BEFS Bulletin 366: New Year, Historic Buildings, and Policy Updates

BEFS NEWS

Happy New Year from the team at BEFS!

As we step into 2025, BEFS brings you our first bulletin of the year – slightly condensed but still packed with our usual round up of parliamentary questions, consultations, events and more.

We’re delighted to share that BEFS Members, the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT), welcomed four new Trustees at their December AGM, as the Trust continues to grow and drive forward future projects and community consultations. Among the appointees is former BEFS Director Ailsa Macfarlane. Congratulations to SHBT and all new Board Members!

Looking ahead, and for a taste of what this year will bring: as well as business as usual we look forward to releasing a new blog series exploring the interconnected policy areas which BEFS advocates for, recruiting for new members of the BEFS Board, working even more closely with our Members, and a brand new BEFS event. Watch this space!

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Please see our Link to Parliamentary Questions and Answers for recent questions regarding planning, built heritage protection, cladding remediation, and building safety.

CONSULTATIONS

Protecting built heritage
UK Parliament
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee is to examine the importance of built heritage in the UK and the barriers to its preservation. The inquiry will examine issues with funding and whether current finance models are suitable and accessible.  It will also engage with how the Government can tackle practical and regulatory challenges, such as the availability of skilled practitioners, the managed decline of assets on publicly-owned land, and policy issues arising from net zero targets and planning policy. Alongside this, MPs will highlight the importance of built heritage for economic regeneration and to community identities, as well as how those communities can be empowered to manage their local built heritage assets.
*NEW* Closes 2 February

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.
Closes 22 January 2025

Building (Procedure) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2024
The Scottish Parliament
The Building (Procedure) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2024 would require a developer to submit an “energy and environmental design statement” alongside an application for a building warrant and an “energy and environmental construction statement” alongside a completion certificate. The requirement to submit such statements would apply from 31 March 2028. The technical standards that will apply to those aspects of construction listed above in 2028 have yet to be established by the Scottish Government and will be the subject of consultation during 2025.
*NEW* Closes 14 January 2025

Building on Housing Emergency Response – Permitted Development Rights
Scottish Government
The Planning and Architecture Division is seeking views on expanding Permitted Development Rights (PDR) to support housing delivery, exploring potential for streamlining home creation while aligning with NPF4 policies. Areas of interest include supporting town centre living, rural communities, and the reuse of vacant buildings. Input is sought on suitable types of homes, locations, and building conversions that could be delivered through PDR.
Closes 14 February 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). At this stage, no decision to establish this National Park has been made and Ministers are keen to gauge the level of support for the proposal and alternatives to it. Ministers appointed NatureScot as the ‘Reporter’ to consult and advise them on the proposal. This consultation is part of the programme of work to fulfil these requirements. 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.
Closes 7 March 2024

CONSULTATION RESPONSES

BEFS response to Consultation for Historic Environment Scotland’s corporate plan 2025-28 (03/01/2025)

AHSS response to Consultation for Historic Environment Scotland’s corporate plan 2025-28 (03/01/2025)

NEWS RELEASES

ALCHEMAI (BE-ST and partners 2024)
ALCHEMAI is a smart technology project with the tools for building visualisation and data collection to enable retrofit processes.

Why choose a whole building retrofit approach? (BE-ST 02/12/2024)

Scotland to introduce a Scottish equivalent to the Passivhaus standard (BE-ST 16/12/2024)

PUBLICATIONS

Securing an innovative and enterprising heritage sector: Twelve transformative recommendations from the CHARTER project (European Cultural Heritage Skills Alliance 05/12/2024)

The general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2025 (Council of the European Union 18/11/2024)

Built environment bodies call for exemptions to Level 7 apprenticeships changes (RIBA 18/12/2024)

SCOTTISH & UK: GOVERNMENTAL & PARLIAMENTARY PUBLICATIONS

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee 24^th Meeting 2024 official report and minutes (Scot Parl 10/12/2024)

Infrastructure levy for Scotland: discussion paper – responses overview (Scot Gov 12/12/2024)

Protecting built heritage: New inquiry to examine how to safeguard historic buildings and attractions (UK Parl 16/12/2024)

Correspondence between NFU Scotland and the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee regarding Land Management Plans (Scot Parl 16/12/2024)

Area Based Schemes: annual final measures reports (Scot Gov 16/12/2024)

Second homes and empty properties in September 2024 (Scot Gov 17/12/2024)

Housing statistics: Second homes and empty properties (Scot Gov 17/12/2024)

Housing statistics: Local authority housing stock (Scot Gov 17/12/2024)

Empty and Second Homes in September 2024 (Scot Gov 17/12/2024)

Local authority total and vacant housing stock, Scotland, March 2024 (Scot Gov 17/12/2024)

Housebuilding and affordable home statistics in the year to end of September 2024 (Scot Gov 17/12/2024)

Housing Statistics for Scotland Quarterly Update: New Housebuilding and Affordable Housing Supply to end September 2024 (Scot Gov 17/12/2024)

Compulsory purchase reform: progress report December 2024 (Scot Gov 18/12/2024)

Scotland’s circular economy and waste route map to 2030 (Scot Gov 18/12/2024)

Budget (Scotland) (No. 4) Bill (Scot Parl 18/12/2024)

Budget (Scotland) (No. 4) Bill Delegated Powers Memorandum (Scot Parl 18/12/2024)

Budget (Scotland) (No. 4) Bill Statements on legislative competence (Scot Parl 18/12/2024)

Budget Bill published (Scot Gov 19/12/2024)

Correspondence between Ariane Burgess and the Minister for Housing regarding The Building (Procedure) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2024 (Scot Parl 19/12/2024)

Effective community engagement in local development planning: guidance (Scot Gov 20/12/2024)

Effective community engagement in local development plans: consultation response summary (Scot Gov 20/12/2024)

Effective community engagement in local development planning guidance: we asked, you said, we did statement (Scot Gov 20/12/2024)

Flood Resilience Strategy: case studies (Scot Gov 20/12/2024)

National Flood Resilience Strategy: island communities impact assessment (Scot Gov 20/12/2024)

Neighbourhoods and communities 2023: Scottish Household Survey findings (Scot Gov 20/12/2024)

NPF4 Policy 16 Quality Homes – Statements of Community Benefit (Scot Gov 23/12/2024)

Community Ownership Fund Round 4 Announcement (Scot Parl 06/01/2025)

OPINION & COMMENT

Griff Rhys Jones: ‘It’s depressing Keir Starmer is so ill-informed about heritage’ (The Times 18/12/2024)

Budget talks with opposition ‘progressing very well’ (Insider 19/12/2024)

Architecture: Rowan Moore’s five best projects of 2024 (The Guardian 22/12/2024)

State-funded UK scheme to save beloved community sites will close early (The Guardian 23/12/2024)

Critically endangered crafts fight extinction (BBC 28/12/2024)

UK government hires ‘nudge unit’ to help dispel heat pump myths (The Guardian 01/01/2025)

‘Left to rot’: Glasgow’s crumbling heritage comes into focus for 850th anniversary (The Guardian 02/01/2025)

Glasgow’s heritage crisis and how to save its crumbling buildings (The Times 04/01/2025)

EVENTS

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.