C O N T E X T 1 1 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 0 21 Role Examples Consultancy The Castles of Scotland Preservation Trust provides advice and undertakes feasibility studies on behalf of other organisations. Mentoring support Highlands BPT has provided project development and project delivery support to a number of smaller, less-experienced trusts, for example the Lewis and Harris BPT. Open doors events Glasgow BPT delivers the annual Open Doors Event in Glasgow. Building management The Scottish Historic Buildings Trust has retained five buildings, which it currently manages. Managing area-based initiatives The Fife Historic Buildings Trust has managed a number of townscape heritage initiatives on behalf of Fife Council and acted as a mentor to them on the delivery of a conservation area regeneration scheme. Education The Heritage Building Preservation Trust has worked with local schools to raise awareness of the importance of the historic environment among young people. Training The Scottish Lime Centre Trust provides training and education opportunities and offers advice to contractors working on historic buildings in order to promote traditional building and craft skills. In the majority of cases, BPTs are run entirely by volunteers.The survey revealed that at least 500 volunteers are involved in the BPT movement across Scotland. However, projects are increasingly demanding far more time and resources from these individuals, so finding appropriately skilled people who have the time to support the BPT movement is becoming more difficult. The Scottish BPT movement also has 11 staffed trusts, which have 24.5 members of staff between them. This mix of professional and volunteer trusts is considered to be a great strength of the movement. Positively, the larger, professional trusts frequently provide support and guidance to the smaller trusts. A significant amount of goodwill enables this to take place as funding does not sufficiently cover the costs of this support. ECOTEC notes that the capacity, expertise and skills of the professional trusts needs to be recognised, and that their skills should be utilised to support the wider movement and enable complex projects to be undertaken. Scottish BPTs have successfully completed over 110 projects, some of which include the restoration of more than one building. More projects are under way. In support of the Scottish Government’s priority to improve the state of Scotland’s historic buildings, monuments and environment, as measured by the percentage of A-listed buildings on the BARR (which was established in 1990), the BPT movement has removed at least 43 buildings from the BARR. There is a need, however, more effectively to prioritise the buildings at risk in Scotland. ECOTEC recommends that Historic Scotland, with the support of the local authorities, should take responsibility for developing a strategy for prioritising buildings at risk on the BARR. In terms of quantifiable outputs, the completed BPT projects have created over 250 homes; more than 12 large commercial properties, including some 75 workplaces; and 25 community facilities. In addition to these achievements, the Scottish BPT movement also contributes to a range of much wider benefits. Environmental Economic Social Other Reduce the number of buildings at risk. Raise the profile of historic buildings at risk. Improve environmental quality. Contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Indirectly support employment, such as in the construction sector. Strengthen the local business base through the provision of workspace. Reduce the potential longterm costs from the continuing repair of historic buildings at risk. Lever significant additional public and private sector funds. Catalyse wider regeneration of an area. Improve the housing offer through the provision of new housing. Improve access to services and facilities through the provision of new community facilities. Provide an opportunity for local residents to take an active part in their heritage. Raise the skills and capacity of local communities. Actively encourage and develop high-quality, traditional craft skills. Enhance the tourism offer and increase visitor spend. Share good practice related to restoring historic buildings. Offer a vast amount of advice and guidance to other voluntary sector, private sector and public sector organisations. Stimulate effective partnerships between the voluntary, private and public sector. Glasgow City Council Scottish Borders Council Glasgow City Council recognises that the work of Glasgow BPT (GBPT) can contribute to its wider priorities: ‘BPTs are important for the bigger cities because they can be seen as part of the bigger regeneration of the area. Glasgow City Council has seen the work of GBPT as part of its economic strategy.’ GBPT developed a business plan that sets out how it will contribute to Glasgow City Council’s priorities. As a result, it secured core funding from the city council, which enables it to play a greater role in the wider regeneration of Glasgow. The Scottish Borders Council fully acknowledges the important role that BPTs play, stating that ‘there is a strong need for professional, fulltime and properly resourced BPTs to assist planning authorities… We need an experienced professional to come up with a good delivery model to tackle buildings at risk. That’s why we use the Alba Conservation Trust; they have the skills, expertise and passion’. In partnership with the Alba Conservation Trust, the Scottish Borders Council jointly identifies buildings, jointly funds options appraisals and jointly undertakes projects. When suitable projects arise, the Scottish Borders Council also works with local trusts. The study reviewed the funding environment in which Scottish BPTs operate. The survey revealed that the average BPT project costs around £1.1 million. The BPT movement is heavily reliant on grant funding. Three main funders include Historic Scotland, which awarded £11.4 million to Scottish BPTs since 1999; the HLF, which awarded £21.3 million to Scottish BPTs since 1999; and the AHF, which provided £1.2 million in non-refundable grants, and £8.6 million in loans to Scottish BPTs since 1999. Despite tapping into a range of different funding sources and utilising their own funds, BPTs have reported a number of funding gaps or deficiencies. These include capital funding, funding for administration costs, project development, emergency repairs, rural buildings, and mentoring. In response to these ECOTEC identifies a number of recommendations for the main funders. One of the main factors for successfully delivering projects is partnership working, both within the BPT movement and with organisations outside it. BPTs highlighted that the support of local authorities was fundamental to enabling them to undertake their role successfully. The knowledge and expertise tied up in
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