New Scottish Building Standards Hub now available

Scotland has taken a significant step towards improving its building standards with the official launch of the Scottish Building Standards Hub in Dunfermline. This new unit will provide essential advice, learning, and development opportunities, as well as a variety of building standards systems to local authority building standards teams and stakeholders in the construction sector across the country.

The primary goal of the hub is to support transformation and enhance the quality of building standards services throughout Scotland. It will achieve this by offering a range of building standards system services, establishing hubs of expertise and operational partnerships, as well as supporting learning and development within the sector.

Moreover, the Building Standards Hub will play a crucial role in managing and supporting specific hubs of expertise, providing specialist advice in key areas such as fire engineering, structural engineering, environmental, and energy. These hubs will bring together industry experts and public sector professionals to address matters of national importance and establish consistent positions.

Following a successful two-year pilot programme, Fife Council will take on the responsibility of hosting the Hub. Councillor David Ross, leader of Fife Council, expressed his excitement about the potential benefits of the national hub, stating, “A national hub such as this will be a fundamental part of improving building standards for the benefit of communities across Scotland. It also presents Fife Council with the opportunity to support innovation by hosting a national centre for expertise and resilience.”

Housing minister Paul McLennan also welcomed the launch of the Scottish Building Standards Hub, highlighting its importance in providing specialist expertise in fire and structural engineering across Scotland. He emphasised the collaborative nature of the Hub, stating, “The Hub is an example of joined up and collaborative working across our public sector and it will, with support from across industry, help to strengthen building standards for the future.”