National Trust to turn into a money-spinner

A RADICAL overhaul of the National Trust for Scotland will see it become more commercially minded, intervene to save threatened historic sites and "sweat" its existing assets to make them generate more money.

Scotland's largest membership organisation wants to shed its traditional image as a charity by embarking on more money-making ventures, including allowing its sites to become home to adventure sports, corporate events and weddings. There could also be holiday homes and wind turbines.

Creating new camping and caravanning sites on its properties, encouraging concerts and Highland Games events, and holding jousting tournaments are all planned to generate extra revenue.

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The NTS wants Scotland's heritage and conservation bodies to join forces to share responsibility for running and promoting historic attractions and help it to "fill the gaps" in its portfolio by rescuing other sites. It has called a major summit for later this month.

A new five-year strategy for the organisation, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, is expected to begin moves to ensure NTS does not "overlap" with the likes of Historic Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the RSPB.

Although its main focus is on 130 flagship sites, NTS is also responsible for 200,000 acres of countryside, 46 of Scotland's Munros, seven nature reserves, 248 miles of coastline and 16 remote islands, including Canna and St Kilda.

In future, NTS is expected to focus more on "heritage of national importance". Rundown castles, neglected islands, old cinemas and concert halls, as well as the highlights of Scotland's industrial heritage, including factories and even giant cranes, are expected to be targeted for restoration under the five-year strategy.

Trust chairman Sir Kenneth Calman dispelled fears that the organisation was to embark on "asset-stripping" in the wake of its well-publicised financial problems.

The charity insists it has no plans to dispose of any of its major sites of national significance, insisting it will shed properties only if they are found to be of no heritage value.

Sir Kenneth insisted there was a "new dynamic" within the organisation, which faced a huge revolt two years ago over plans to close a string of venues and shed dozens of jobs.

He said NTS wanted to realise the full potential of many of its sites around the country that have been under-deployed, pointing out that bringing in extra revenue would help further stabilise the charity's finances, as well as allow it to look at purchasing sites for the first time in years.

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"We have been looking at all of our main properties and assets and trying to see what we can do, within the spirit of conservation, to have them perform better financially," he said.

"Many sites and estates have a large number of buildings which are under-used or could be restored. With other properties, it is maybe a case of promoting them much better and with other organisations. A lot of it is about getting more savvy or smart and trying to sweat our assets to get the most out of them."

NTS was plunged into chaos just over two years ago when new chief executive Kate Mavor announced swingeing cuts only weeks after taking up her post.

However, a rebellion from members saw the number of threatened job cuts scaled back from 90 to 45, while six out of nine threatened properties were saved from the axe.

• Trust proposes to shorten mission statement

Sir Kenneth said: "We are not going to be about asset-stripping. Maybe people have had that impression from the past. That's not going to happen. We're going to be much more transparent about what we do, but I don't envisage us disposing of any sites of national significance."

He added: "We want to take on new sites if we can be sure they are not going to become a drain on resources. Heritage does not stand still."

Meanwhile, this month's summit between the nation's heritage bodies marks the most significant step yet towards them joining forces for the first time.

A glance at the guest list for the "heritage seminar" at NTS's headquarters at Hermiston Quay, in Edinburgh, reveals the myriad number of organisations involved in protecting historic buildings, landscapes, artefacts and wildlife.

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Bodies expected to be represented include Historic Scotland, the John Muir Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments Of Scotland, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, National Museums Scotland, the National Archives of Scotland and the National Library of Scotland.

The independent review of the NTS led by former Holyrood presiding officer George Reid pointed out that MSPs had complained about a "silo mentality" in the heritage sector and said there was a growing clamour for "economies of scale through joint working".

Although Mr Reid stopped short of recommending a merger of the NTS with the likes of government agency Historic Scotland, he called for much greater co-operation between the charity and other organisations.

He suggested Heritage Scotland might want to take over properties from NTS that were in a more "ruinous" condition, including castles and monuments.

His report suggested the existing NTS council should become a board of trustees and thereafter be the sole body responsible for the general control and administration of the charity, and that the number of trustees should be cut from 87 to 15 to give the organisation strategic direction.

He said trustees should hold office for four years, with the possibility of a further four-year term on re-election, but added that NTS's executive directors – the senior management – should not be trustees.

Mr Reid said the current council and board should appoint a transition committee to manage internal arrangements between next month's AGM and the election of the new trustees.

His reports also proposed introducing a new mission statement and an audit and full property portfolio review of the NTS estate.

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Among the issues on the agenda later this month will be joint marketing campaigns, better co-ordination of tours and visits to historic areas, joint research programmes and possible partnerships on the running of sites.

NTS wants to see a major study on the value of the heritage sector carried out to help make the case for greater government support.

The last study of this kind, carried out three years ago, found Scotland's "built heritage" was worth about 1.5 billion a year to the nation's economy.

Culture secretary Fiona Hyslop said: "Staff and members of NTS played a vital part in a heritage sector convention I hosted in November.

"I think our discussions then showed we had ambitions for the cultural sector to be better at identifying opportunities for partnership and to highlight the very real benefits of a strong cultural voice on the national and international stage.

"Scotland's landscape and legacy are unique and have global recognition. They are bedrocks of our economy and give us a strong basis on which to do business with the world."

A spokesman for Scottish Natural Heritage said: "In their enjoyment of Scotland's heritage, the public – the customer – don't necessarily make a distinction between the natural and the cultural. Indeed, they often experience both together.

"And they're less likely to concern themselves with who owns which piece of heritage or whether it is the public or charity sector.

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"The sensible approach therefore is for us to work together with the customer in mind and co-ordinate our efforts on common issues such as marketing, research and achieving national targets.

"We very much look forward to hearing any new ideas that may come out of the seminar that would further improve the co-ordination across the heritage sector."