Managing Change Guidance survey

From 29 July to 17 September 2024, Historic Environment Scotland (HES) asked for your views to help us shape the future of Managing Change guidance. This was to ensure that our guidance is fit for purpose and to improve it as a tool to support decision making.

The Managing Change guidance consultation document outlined the purpose of Managing Change guidance. It set out the key drivers we identified as leading change in the historic environment and a series of topics we thought Managing Change should address.

We asked for your feedback on how Managing Change guidance is currently being used and the key drivers that the guidance should respond to. We also asked for your thoughts and ideas to inform our topic priorities for new guidance and updates. These topics included retrofit, accessibility, conservation areas, landscape and agriculture.

We engaged with about 50 stakeholders through a Citizen Space survey and online workshops. This included a workshop in partnership with the Built Environment Forum Scotland for conservation officers.

Overall, respondents raised that the usability and accessibility of Managing Change guidance could be improved by clearly linking together guidance where relevant as well as keeping content simpler to read and easier to find on the HES website.

Retrofit was the most engaged with topic in the activities. Many respondents noted more clarity is needed on what retrofit works are acceptable and existing guidance needs to be updated. Respondents also noted that:

• A web hub for retrofit guidance on our website was generally supported.
• Retrofit is a key issue in conservation areas for respondents. The replacement of windows and the installation of renewables can put the management of conservation areas under pressure.
• More case studies on retrofit and conservation areas were encouraged.

Respondents also commented on topics including landscape, accessibility and agriculture, with landscape being the second most engaged with topic.

On the landscape topic, respondents noted that:

• The guidance should use a holistic approach to understand the environment, recognising both cultural and natural factors.
• It should include consideration of how landscape shapes place and influences the development patterns of the past, present and the future.
• Guidance should identify what is meant by ‘landscape’ and explain the significance of landscapes and places, and how the historic environment is embedded in this.
• It should cover cumulative changes in urban and rural areas and the impacts at a landscape scale.   

For accessibility, key messages were:

• Guidance should have a broader scope to include more aspects of the historic environment, such as landscapes and townscapes.
• Respondents need more clarity on how to balance accessibility with preserving cultural significance.

Respondents engaged with the agriculture topic the least. They noted that any guidance should be practical and avoid duplicating advice from local authorities.

We have developed an action plan based on your feedback which will inform our future work on Managing Change guidance.

Key actions include:

• Embed early engagement into future Managing Change activities and maximise opportunities for stakeholder feedback.
• Provide clarity on our retrofit advice and ensure our Managing Change guidance is more accessible on our website.
• Begin scoping for a new Managing Change guidance on places and landscapes in the next financial year (2025-26).
• Ensure focused advice on conservation areas is included in our retrofit work and guidance on places and landscapes as relevant.
• Look to embed advice on accessibility and equity in all guidance, including the new places and landscapes guidance.
• Explore scope to update the accessibility Managing Change guidance note in future rounds of guidance updates.
• Explore ways to provide support on agriculture, including options for training and web content.
• Review Managing Change guidance on historic battlefields following the review of the Selection Guidance for historic battlefields.