BEFS Bulletin – Save the Date for Community Empowerment & Landscape

BEFS News

BEFS has a number of upcoming events, including a HES Corporate Plan Consultation Workshop on Friday 26th October, 09:30-12:00, 125 Princes Street, Edinburgh. This is an opportunity to provide feedback on the corporate plan 2019-22 and is open to all.

Save the date for ‘Community Empowerment and Landscape’ on Monday 3rd December, 1500-1800, venue to be confirmed. Community Land Scotland and INHERIT have produced a report which examines the relationship between communities and the policies and practices around natural and historic environment, primarily in a rural context. The Scottish Government’s agenda to increase community ownership means that the findings have parallels for urban communities. This event will look at pragmatic steps that can be taken to ease tensions from the perspective of a community trust, a public agency, a charitable landowner and through the lens of human rights. The issues arising should provide fertile thought in advance of the HES consultation on criteria for designation. Full details will follow shortly but in the meantime, please save the date and read the report.

BEFS continues its search for our next chair until 22 October, please do share the details of the position.

And don’t miss the opportunity to contribute to the call for ideas on prioritisation – we already have interest from a variety of perspectives and would welcome yours!

Scottish Civic Trust’s recent consultation highlighted that people weren’t sure who did what in the Scottish heritage sector. To try to address this, the Scottish Civic Trust, with help from BEFS and the wider sector, has created a map listing everyone they could think of who might be of assistance to community groups. The result is now available here. Whilst certainly not exhaustive, it’s a useful guide for when you’re looking for help with a particular issue.

The fourth marshalled list of amendments and the fourth groupings of amendments for the Planning (Scotland) Bill at Stage 2 have now been published.

Consultations

Delivering improved transparency in land ownership in Scotland: Consultation on draft regulations
Closes 8 Nov 2018

Call for Feedback! Help Improve the Place Standard Tool (STP 04/10/18)
We want to hear from organisations, groups and individuals who have used the Place Standard, and we also want to hear from people who haven’t used the tool. Please complete this survey to help us build on lessons to date to inform improvements to the Place Standard.

Scotland – Sharing Stories Survey (SCT 03/10/18)
The Sharing Stories project aims to challenge stereotypes and improve understanding of minority ethnic heritage across Europe. The project is being co-led by The Scottish Civic Trust as part of European Heritage Days. We want diverse cultures to be recognised as integral parts of European culture and see Scotland’s multicultural heritage better represented in heritage programmes like Doors Open Days. We are conducting a short online survey to collect information on levers / barriers / enablers to minority ethnic participation and representation in local heritage in Scotland.

Consultation Responses

Scottish Civic Trust Community Consultation Report

Publications

Barriers to homeownership for young adults (IFS 08/10/18)

Rural Scotland Key Facts 2018 (SG 08/10/18)

Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Relations Committee’ Brexit Update (SPICe)

European Union funding in Scotland – Briefing (SPICe)

European Union funding in Scotland – Infographic (SPICe)

Cultural Heritage for Inclusive Growth Report (British Council)

Scottish Government News Releases

Housing First (SG 09/10/18)
Vulnerable people with complex needs who need help to get into settled accommodation are to be supported by funding of up to £6.5 million, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

Rural tourism investment (SG 05/10/18)
Projects to benefit from £3 million funding. Some of Scotland’s most iconic, rural tourist sites will receive funding for new facilities to further enhance the visitor experience.

Community Choices Fund (SG 02/10/18)
Communities will benefit from a share of £1.75 million to increase the numbers of people involved in making decisions about investment in their local areas.

New environmental Chief Scientific Adviser appointed (SG 28/09/18)
A leading Edinburgh University scientist is being appointed as the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser for Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

News Releases

Young Placechangers Ideas Fund opens for applications (GS 11/10/18)
From today [11 October 2018] young people and youth groups can apply to the Young Placechangers Ideas Fund for Seedcorn grants (up to £500) and larger Ideas Fund grants (up to £3000). Developed by greenspace scotland and partners Youth Scotland, with funding support from the Scottish Government and Heritage Lottery Fund, the Young Placechangers Ideas Fund will support young placechangers across Scotland to put their ideas into action and change places for the better – where they live, play, hang out or go to school.

Help us add to and update the Buildings at Risk register (SAVE BH)
Do you know of any historic buildings standing empty and decaying that should be added to the SAVE Buildings at Risk register? SAVE is starting the search for buildings at risk to appear in our 2019- 2020 Buildings at Risk Catalogue and we would like to hear from you.  We are also conducting an update of the register and would welcome any news on existing entries.

Bloomberg London wins RIBA Stirling Prize for architecture (BBC 10/10/18)
Bloomberg’s London office has been named the winner of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize, in a ceremony at London’s Roundhouse. The European HQ for the financial information firm, designed by Foster + Partners, was described by the judges as “a once-in-a-generation project which has pushed the boundaries of research and innovation in architecture”.

Partners in Planning: a New Skills Hub for Planners (PAS 08/10/18)
We were delighted to take part in the recent launch event for a new skills hub for planners, Partners in Planning. Partners in Planning is an online platform to support Scotland’s planners in delivering successful places – and one, at PAS, that we think will be a great resource for our network of volunteers (planners).

Heritage Alliance Response to the Brexit White Paper & MAC report (HA 05/10/18)
The Heritage Alliance has responded to the Brexit White Paper from a heritage perspective and set out the implications of the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) final report on EEA migration in the UK.

My Place Mentoring (SCT 03/10/18)
Thanks to generous funding from Historic Environment Scotland, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the William Grant Foundation, Scottish Civic Trust are pleased to be opening our mentoring programme for community groups that are in need of some help developing their skills. We’ll provide tailored one to one support for groups across a number of different areas, including fundraising, governance, project management and social media. Drop us a line at sct@scottishcivictrust.org.uk or give us a call on 0141 221 1466 and we can talk through your needs with you.

Scotland’s iconic buildings set to benefit from sought-after stonemasonry skills (CITB 02/10/18)
A new Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) partnership has been launched in Edinburgh to help meet the demand for stonemasonry skills to protect and preserve Scotland’s iconic buildings.

CIfA2019: Call for papers (CIfA 01/10/18)
Archaeology: values, benefits, and legacies -CIfA2019 Annual conference and training event on
24 ? 26 April 2019, Leeds. Hosted at the Royal Armouries Museum, our 2019 annual conference event will be packed with sessions, training and networking opportunities. Our usual three-day conference programme includes papers, seminars and activities that aim to provide a forum for delegates to discuss and explore ideas around social value, public benefit, and the creation of knowledge.

We’re hosting the sixth European Architectural History Network International Meeting (EAHN)
EAHN2020 takes place in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, UK. The venue is the University of Edinburgh, and the conference takes full advantage of the university, and the city’s numerous architectural sites. The website is already live!

Parliament visitor experience wins vote of confidence from VisitScotland (SP 28/09/18)
The five-star tourism award was achieved by the Parliament in recognition of exceptional customer service and the high-quality facilities on offer.

Call for collaborative Centre for Cultural Value now open (AHRC 13/09/18)
The Arts and Humanities Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation, has opened a call that gives Research Organisations, in collaboration with other organisations from across the cultural sector, the opportunity to apply to become the UK’s first collaborative Centre for Cultural Value. The deadline for applications is expected to be 16.00 hours on Thursday 15 November 2018.

Future Towns Design Competition (STP)
The FutureTown Design Competition is open for applications! Both individuals and organisations are invited to submit innovative ideas for positive change in their town or city neighbourhood. The competition is aimed at provoking ideas and encouraging new approaches to highlight what the country’s towns could look like now and in the future.
Applications close at 5pm on Wednesday 31 October 2018.

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”.

Question S5W-19087: Rhoda Grant, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 27/09/2018
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out on the relationship between the Planning (Scotland) Bill, and the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018.

Question S5W-19127: Pauline McNeill, Glasgow, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 01/10/2018
To ask the Scottish Government how many households in each local authority area have (a) applied for and (b) received support for (i) loft, (ii) cavity wall, (iii) room in roof, (iv) solid wall and (v) other forms of insulation from area-based energy-efficiency schemes in each of the last 10 years.

Question S5W-19128: Pauline McNeill, Glasgow, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 01/10/2018
To ask the Scottish Government how many households in each local authority area have (a) applied for and (b) received support from the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland (HEEPS) in each of the last 10 years.

Question S5W-19129: Pauline McNeill, Glasgow, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 01/10/2018
To ask the Scottish Government how many households in each local authority area have (a) applied for and (b) received support for (i) a new boiler or heating replacement system, (ii) solar panels, (iii) air source heat pumps and (iv) biomass energy systems in each of the last 10 years.

Events

For the latest information about BEFS Members’ events see our events calendar.

Connected Towns Part 1 –  The Physical Space
Date: 24 Oct. from 1:30pm – 4:30pm.
Venue: Architecure + Design Scotland, Edinburgh.
The Physical Space: Attractive, Active, Accessible Places for All. Our session on 24 October will help you to join the dots where you are; helping connect people and place, through the creation of sustainable, multi-functional spaces; accessible to all. ‘Connected Towns – Part 2, The Digital Space’, follows on Wednesday 12 December.

Cockburn Annual Lecture – The Role of Urban Ecology in the Future of Edinburgh
Date: Thur 25 October 2018, 19:30 – 21:00.
Venue: Grassmarket Community Project, 86 Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh EH1 2QA.
How should Edinburgh grow? Recently published population projections suggest that Edinburgh will grow by 28% over the next 25 years. This signals a strong economy able to create wealth and opportunity for its citizens and able to attract the key workers it needs to run its public services and fuel new enterprise. But it is also presents powerful challenges to the city. This multi-speaker lecture will look at examples of projects in other European places with the purpose of initiating an informed civic debate on how Edinburgh approaches this challenge while addressing associated problems of climate change and place quality.

Destination High Street: restoring vibrancy to Scotland’s towns
Date: Wed 7 November 2018, 09:30 – 17:30.
Venue: The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3NY.
This conference, organised jointly by the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland (AHSS) and the Scottish Civic Trust (SCT) will explore the challenges faced by Scotland’s high streets and smaller town centres. Speakers will examine projects and schemes aimed at regenerating high streets and the conference will bring together experts on the subject tackling the issue from a range of perspectives. This is a rare chance to hear from people working at the cutting-edge of practice and policy.

Young Placechangers Residential
Date: Sat, 17 Nov 2018, 12:30 – Sun, 18 Nov 2018, 15:30.
Venue: Callander Youth Project Trust, Callander Hostel, 6 Bridgend, Callander FK17 8AH.
Is there anything you and your youth group would like to change about the place where you live, go to school or work? A space or park that could do with some improvements or changes to the way it is used? If the answer is yes, then this residential weekend is for you!

Training

APD Training & Development
Our Advanced Professional Diploma (APD) is back for its second year, with options to take individual short courses.
These courses are taught by leading experts through a mixture of lectures and field trips. Some single days may be available. Contact us for further details.
Booking is essential and places fill up fast so book now to avoid disappointment! Visit www.engineshed.scot/learning/diploma to learn more or email us at technicaleducation@hes.scot.

APD – Sustainability in the Historic Environment
Date: 29 October. Taught a day a week over 3 weeks; 15.5 taught hours
Venue: The Engine Shed, Stirling, FK8 1QZ
An increasingly important issue, this module examines the impact of heritage conservation on the wider environment and economy and ways to protect scarce physical resources for the future.
Price: £315. Booking essential.

Surface Repair of Stone
Date: 13 – 14 November 2018
Venue: Merryhill Training Centre, Fife KY11 3DR
This course will cover the how to carry out a successful surface stone repair with an understanding of the materials and when and where it may be appropriate. n many cases, simple surface repairs can be less intrusive and a suitable alternative to replacing masonry units with new stone. You will be amazed at the results you will be able to achieve after only two days! This course is designed to ensure successful surface repairs to flat work, angles, corners and moulded details. The decay mechanisms of stone will be discussed and we will consider the factors to that should be taken into account when deciding if a surface repair is a suitable alternative to replacement with new stone.

CE2 Masonry Consolidation Techniques for the repair of historic buildings and structures
Date: 16 November 2018
Venue: Charlestown Workshops, Fife KY11 3EN
This workshop is the follow on course from CE1 Introduction to lime based mortars and traditional materials for the repair of civil engineering structures and covers two major techniques for consolidating masonry structures, namely grouting (with a liquid mortar) and concealed crack stitching. These are techniques that may be applicable for the repair of masonry arch bridges, culverts, tunnels, lighthouses, viaducts, canals, harbours, retaining walls, piers and other masonry structures which contribute so much to the richness of our heritage. This one day workshop focusses on remedying voids in traditional masonry buildings and structures in a sympathetic manner using traditional lime and natural cement bound mortars in liquid form to enable grouting. Techniques of crack stitching (for dormant cracks) will also be addressed using a variety of methods and materials to suit the various scenarios that might occur in heritage buildings and structures. This workshop is a mix of theory and practical hands-on work.

Vacancies

Senior Project Officer: My Place Mentoring
The Scottish Civic Trust is looking for a Senior Project Officer for the My Place Mentoring programme, which will run over three years and build skills, knowledge and connections in Scotland’s community groups. Its aim is to empower disenfranchised communities in Scotland to engage with their local environment in a meaningful way that changes spaces and places for the better.
Submit your application by 26th October 2018.

Volunteering with Doors Open Day
The annual free festival of Scottish architecture and cultural heritage is looking for volunteers.  Why not join our team and help with the evaluation process for 2018.

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