New plans to make Scotland’s historic castles and palaces ‘green’ could cost taxpayers £20m
CONTROVERSIAL demands by ministers for Scotland’s historic properties to be fitted with energy-saving measures could cost taxpayers up to £20 million, it has been estimated.
Under the Scottish Government’s drive to cut carbon emissions, all buildings in the country will have to reach a good level of energy efficiency by 2033.
No exemptions are in place for castles, country houses or other landmarks under the care of Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the public body responsible for protecting the nation’s built heritage.
Last month, Historic Environment Scotland installed solar panels on the roof of the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle – at a cost of £50,000 – after drawing up plans to reduce energy use across its properties, which also include Stirling Castle and Falkland Palace.
The programme includes installations of solar panels at other sites, replacing all gas heating with renewable energy sources and cutting water consumption.
Historic Environment Scotland is currently working on a detailed assessment of what to do at each individual property and how much the work will cost.
‘A huge undertaking’
LEADING architect Alan Dunlop estimated the bill could reach between £10m and £20m, and called for exemptions for the most important historic sites. “Retrofitting Scotland’s historic buildings will be a huge architectural and engineering undertaking,” he told The Herald on Sunday.
“The fact Historic Environment Scotland is being forced to do this work I think is unfair. The costs will be astronomical.
“I would say absolutely that if we are talking about a complete retrofit of large historic properties – not only putting in solar panels, but new energy sources, ground source heat pumps, insulation – the costs could easily come to between £10m and £20m. I don’t know if they have the resources to do that.
“The Scottish Government, now they are in partnership with the Greens, have an almost messianic attitude towards making everything green to the cost of everything else.
“They don’t seem to want to consider any other options, which I find frankly bizarre. The partnership between the SNP and the Greens is probably pushing this agenda.
“Category A buildings are our most important buildings – of national and sometimes international significance – and solar panels on the roof are unsightly. So there is a real design issue here. How do you respect the category A listing by installing solar panels?”
His views have been supported by the Scottish Conservative MSP Maurice Golden who accused ministers of a heavy-handed approach.
“While the Scottish Conservatives are in favour of making homes as energyefficient as possible, these iconic, historic buildings ought to be exempt from retrofitting requirements,” he said.
“The SNP Government are being far too heavy-handed here.
“The cost of these changes would not only be exorbitant, but making them would alter the architectural fabric of these buildings irreparably.”
Homes and buildings currently account for about one-fifth of Scotland’s C02 emissions and in his Heat in Buildings strategy Patrick Harvie, the Scottish Greens co-leader and Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, set out a target to cut these emissions by more than two-thirds by 2030.
Compliance
THE subject was highlighted in Holyrood last week when Culture Minister Neil Gray confirmed historic buildings would be expected to comply with Mr Harvie’s energy savings targets for buildings.
“The Scottish Government is working with stakeholders, including Historic Environment Scotland, to develop approaches and solutions that will decarbonise Scotland’s historic buildings and places while respecting their special characteristics,” Mr
Left, architect Alan Dunlop
Gray told MSPs. “Although I have not met with Mr Harvie in relation to this issue specifically, Scottish ministers take collective responsibility for all decisions that are reached by the Scottish Government, and will continue to do so. That includes our commitment that all buildings reach a good level of energy efficiency, where it is technically feasible and cost-effective, by 2033.” Mr Gray did not say whether extra funding would be given to HES.
‘Commitment’
A SPOKESWOMAN from Historic Environment Scotland said: “As outlined in our Climate Action Plan 2020-2025, HES is committed to reaching net-zero by 2045, in line with Scottish Government targets, by halving our annual emissions over the next 10 years and beyond.
“The plan details a range of measures and objectives that will allow Historic Environment Scotland to reduce energy consumption, these include a commitment to eliminate gas heating from our sites, with all our energy obtained from renewable sources by 2032 and optimise energy efficiency improvements at all sites by 2028.
“Between 2020/21, Historic Environment Scotland continued to make a positive contribution to net zero, with carbon emissions reduced by 34.8 per cent, bringing the total reduction over 2014 /21 to 54.6%. We have an ongoing programme of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that have delivered energy, cost and carbon savings in our estate including installation of low-energy systems and solar panels and reducing water consumption.
“We are currently undertaking an in-depth assessment of technologies and approaches that will be suitable for the rest of our varied and unique estate. This assessment will identify the opportunities, challenges and costs associated with this work.
“Due to the range of properties in our care, which often differ substantially in their age, materials and construction, our energy-efficiency and renewable energy projects are not one size fits all, but there are certain principles that can be applied to ensure traditional buildings are part of the solution to a net-zero future.”
The cost for the installation of the solar panels at Edinburgh Castle was approximately £50,000 and the project was supported by a grant from Scottish Enterprise, she added.
Challenges
THE spokeswoman added: “Many of our sites across the Historic Environment Scotland estate have negligible carbon emissions.However, our larger visitor attractions such as Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle present different challenges and opportunities to reducing energy consumption.”
Neil Gray said: “We are committed to working with stakeholders, including Historic Environment Scotland, to develop solutions to transition Scotland’s historic buildings to low and zero-emissions heating while respecting and preserving the special characteristics of our buildings. In this current financial year, the Scottish Government will provide £70.1m to Historic Environment Scotland and we will continue to work with them to consider what support is needed for listed buildings, or those in conservation areas, to meet regulatory requirements.”
Mr Gray added: “We also welcome the recent publication of the agency’s Green Recovery Statement which recognises the importance of maintaining our historic and built environment in a sustainable way.”
The Government have become almost messianic towards everything green at the cost of other things