Real Estate:Scotland - Our New Structure

The Real Estate:Scotland Board acts as a strategic sounding board for the organisation. For our transition year, it includes the Chair, Vice Chair, Immediate Past Chair, a Real Estate:Futures representative, and an IPF representative.

Meeting several times a year, the Board provides guidance on flagship events, key issues, statements, and major changes, ensuring that decisions are aligned with our long-term goals and the needs of the sector.

About Committees

We have five sector-specific committees in addition to the Policy Committee that help shape and guide our work. Each committee brings together experts and advocates from its area of expertise to provide insight, advice, and recommendations.

Committee members will be appointed following an application process. Each committee is supported by a Chair and Vice Chair.

Key roles include:

• Direct engagement with stakeholders across the Scottish Government, including MSPs and key officials.
• Set strategic direction and top-level policy priorities
• Provide expert insight and sector-wide perspective
• Act as a sounding board for policy development and consultation
• Identify emerging issues and future risks
• Review progress and impact of policy activity

The Real Estate:Scotland Policy Committee brings together long-term advocates to guide the organisation’s strategic direction and set high-level priorities. 

Participation is by invitation, ensuring that those who join have a deep understanding of Real Estate:Scotland's mission and can actively contribute to discussions. The Committee might review policy proposals, advise on program priorities, or help identify opportunities for advocacy and collaboration.

The Committee is convened by the Real Estate:Scotland Vice Chair, and its work ensures that the organisation stays aligned with its long-term goals while benefiting from the knowledge and experience. 

Commercial Property and Investment Committee: Investment across commercial asset classes, including offices, retail, leisure, and industrial & logistics. Focus areas: AI and the knowledge sector, business rates, leasing, and capital allocation, funding.

Development Planning and Management Committee: Addresses planning policy and development delivery challenges across Scotland. Focus areas: NPF4, developer obligations, infrastructure and utilities, and land use policy.

Property Finance Commitee: Explores funding, viability, financial structures supporting development and investment. Focus areas: development finance, public-private partnerships, engagement with financial institutions.

Residential Property and Investment Committee: Covers investment and policy supporting development across residential sectors. Focus areas: BTR, affordable housing, PBSA, Co-living, and later living.

Sustainability and Building Design Committee: Focuses on enviornmental performance and net zero transition. Focus areas: energy efficiency, retrofit, EPCs, MEES, heat in buildings, biodiversity, energy capacity and grid infrastructure.

Committee members alongside others in the wider membership can join our working groups where their expertise is most relevant. Working groups will:

• Deliver focused, task-and-finish pieces of work
• Bring together relevant expertise from across the membership on cross-cutting issues
• Develop detailed outputs (e.g. consultation responses, briefings, guidance)
• Support a more proactive and responsive approach to key issues
• Report back to committees on progress and outcomes

Proposed Working Groups may include: 

LBTT, Heritage, PBSA, PRS MEES, Business Rates, Compulsory Purchase Orders 

Alongside our regional roundtable events with local authorities, we are expanding our programme to include industry-wide events open to members. These will be driven by our Industry Insights Committee, bringing together insights and expertise from across the sector. Applications are open to join this and we are seeking about 8 members.

The Industry Insights Committee will play a central role in shaping this programme, with responsibility for developing content, securing sponsorship, and supporting the delivery of quarterly events such as seminars.