Joining the Dots
Introduction
Hazel Johnson (BEFS): Joining the dots – the first in a series of BEFS blogs exploring interconnected policy areas
The policy landscape is crowded. How do we work together collectively to address the issues of the day? In the first of a new blog series, Built Environment Forum Scotland (BEFS) Director explores the interconnected nature of policy agendas for Scotland’s built environment sector. How can strategic advocacy be amplified through joined-up thinking and cross-sector collaboration, towards legislation that delivers for our people and places?
Retrofit
Jocelyne Fleming, CIOB
In the second of our ‘Joining the Dots’ series exploring the interconnected nature of policy agendas for Scotland’s built environment, Jocelyne Fleming, Senior Policy & Public Affairs Officer – Scotland at the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), discusses how siloed approaches to policy hinder progress on Scotland’s housing, retrofit, and net zero goals.
Tenement Maintenance
Mike Heffron, Under One Roof
In the third of our ‘Joining the Dots’ series exploring the interconnected nature of policy agendas for Scotland’s built environment, Mike Heffron, Chief Executive Officer at Under One Roof, discusses the role of good maintenance of Scotland’s tenements as a key part of Scottish Net Zero goals, alongside a review of the Tenement Maintenance Working Group’s advocacy.
Planning
Dr. Caroline Brown, RTPI
In the fourth of our ‘Joining the Dots’ series exploring the interconnected nature of policy agendas for Scotland’s built environment, Dr Caroline Brown, Director for Scotland, Ireland and English Regions at the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), explores how data integration could transform policy implementation and decision-making across Scotland’s planning system.
2025 Wrap
Hazel Johnson (BEFS)
In the 5th blog in our ‘Joining the Dots’ series, Hazel Johnson, Director at Built Environment Forum Scotland, reflects on a year of cross-sector collaboration and strategic advocacy. As we approach the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections, Hazel explores how the conversations held throughout the year have revealed encouraging common themes – from breaking down policy silos to embracing whole systems thinking. She examines how BEFS Manifesto 2026 positions the built environment sector as essential to achieving Scotland’s climate and wellbeing targets, and looks ahead to the opportunities for collective action in the year to come.
2026 Kickoff: Skills as Strategic Infrastructure
Dr Scott McGibbon (Managing Director at Pvotal Consultancy)
In the 6th in the series and first ‘Joining the Dots’ blog of 2026, Dr. Scott McGibbon, Managing Director at Pvotal Consultancy, tackles the fragmented skills policy landscape that threatens Scotland’s built environment ambitions. With net zero delivery, housing decarbonisation, and heritage conservation all dependent on an equipped workforce, Scott argues that skills are too often treated as operational details rather than strategic enablers. He identifies critical gaps, from insufficient cross-sector workforce planning to the marginalisation of traditional built heritage skills and offers five key actions to transform skills policy from a constraint into Scotland’s competitive advantage.
ScotLand Futures – creating new land opportunities for our built environment
Katherine Pollard (Head of Policy at the Scottish Land Commission)
In the seventh blog in our Joining the Dots series, Katherine Pollard, Head of Policy at the Scottish Land Commission, explores how land reform connects directly to Scotland’s built environment ambitions. Drawing on the ScotLand Futures initiative, which engaged over 1,200 people, Kathie argues that land reform is not just a rural issue but critical to addressing urban challenges from housing need to high street decline. She outlines three priorities for the next phase of land reform: opening new land opportunities, rebalancing power to ensure ownership works for the public good, and shaping change locally through strengthened planning.