Foysol Choudhury MSP has sponsored an event at Holyrood on the important economic and environmental benefits that retrofitting Scotland’s traditional buildings would bring.

The MSP for Lothian joined staff from Historic Environment Scotland (HES) at a parliamentary reception this week to learn more about the issue.

The event which took place on November 7th, gave politicians a chance to speak to the heritage body about its work in this area and how retrofitting can contribute to the nationwide push for net zero.

Entitled ‘The greenest building is one that already exists’, the event made the case for improving the nation’s existing buildings, making them as warm and efficient as possible.

Around one in five of Scotland’s homes were built prior to 1919. Research by HES has shown that owners collectively spend £1.3 billion each year on repairing and maintaining such buildings, which make up a distinctive part of Scotland’s towns and cities and create a sense of local identity and place.

At the event, MSPs learned how pairing retrofitting technologies and traditional building skills with new innovations could provide jobs, as well as increasing the energy efficiency of homes.

Recent research commissioned by HES shows that a clear majority of people in Scotland are supportive of retrofitting when it comes to managing traditional buildings.

In a survey of more than 1,400 adults in Scotland carried out in September, more than two thirds (67 per cent) said investing in retrofitting was the best way forward.

Recent data published by the body also revealed the critical economic role that heritage plays in Scotland. The historic environment generates £6 billion per year for the economy, £2.1 billion of which is attributable to heritage tourism. It also supports over 81,000 jobs.

The HES event covered the huge potential economic benefits and new employment opportunities that could be realised through ensuring existing buildings are in a good state of repair, and that retrofit measures are technically sound and effective.

HES has been awarded £1M from AHRC to establish a new national centre for the retrofit of traditional buildings, which will expand the organisation’s technical research and put heritage science at the heart of its approach to developing best practice for the retrofit of traditional buildings. The new hub will also focus on delivery of training and foster innovation in the use of low-carbon retrofit materials.

Foysol Choudhury said of the event: “It was great to see the work HES are doing to improve and protect our built environment. Scotland’s built heritage is vitally important to our culture and economy. Traditional buildings aren’t just nice to look at, they are people’s workplaces and homes, and through retrofitting we can make them warmer, cheaper and more efficient”.

Roger Curtis, Head of Technical Resources at HES, said: “It was encouraging to see so many MSPs keen to learn more about how retrofitting and reusing historic buildings can help Scotland’s national drive for net zero.

Traditional buildings can sometimes be seen as a draughty hindrance to cutting emissions, but this is a misconception. Many were built with our climate in mind and are inherently adaptable.”

He added: “Giving a new lease of life to these older buildings will not only help us retain the distinct historic character of local places, but will also drive economic investment, jobs and tourism. In order to maintain these buildings and improve their energy efficiency, we also need to make sure we have a workforce with the necessary skills to do so.

This is one of the reasons why we are in the process of creating a new national centre of expertise for retrofitting, which we hope will help improve energy efficiency across Scotland, inspire others and play an important role in helping us reach net zero.”