The Scottish Stone Liaison Group have suggested there should be a new grant to encourage the small-scale production of stones used in restoration.

They make the suggestion in their response to a consultation paper, Grants for the Repair of Historic Buildings, published by Historic Scotland.

They say a new grant is needed to offset the disadvantages of small scale production of indigenous materials considered necessary for the repair and maintenance of Scotland\'s built heritage.

They say such a grant, apart from providing vital raw materials, would also attract tourists by being associated with the creation of living heritage museums as an essential part of the business plan of such operations.

They say the grant (which they suggest could be called Scotland\'s Living Heritage grant) could create cottage industries of stone production tied in with tourist information, leisure and refreshment facilities.

"Coupled with the opportunity for tourists to see the modern production methods, [this] would create very attractive and informative centres - and could make a significant contribution to local employment and tourism opportunities."

The Group point out that NPPG18, Planning & the Historical Environment, emphasises the number of listed buildings and conservation areas in Scotland and highlights their significance to the cultural, architectural, historical and tourist interests, but again "fails to establish the link between the buildings and their material needs". They say this failure could result in the use of inappropriate materials in conservation.

They particularly want to stop the use of so-called \'sleeping\' quarries as landfill sites, which "threatens the very geographical uniqueness of Scotland\'s built environment."

And they point out that the modern use of thin stone cladding is failing to supply stonemasons capable of using stone in traditional ways and that a skills shortage is imminent.

They want the awarding of grants to be conditional on the training programmes of companies employed. They also want to see SVQs for conservation developed along the lines of NVQs for conservation in England and Wales and for the holding of those qualifications again t be a condition of grant aid.

In their response to the consultation paper, SSLG also express concern about the creation of \'conservation islands\', where a conservation area is surrounded by unrestricted development. SSLG suggest the creation of \'buffer zones\' around conservation areas with grants available for buildings in such areas to prevent them becoming \'seas of mediocrity\'.