Events

This free half-day SURF Awards workshop event in the Grassmarket Community Project, Edinburgh on 9^th May provides an opportunity to explore successful approaches to housing led regeneration initiatives providing wider community outcomes. The winning and highly commended projects from the ‘Housing and Regeneration’ category highlighted in the 2023 SURF Awards process will provide comment on their experiences and transferable learning.

Workshop guests will firstly hear from a project representative from the ‘Housing and Regeneration’ category winner Goathill Housing and Care Home Project. Situated on the Isle of Lewis, this regeneration project delivered affordable housing, housing with extra care, and a residential care home hub.

This will be followed by the ‘Housing and Regeneration’ highly commended project City of Edinburgh Council Mixed Tenure Improvement Scheme. The pilot project, in Wester Hailes, delivered improved thermal performance of existing mixed tenure housing.

Finally, guests will hear from the ‘Housing and Regeneration’ highly commended project Glentrool Community-led Housing & Regeneration. Delivered by South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH), the project secured ownership of long-term disused assets and delivered new and improved community facilities and low-energy housing for a rural village.

The event will close with Scottish Procurement Alliance and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) providing detail on their current priorities towards supporting the wider housing sector. It will then open up to a discussion on National Policy.

The SURF Awards ‘Housing and Regeneration’ judging panel team – comprising representatives of Historic Environment Scotland, Scottish Government More Homes Division and the Scottish Procurement Alliance – were particularly impressed by the level of ambition and wider regeneration benefits of each of the three shortlisted projects.

This workshop will be delivered with support from Scottish Procurement Alliance.

Programme

10:00am   Registration and networking

10:30am   Welcome and Introduction: Euan Leitch, Chief Executive, SURF

10:35am   Presentation, Goathill Housing and Care Home Project: Dan MacPhail, Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar

10:50am   Presentation, City of Edinburgh Council Mixed Tenure Improvement Scheme: Mark Connelly, City of Edinburgh Council

11.00am   Presentation, Glentrool Community-led Housing & Regeneration: Mike Staples, SOSCH

11.10am   Questions and Comments with project representatives

11:25am   Presentation, Scottish Procurement Alliance: Heather O’Donnell, SPA

11:35am   Presentation, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations: Annabel Pidgeon, SFHA

11:45am   Open Discussion on National Policy

12:05pm   Summary, Thanks and What’s Next: Euan Leitch and Emma Scott, Events, Information & Communications Manager, SURF

12:15pm   Close and Networking Lunch

You can read more about the 2023 SURF Award projects in the SURF Awards Publication.

For event enquires please email emma@surf.scot