Executive Summary

The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) is an infrastructure delivery company owned by the Scottish Government. Working with partners across the public sector we help plan future investment, deliver major infrastructure programmes, deploy innovative financing approaches to build new infrastructure, and improve the management of existing assets.

Some examples of the positive impacts we’re delivering are detailed below:  

  • Across our hub programme, over 100 community-based projects are open and a further 60, valued at over £1.1bn, are under construction supporting over 9,000 jobs
  • In the Scotland’s Schools for the Future programme which we lead, the 50th school has been built, and collectively they’re providing new and inspiring environments benefiting over 24,000 pupils, their teachers and the communities in which they’re built
  • Our property experts generated over £50m of capital receipts back for reinvestment to the public sector from the sale of surplus public properties
  • We’re leading the implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Scotland. This new approach, to the digital coordination of design and property management, is now being adopted for all major Scottish Government projects.
  • Our Growth Accelerator approach has unlocked £850m of additional economic investment into the heart of Edinburgh as demolition of the St James Centre gets underway to make way for one of the largest and most significant city-centre regeneration projects in the UK    
  • In the past year, an average of 2,300 energy-efficient LED street lamps were installed each week across Scotland and thanks to our Street lighting Toolkit, the total number of LEDs on Scotland’s streets reached 250,000, helping councils save £22m
  • We’ve created and initiated innovative housing programmes to deliver 3,000 mid-market rent homes
  • Within our Tax Incremental Financing programme, two additional projects one in Fife, the other in North Ayrshire, were recently announced that will deliver substantial economic benefits and support hundreds of jobs when complete

These are just a few examples of the significant achievements our highly-professional and experienced 70-strong team have accomplished. Collectively, they seek to challenge the status quo to secure better outcomes; they work hand-in-hand with partners to improve efficiencies, and do their utmost to deliver the very best value. In return, this is allowing infrastructure to be funded, constructed and delivered now, in places where it’s needed most and is supporting sustainable economic growth among communities right across Scotland.

In delivering our programmes, we generate significant benefits and we remain well on track to achieve our five-year corporate target of securing £500-£750m of savings and benefits between 2014-2019. In working towards that target, we do so with a focus on our corporate objectives:

  • Targeted investment to support economic growth
  • Leverage of infrastructure investment to accelerate and enhance public service reform
  • Innovation to accelerate investment in digital connectivity, affordable housing and carbon reduction 
  • Influencing a step-change in the effective delivery and management of public assets

This Business Plan sets out 61 challenging objectives for the year ahead in our 11 programmes of work which are grouped into the following six categories:

 

home
connect
green
invest
build
place

 

A selection of objectives in existing work areas is outlined below:

  • Work with the City of Edinburgh Council, our LLP partners, to establish a programme of at least 1,000 homes and explore with other local authorities how the Edinburgh Homes approach could be applied in their area
  • See 120,000 more energy-efficient LED street lamps installed
  • See three major NPD infrastructure projects, valued at £750m, completed and open
  • Reach agreement on two more Economic Investment projects
  • Work with key public sector partners (Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International) and industry to develop an investment strategy for enhanced international connectivity, internet exchanges and data centres within Scotland
  • Launch an accessible home ownership pilot scheme for first-time buyers and the elderly
  • Have 23 more schools open and see construction start on 13 others
  • Bring 15 more surplus public sector properties to market for sale 

For the year ahead, we've also set out objectives in several new and evolving areas where our expertise will help drive change and progress. They include:

  • Increasing our activity to support the Early Learning and Childcare programme as pace quickens to allow the delivery of infrastructure to enable the increase Early Years support to 1140 hours by 2020.
  • As part of our innovative finance work stream we’ll be reviewing and exploring the wider use of financial guarantees to support future infrastructure investment in Scotland. 
  • Exploring options and potential investment structures to attract increased pension fund investment
  • Appraising new long term options for the procurement, construction and maintenance of community infrastructure such as schools and health centres. 

With 61 objectives, this Business Plan sets out a bold and ambitious course for the year ahead. There will be challenges along the way but, with a great team in SFT and our close working relationship with partners in the public and private sector, we’re well placed to deliver this Plan.  

For further information about us and the work we’re delivering, please visit our website.