Building Standards
Launch of the Scottish Building Standards Hub
September 24, 2024 by Simon Moore 2 Comments | Category Building Standards, Futures Board, Scottish Building Standards Hub
Tuesday 3 September 2024 marked the official launch of the Scottish Building Standards Hub (SBSH) at Carnegie Conference Centre in Dunfermline. The event was attended by stakeholders from across the building standards system including developers, local authorities, industry representatives and government officials. The establishment of the SBSH is a significant milestone in the Futures Board Programme to strengthen the building standards system in Scotland and demonstrates the collaborative working partnership between all building standards stakeholders.
We were delighted the Minister for Housing, Paul McLennan, could attend and speak at the launch event providing an overview of the work of the Futures Board Programme and the journey to establish the Hub. We also heard from Fife Council Chief Executive, Ken Gourlay and Nigel Kerr, Head of Protective Services, Laura Shanks, Local Authority Building Standards Scotland (LABSS) Chair, SBSH Directors and Stephen Garvin, Head of Building Standards at the Scottish Government, who provided detailed insights into the development of the Hub through the 2-year pilot phase and set out what the Hub is designed to deliver.
The afternoon session consisted of LABSS Modern Apprenticeship Awards and an informational talk on the new online Learning and Development platform for verifiers. Charlie Calder of Fife Council and Emilie Clark of Dundee City Council both received their Outstanding Achievement awards from the LABSS Chair and Vice Chair. More information can be found on the LABSS website.
Hosted within Fife Council, the SBSH will support the transformation and quality of building standards throughout Scotland and will serve all 32 local authorities and wider stakeholders. It will deliver a variety of building standards services, including a Learning and Development programme for verifiers and providing support and expertise in complex Fire and Structural Engineering solutions. The SBSH will increase resilience within the building standards system and will support the consistency of service throughout Scotland.
Please visit the SBSH website for more information.
RSS
Email
Local Authority Building Standards Scotland, Building Standards at the Scottish Government, and Scottish Building Standards Hub. Can you explain the roles of these three bodies and how they do not overlap.
What does tick box below this comment field do?
Thank you Willie for your question.
The SBSH is an independent stand-alone unit hosted in Fife Council supporting local authority building standards services across all 32 Scottish local authorities and the wider construction industry. It’s role and responsibilities include:
• Providing specialist advice and support to local authorities and industry on areas such as Fire Engineering, Structural Engineering, Fire safety & Environmental and Energy Design.
• Managing and administering Scottish Type Approval Scheme (STAS), Information Papers and Dispute Resolution Process
• Facilitating and developing Operation Partnerships between various organisations
• Supporting learning and development for all 32 verifiers, including operating a web-based Learning Management System, and providing CPD and training either directly or in conjunction with industry partners and stakeholders.
Local Authority Building Standards Scotland (LABSS) is a voluntary organisation representing the interests of all 32 local authority verifiers such as on various Scottish Government Working Groups. LABSS also provide guidance, resources and advice to verifiers and public on their website at https://www.labss.org/.
Scottish Government Building Standards Division (BSD) is responsible for creating building standards regulations and technical guidance to ensure buildings are safe, efficient and sustainable and are responsible to Scottish Ministers. BSD are also responsible for developing policy to strengthen the building standards system in Scotland such as the Futures Board programme for which more information can be found at https://www.gov.scot/publications/building-standards-futures-board-programme/
The tick function within the comment box is a redundant publication system legacy box.