BEFS Conservation Officers Group welcomes new Chair Dr Alison McCandlish

Read more about the new Chair and Conservation Officers Group

BEFS Conservation Officers Group welcomes new Chair Dr Alison McCandlish – and a huge thank you to our outgoing Chair Mark Douglas, who has steered the group with his invaluable efforts since its formation in 2021.

Speaking to Alison she said of the new post, “I am honoured and absolutely delighted to take on the role of the BEFS Conservation Officers Group Chair. I’d also like to formally thank the BEFS team and Mark Douglas for helping ease the transition to Chair, Mark and I used to correspond often on conservation when he worked in the Borders and I was on the Northumberland side, a kind of micro conservation officers forum as such, so it feels like a rather fun circle to be asked to take on his former role!”

Alison has been working in heritage for over 20 years, having worked as a Local Authority conservation officer, and in planning roles involving development plans, development management and grant projects.

Now a lecturer in City Planning at the University of Glasgow, she teaches on the postgraduate planning, heritage and public policy courses.  Her research focuses on creative and experiential ways of demystifying policy in heritage, planning, culture and regeneration and she has an academic background in Environmental Planning, European Urban Conservation, Education and Creative Media Practice.

Alison is a member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC), a chartered town planner (MRTPI), a recognised Historic Environment Service Provider under the IHBC HESPR scheme, as well as being a member of the Association of Illustrators.

For BEFS the role of the Conversation Officers Group is a vital one for the sector. Through our position as secretariat we aim to enable those working in the wide range of roles loosely covered by the title, ‘Conservation Officers Group’ to: connect; gain CPD opportunities; build confidence within roles; and to find a network of peers to continue developing knowledge – all actions which give skilled planners the resources to take good decisions for our existing built environment.

For more information on the Conservation Officers Group please see here

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