12/2024)

SCVO respond to Scottish Budget 2025/26 (SCVO 04/12/2024)

Using Appreciative Inquiry in housing research (CaCHE 05/12/2024)

Budget: Day-after reaction – the affordable housing supply programme and the tax strategy (Fraser of Allender Institute 05/12/2024)

Scottish budget: Glimmers of hope amid financial hopelessness (SCVO 05/12/2024)

IHBC welcomes RIBA’s new ‘must-have’ conservation practice guide, with ICOMOS 1993 Guidelines at its heart and IHBC at its head (IHBC 10/12/2024)

Museums Galleries Scotland appoints new chair (Arts Professional 12/12/2024)

New Steering Group members for Culture Counts (Culture Counts 16/12/2024)

PUBLICATIONS

Kickstarting Your Circular Economy (STP July 2024)

Capturing carbon to mitigate climate change: storage or use? (Science Direct 03/10/2024)

Bucharest Manifesto: For Quality-driven Cultural Heritage Practice in Europe (Europa Nostra November 2024)

Scottish Planner issue 199 (RTPI Winter 2024)

Pricing the Carbon: A Key Step Towards the UK’s Sustainable Future (National Institute of Social & Economic Research 04/12/2024)

House Price Index November 2024 (Halifax 05/12/2024)

Restarting housebuilding III: New towns and land value capture (Centre for Cities 10/12/2024)

SCOTTISH & UK: GOVERNMENTAL & PARLIAMENTARY PUBLICATIONS

The Building (Procedure) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2024 (UK Gov 2024)

Energy Company Obligation 4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme: mid-scheme changes (UK Gov 14/11/2024)

Cultural engagement in Scotland: insights from people’s experiences (Scot Gov 27/11/2024)

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee Official Report and Minutes (Scot Parl 03/12/2024)

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee Official Report and Minutes (Scot Parl 03/12/2024)

The Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (additional amount: transactions relating to second homes etc.) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2024 (Scot Parl 04/12/2024)

Scottish Budget 2025 to 2026 (Scot Gov 04/12/2024)

Scottish Budget 2025 to 2026: climate change taxonomy (Scot Gov 04/12/2024)

Scottish Budget 2025 to 2026: Carbon assessment (Scot Gov 04/12/2024)

Correspondence between Shona Robison and the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee regarding the sustainability of local government finance as part of its pre-budget scrutiny 2025-26 (Scot Gov 04/12/2024)

Correspondence between Gillian Martin and the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on the Scottish Government’s priorities related to the 2045 net zero target (Scot Gov 04/12/2024)

The Town and Country Planning (Masterplan Consent Areas) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 (Scot Parl 05/12/2024)

The Town and Country Planning (Amendment of Local Development Plan) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 (Scot Parl 05/12/2024)

The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications) (Scotland) Amendment (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (Scot Parl 05/12/2024)

Increased funding for arts and culture (Scot Gov 05/12/2024)

Scottish Budget 2025-26 SPICe Briefing (SPICe 06/12/2024)

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee, 34^th meeting 2024 – cladding remediation programme clerk’s note (Scot Parl 10/12/2024)

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee, 37^th meeting 2024 – Land Reform (Scotland) Bill clerk’s note (Scot Parl 10/12/2024)

Public appointment: Members reappointed to the Board of Skills Development Scotland (Scot Gov 10/12/2024)

Building and fire safety – ministerial working group: Grenfell inquiry phase 2 minutes: November 2024 (Scot Gov 10/12/2024)

Place Directors: factsheet (Scot Gov 10/12/2024)

Planning permission appeals: housing development statistics (Scot Gov 10/12/2024)

Minister for Housing recognises excellence in Building Standards across Scotland (Scot Gov 11/12/2024)

Culture Fair Work Taskforce minutes: October 2024 (Scot Gov 11/12/2024)

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee, 35th meeting 2024 – Building (Scotland) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2024 clerk’s note and minutes (Scot Parl 12/12/2024)

Update on the review to introduce a Scottish equivalent to the Passivhaus standard (Scot Gov 12/12/2024)

Planning circular 3/2024: The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2024 (Scot Gov 12/12/2024)

£15 billion for councils (Scot Gov 12/12/2024)

Acquisition Programme: information (Scot Gov 12/12/2024)

Affordable Housing Supply Programme: investment benchmarks (Scot Gov 12/12/2024)

Affordable Housing Supply Programme: resource planning assumptions (Scot Gov 12/12/2024)

CITB annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 (UK Gov 12/12/2024)

Comment: The Government’s pledge to build 1.5 million homes and the NPPF update (UK Gov 12/12/2024)

Planning overhaul to reach 1.5 million new homes (UK Gov 12/12/2024)

Creative Industries Leadership Group: working group reports and Ministerial response – March 2022 (Scot Gov 12/12/2024)

Planning proposals get Britain building and turn the tide on nature’s decline (UK Gov 15/12/2024)

Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification 2022 (Scot Gov 16/12/2024)

Small area statistics: reference materials (Scot Gov 16/12/2024)

OPINION & COMMENT

Building Community Wealth, From the Ground Up (Scottish Land Commission 21/11/2024)

Community wealth is key to a fairer, greener and more prosperous Scottish economy (Insider 29/11/2024)

Scottish arts boost welcomed but concerns remain over council budgets (Arts Professional 05/12/2024)

Future of Heritage Schools programme yet to be decided (Arts Professional 05/12/2024)

Getting to grips with EDI (Arts Professional 05/12/2024)

The five-minute city: inside Denmark’s revolutionary neighbourhood (The Guardian 10/12/2024)

Heritage sector ‘facing challenges in diversity and inclusion’ (Arts Professional 10/12/2024)

Just Transition Commission calls on Scottish Government to set targets (Third Force News 12/12/2024)

Edinburgh to engage in ‘feminist approach’ to urban planning (The Times 13/12/2024)

HIE’s new head of business growth keen to support more businesses (HIE 13/12/2024)

Area team leader appointed at HIE in Orkney (HIE 13/12/2024)

Edinburgh needs a humanist approach to planning, not a feminist one (The Times 14/12/2024)

UK ‘doesn’t have enough builders’ for Labour’s 1.5m homes (BBC News 14/12/2024)

Labour condemned for allowing ‘new generation of slum homes’ in England (The Guardian 14/12/2024)

Edinburgh tourist tax: Council’s plans on how to spend revenue ‘contrary to purpose of levy’ (The Scotsman 16/12/2024)

Mayors to get powers to stop planning delays in England, Angela Rayner to say (The Guardian 16/12/2024)

Economist elected as new president of Royal Society of Edinburgh (The Scotsman 16/12/2024)

MOTIONS

S6M-15782
Submitted by: Shirley-Anne Somerville, Dunfermline, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: 09/12/2024
That the Parliament recognises 10 December 2024 as Human Rights Day; supports this year’s theme of “Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now”; agrees that human rights present a route to a more peaceful, equitable and sustainable world; recognises that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the formation of the Council of Europe, and supports its vital mission to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe; celebrates important steps to advance rights in Scotland, including the commencement of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024; commends the role of human rights organisations, human rights defenders and wider civil society in driving change and challenging everyone to do better, and reaffirms its own commitment to strengthen, respect, protect and fulfil human rights through both practical action and future legislation
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on 10/12/2024

EVENTS

Society of Antiquaries of Scotland – January Lecture: ‘The archaeology of the 1988 Glasgow Garden Festival’
Date & Time: Thursday 9 January 2025; 6-8pm
Location: Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EL (wheelchair accessible)
The 1988 Glasgow Garden Festival was a seminal event in the modern re-invention of the city. In this lecture, Kenny will consider how archaeology (especially Roman) was represented at the Festival, including the unique reconstruction of an Antonine Wall gatehouse. He will also discuss the results of his own fieldwork and excavations (2022-2024) across what remains of the Festival site. The case will be made that archaeology is a powerful tool to explore recent events, engage the public, and unlock memories. This talk will be presented by Dr Kenny Brophy BSc FSAScot, University of Glasgow.

SHBT – Digital Space & Place: History & Fantasy for Public Heritage
Date & Time: Wednesday 15 January 2025; 6-7:30pm
Location: Riddle’s Court, 322 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PG
How do you help a wide public audience imagine and appreciate architecture when the buildings no longer exist? When they can’t be visited, viewed, and experienced? Glaire Anderson discusses her work as external historian/art historian on Ubisoft’s popular history-themed video game Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Now a ruined shell clinging to the side of the peel above Linlithgow Loch, Linlithgow Palace was once the great pleasure palace of the kings and queens of Scotland. James Cook’s work brings together scientific acoustic research, historical archival work, archaeology, and performance to reconstruct this building within Virtual Reality.

Old Edinburgh Club – Stonily Gray and Strange of Aspect: Edinburgh
Date & Time: Wednesday 15 January 2025; 7-8:30pm
Location: Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EL
Most people consider modern architecture as the ‘concrete monstrosities’ of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. In this talk, organised by the Old Edinburgh Club, Roger Emmerson will explore how the ‘Modern Age’ could be reconsidered as stemming from the Scottish Enlightenment and how ‘modern thought’ provides the background to contemporary architecture. Emmerson is a specialist in architectural design who has worked extensively in the architectural conservation, leisure, housing, and education industries.

My Place Awards 2025 launch
Date & Time: Wednesday 22 January 2025; 11am-12pm
Location: Online
Join the Scottish Civic Trust for a free knowledge share event featuring case studies of community-led placemaking projects across Scotland. This event will mark the official launch of the My Place Awards 2025, which celebrate excellence in community-led placemaking.

AHSS Lecture – Scott Abercrombie: Provand’s Lordship
Date & Time: Thursday 23 January 2025; 7:30pm
Location: St Andrews West Church & Renfield Centre, 260 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 4JP
Note: Lecture will also be streamed online via Zoom
Scott Abercrombie, Associate Director of John Gilbert Architects, will discuss the history of Glasgow’s oldest residential building, now a museum, as well as the recent conservation works undertaken, which included the reinstatement of lime harling to the building.
Tickets available in advance or on the door: £6 / students £2 / season ticket for all 5 lectures: £25

 

C&BS – Introduction to being a Board Member
Dates & Times: Tuesday 14 & 21 January 2025; 4-7pm
Location: Online
Do you have new trustees on your Board or have you taken on a trustee role yourself? If so, this is an essential course for launching or refreshing your Board career. C&BS Head of Board Development, Catriona Reynolds, takes new trustees and Board members through their paces in two information-packed, hands-on sessions. A reading list, with all material available online, is provided in advance of each session to give you background information on different topics.

SLCT – On the behaviour of Lime Mortared Masonry Masterclass
Date & Time: Friday 24 January 2025; 10am-4pm
Location: Charlestown Workshops, 2 Rocks Road, Charlestown, Fife KY11 3EN
Join Conservation Engineer, David Wiggins talk about Lime Mortared Masonry. David is a CARE-accredited conservation engineer, whose work centres around the care and repair of historic buildings. He has a doctorate in technical masonry conservation, and current convener of the Building Limes Forum. This masterclass will marry up his research and professional practice, and is primarily aimed at engineers, but will also be of interest to masons, other crafts and anyone who wonders how historic masonry works.

VACANCIES