Written evidence submitted by the
Ayr Development Trust

 

 

1. What are the most significant challenges facing owners and operators of built

heritage assets and how they are affecting what those sites can offer?

 

*What interventions are needed to prevent the managed decline of heritage assets

on publicly owned land?

*What can the Government do to make it easier for communities or local businesses

to take ownership of historic buildings?

 

Problems affect most Scottish towns with heritage buildings; the level of successful conservation varies but where I live the is particularly bad, partly because Ayr has a huge number of small listed buildings particularly Georgian and some larger ones and a council which clearly prefers demolition and new build. Councils have a great deal of autonomy on Emergency Demolition in the Building (Scotland)Act 2003  which is flexible in planning/building control as interpreted. The council also has made a number of bad redevelopment decisions with dreadful outcomes for the town. One modern redevelopment is currently being demolished and this may well take a Heritage former department store with it.

              Councils in Scotland often take responsibility for “Common Good” Land and the stewardship in Ayr does not appear to be responsible or supervised. For example in Ayr there is such a prime plot of nearly an acre right behind the Town Hall under 6 feet of rubble since 2003 with many High Street shops  nearby, privately owned which could be redeveloped under the 2015 Community Development Act Scotland. A local Community Development Trust, Ayr Development Trust (ADT), with suitable Accreditation from the Scottish Government under the Act was discouraged from planning to take over this site using CAT, plus from planning to purchase some  privately owned “Abandoned, neglected or detrimental” property and pursue the provision of community resources. The plan was for  Social Care: day care and home directed care and allowing other community use.)  The sites remain undeveloped and mostly in ruins. No home directed social care support, which was much stronger previously before Austerity, has been developed.

              A different very experienced Charity , the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT) wanted to have a Back to Back Agreement with South Ayrshire Council in 2018 for them ,SAC, to have a Compulsory Purchase Order(CPO)  and SHBT to take on Ayr Station Hotel and manage the whole Project including raising all the funds and community involvement. They would have restored or repurposed as required. The quality of this building has been confirmed by world class experts. The council agreed in principle to cooperate with the SHBT and then reneged. They rejected all further plans to rescue this iconic building over decades. They used their Emergency Demolition Powers to under the Scottish 2002 Building Act to start to demolish the Hotel, starting December 2024. This Hotel was built in 1886 and was of the highest standard, so successful that in developing Ayr as a resort that Turnberry Station Hotel was built six years later. A plan in 2018, commissioned for council purposes by Renaissance (their “arms length” body), identified a need for an 80 Bed Hotel in Ayr but this was never published. SAC did monitor the Hotel and took out Dangerous Building Notices, never a Repairs Notice which would have been more appropriate initially.

              This puzzling series of events may have been affected by the interest of Network Rail (NR) in having longer platforms in Ayr Station which abutted the Hotel. I believe that while the Scottish Parliament has some control over NR operations in Scotland, power legally remains at UK level .Why I asked had Ayr Station had no toilet or passenger amenities and why no disabled facilities were available which legally were required?  Why has professional advice on Restoration been ignored? Such a restoration as proposed by SHBT  SAVE Britain’s Heritage, Scottish  heritage bodies, professional bodies and by others including the owner (who was denied reasonable access by NR to repair)). This could have led a rebirth of Ayr Town Centre with the Hotel’s excellent basic facilities and could have incorporated skills training centre from sandstone masonry to hotel catering, being next to the University etc.

              Many Ayr High Street shops have empty flats above, a modern idea from the last decades ,but the building are quite capable of being rendered habitable, perhaps using a gradual scheme as with the National Trust “Small Houses Initiative”. Here conditions were put on resale as protection and the money saleraised  re-used on another dwelling.

              The Law on community empowerment in Scotland is complex but excellent. I understand many towns are in need of this. However there is not much start up support for community development trusts like free use of premises and the demands are great on volunteers particularly in admin and funding. More direct scrutiny of what is happening in councils is required. I have evidence of irregularity over decades in Ayr including FOI papers and much evidence of loss of important buildings is available in the press across UK. Many councils in Scotland are unhelpful to community involvement as I know from speaking with community groups. The Scottish legislation on community empowerment is undermined by the Building Control position on demolition. The Scottish Government position has been to defer to councils rather than investigate public complaint.

              The position with VAT means that owners of Listed Buildings which already have higher design and material standards costs and mostly pay VAT and no longer have access to many grants, are heavily penalised. New builds are VAT exempt. The new builds are usually of inferior quality and often limited life spans. It is greener to restore and longer lasting but of course proper fire standards need to be part of the picture. In the picture of accounting should also be the demolition costs. In my experience it would have been cheaper to restore Ayr Town Centre than replace so far. I have no idea why money for demolition is  more available. Ayr had the greatest number of Georgian buildings of any small Scottish town and many other advantages and amenities, so much positive could be done. Another problem is that the value of town shops has plummeted so they are not maintained even when in use. As the council which is supposed to care for our heritage obviously pays  it little premium why should the owners bother?

              More money would be needed in the short term to restore plus an there would be increased element of risk  which is  a disincentive particularly in a “tick box” bureaucratic system which perhaps has been increased by computers and where the system is less based on professional opinions than previously.

 

2. How effective  are the current funding and finance models for built heritage?

 

*What should long-term public funding look like?

 

              Little to say on this but do feel that there should be a premium on redevelopment of heritage buildings and an emphasis on building to last which is  an advantage they have. Accredited Structural Engineer approval and/or Heritage Agency, like Heritage Environment Scotland sanction should be obtained for demolition of listed buildings I think.

              Again VAT should be used as an incentive to Conservation and Heritage building be given an advantage

 

3.What role does built heritage play in the regeneration of local areas and in contributing to economic growth and community identity?

 

*How can heritage buildings be supported to increase energy efficiency and net zero targets?

 

              Heritage buildings  should be at the centre of regeneration as they last far longer than new build, being built to higher standards with superior materials. This  is more energy efficient. Changes should incorporate better fire prevention conditions.  This deficit was high-lighted by the Enquiry on the Cameron House Hotel fire. Fewer demolitions help carbon capture levels.

              Grants and VAT exemption on repairs and repurposing could incentivise plus VAT on new build.

 

4.What are the financial, regulatory and practical barriers to preserving built heritage?

 

*What policy changes are needed to make restoring historic  buildings easier and cheaper?

 

              Budgets are inadequate anyway. In UK  VAT exemption on new build  make them more attractive generally plus more value seems to be placed on  rebuild in our towns by councils which often ordinary people see their familiar scene more affectionately . Council officials in Scotland appear to have too much power and councillors appear too intimidated. Often officials live elsewhere and appear to lack local loyalty. Legislation for Community Empowerment is undermined by  that on Emergency Powers in Building Control.

 

5. What policies would ensure that the UK workforce has the right skills to maintain our heritage assets?

              Please note that the accepted definition of ‘heritage assets’ are ‘Traditional buildings constructed before 1919’ and buildings of quality and or cultural association of any age.

              In Scotland, the centres of most provincial cities, towns and villages consist mostly of buildings constructed pre-1919. In these areas the proportion of these buildings is much greater than the ‘20% of all buildings’ statistic used frequently by HES to describe the quantity of traditional buildings in our country. We consider ‘heritage buildings’ to be in the mainstream, given in many towns and villages they make up the greatest majority of all ages of buildings.

              One of the most significant barriers that has been a chronic problem for years and increasingly acute since the Covid pandemic is loss of traditional craft skills across the country, particularly so in the west. Owners are finding it almost impossible to find traditionally skilled craftspeople to undertake even basic competent traditional repair and maintenance tasks to their buildings. The numbers of traditionally skilled craftspeople in regions such as Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Argyll & Bute, Lochaber, Western Highlands and Islands is grossly inadequate, or almost absent: particularly stonemasonry, slating & leadworking and joinery: all the key skills necessary for owners (particularly householders) to maintain buildings in a wind & weathertight condition. The skills training system is not working or accessible for most people outwith the Central Belt, so there is nearly no training happening now. The age demographic of those still practicing is generally high, so in only a few years, traditional skills will be lost to some of these areas as craftspeople reach their natural retirement age.

              Furthermore, the understanding of traditional construction and appropriate &necessary technology necessary to repair, maintain and indeed upgrade traditional construction is at an all-time low. There are nothing like enough architects, surveyors and engineers with interest or accreditation in building conservation.

              I think we need to completely redesign the construction industry training system and ensure it is available and accessible to all in every part of the country. Pop-up facilities should be made available in regional colleges for travelling trainers to use. The training syllabus does not currently focus adequately on traditional buildings especially at the level of maintenance, repair and retrofit.  

              This approach is necessary for architects, building surveyors and engineers, as well as the craftspeople. Once these skills are attained, there are excellent career opportunities available for all, as the level of demand is enormous. Owners cannot put off many repairs & maintenance otherwise buildings become unviable. Many repairs currently being carried out are in the category of ‘temporary patching’ due to people with inappropriate skills & understanding being hired to work on the buildings. The national training systems must be re-designed to correct this long tern decline before the knowledge disappears. I believe even now it will be very difficult to find suitably knowledgeable trainers to carry out much of the training necessary.