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4 August 2010
The IHBC has added Grover Lewis
Associates of Newark, an independent planning consultancy specialising in the
historic environment, as the twentieth practice in the Institute’s list of
recommended practices, HESPR, its ‘Historic Environment Service Providers
Recognition’ scheme.
Fiona Newton, IHBC Projects Officer and manager of HESPR, said: "Twenty
practices is a real milestone for HESPR. It now gives those searching for
conservation services a real choice in skills, specialities and location, as
increasingly our own members in local authorities are looking to HESPR to
provide quality assurance in consultants’ services."
Philip Grover of Grover Lewis said: "We are delighted to receive recognition
by the IHBC through our listing on HESPR. It is vitally important that those
looking to select a specialist consultant are able find one who can maximise
the potential of the historic environment, and to identify creative solutions
for its future management. We believe that HESPR is fast becoming the key
source for all those who are seeking such consultants."
Find HESPR at www.ihbc.org.uk/hespr
To search HESPR, click:
LINK
English Heritage is initiating a
consultation on a set of draft thematic research strategies (‘trs’), with
responses invited by 30 September, covering the urban historic environment;
the marine and maritime environment, and the prehistoric.
All three are accessible through the following links:
-
For the main introductory page:
LINK
-
For the Urban TRS, please reply to
colum.giles@english-heritage.org.uk, and see:
LINK
-
For the Prehistoric TRS, see:
LINK
-
For the Marine, see:
LINK
Planners and countryside
campaigners have voiced concern over the coalition Government’s plans to give
communities the power to deliver new housing and development without the need
for planning permission.
Housing minister Grant Shapps has confirmed that ‘Community Right to build’
will be central to the Localism Bill which the administration plans to publish
later this year.
Under these proposals community organisations will have the freedom to give
the green light to new local developments without a specific application for
planning permission, as long as there is overwhelming community backing in a
local referendum.
Any surplus made from the sale or renting of homes would be recycled for the
benefit of the community. But community organisations would not be restricted
to just building family homes - they could choose to build sheltered housing
for the elderly, or set aside plots for people to build their own homes. They
could even offer long-term, low rent deals for local shops, community halls or
sports facilities.
A new e-leaflet is now available offering information and advice to
communities interested in setting up ‘Right to build’ organisations.
Shapps said: "Far from the Nimbyism that often hits the headlines, up and down
the country there are entire communities willing and eager to give the
go-ahead for new developments in their area. I want to give communities the
power to preserve their villages, which are currently struggling to survive
because of a shortage of affordable homes.”
However, both the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Royal Town
Planning Institute have expressed misgivings about the proposals.
Fiona Howie, head of planning at CPRE, said: “A more democratic approach to
house building is welcome as local people should always be given a say in
development. We are pleased that the Government is considering how to protect
and enhance rural village life and delivering affordable housing in rural
areas will be a critical part of this. However, bypassing the planning process
is not the way to deliver it and any proposals should include proper planning
scrutiny.
“The level and location of development should be informed by a proper
assessment of local housing need and an understanding of whether the local
environment can accommodate more development. This capacity should be accessed
through democratic local plans and not a simple public ballot.”
Jamie Hodge, spokesperson for the RTPI, said: “It is clearly vital that we
look at innovative proposals to provide more much-needed affordable housing
and other developments, especially in rural areas. However, we believe that
local plans, developed by elected members in partnership with local people and
businesses, are the most democratic way to deliver the aspirations of local
communities for housing provision.”
He added: “Proper planning scrutiny has served us well whereas this proposal
appears to disempower local authorities by removing their right to determine
development proposals and may mean that new housing built as a result may
conflict with existing wider community priorities, and will only have to meet
nationally prescribed minimum standards, even if the local authority wishes to
see higher design standards in its own area.”
Search Planning Portal:
LINK
Councils and developers could be
given much more flexibility to meet ambitious eco-standards to ensure all new
homes are zero carbon from 2016, Housing Minister Grant Shapps said today.
It comes as part of the Coalition Government's ambition for an eco-friendly
economy and to become the greenest government ever.
The Minister has said he will look at ways builders could make payments to
fund community energy projects, such as wind farms and district heating
schemes, to meet their obligations to reduce carbon emissions from new homes -
this could give developers and councils more freedom and flexibility to decide
how to meet their zero-carbon obligations.
Minimum standards for energy efficiency measures such as cavity wall
insulation will also be set through future revisions to building regulations.
These will be based on those revisions outlined in a recent consultation on
the Code for Sustainable Homes, which set key benchmarks for the
sustainability of new homes.
Mr Shapps also confirmed the allocation of £600,000 to the Zero Carbon Hub to
continue its work this year. The Hub has also been tasked with testing new
benchmarks for carbon emission reductions.
DCMS News:
LINK
Search Planning Portal:
LINK
The UK’s first Local Development
Order (LDO) - designed to help regenerate High Wycombe's historic quarter -
has been formally adopted by Wycombe District Council after receiving
Government approval.
The pioneering High Wycombe town centre LDO covers a 0.7-hectare block bounded
by White Hart Street, Queen Square, Church Street, Oxford Street and Bull
Lane.
It allows the change of use of ground-floor premises within this area to a
specified range of uses, without the need to apply for planning permission.
Councillor Jean Teesdale, cabinet member for planning and sustainability,
said: "This measure will allow us to take a more flexible approach to use
classes and in turn help to revitalise this small but important part of the
town which we appreciate has been suffering from a high rate of vacant units
in recent months.”
Under the LDO, the ground-floor uses that are allowed are:
* A1: shops (includes shops, hairdressers, travel and ticket agencies,
post offices, dry cleaners, pet shops, sandwich bars, domestic hire shops)
* A2: financial and professional services (includes banks, building
societies, estate and employment agencies, betting shops)
* A3: restaurants and cafes
* A4: drinking establishments (includes public houses, wine bars - but not
night clubs)
* A5: hot food takeaways
* C1: hotels
* D1: non-residential institutions (includes art galleries, museums)
* D2: assembly and leisure (includes cinemas, bingo halls, but not night
clubs).
The LDO is intended to last for three years, although any changes of use
implemented during the next three years can be retained permanently. It only
grants permission for this specified list of uses - it does not grant
permission for external physical or structural development, nor does it remove
the need for listed buildings consent or advertisement consent where
appropriate.
Search Planning Portal:
LINK
Wycombe District Council News:
LINK
A student members on the RTPI
General Assembly currently doing a dissertation is looking at health and
planning and investigating local authority planner's attitudes and
interpretations of their role in delivering health.
Rosanna Sterry is asking planners to complete a short questionnaire, which can
be downloaded from the Planning Officers Society page below, or contact:
rosanna.sterry@googlemail.com
Planning Officers Society:
LINK
Blog by Rosie Niven, 13 July 2010:
My local park brings back many happy childhood memories, but they were always
tinged with a slight sadness because of the dilapidated Gothic building that
overshadowed Saltwell Park.
Back in the mid-1980s, us kids saw so much potential in Saltwell Towers, not
least because the building reminded us of Castle Duckula.
But our sensible parents were more pessimistic. They remembered the building
in its prime and could not see where money would come from in a time of cuts
to treat the woodworm and structural damage that had made it out of bounds to
the public.
I'm happy to say that for once the adults were wrong. By the mid-1990s Lottery
money had come to the rescue and Saltwell Towers reopened a few years ago as a
visitors' centre for the park.
Of course, Gateshead Council had a key role in the process of safeguarding the
building and ultimately restoring it with the help of lottery cash. But with
cuts of up to 20% forecast for local government, councils' conservation and
heritage sections will be severely under pressure. An event hosted by URBED
and New Start yesterday looked at the potential for community activists to
fill the breach by taking on heritage assets and running them for the benefit
of the community.
Ian Morrison, head of historic environment conservation at the Heritage
Lottery Fund, told delegates that councils should learn the lessons of the
1980s when maintenance budgets were slashed.
At the time, many local authorities looked to maximise returns by selling
these buildings off to investors who didn't have the money to return them to
their former glory.
Mr Morrison added that a 1989 report revealed that many buildings were in a
parlous state – though many were thankfully saved through two decades of
investment of lottery money. But he said the current round of cuts pose new
challenges for heritage campaigners.
The question is, will the heritage sector step up to challenges posed by the
Big Society, or will cuts leave it with a legacy of heritage buildings that
will require millions of pounds of investment?
Mr Morrison said that anecdotal evidence suggests that there is an appetite
within community activists to step in and provide services that were
previously provided by the state. 'If enquiries to the Heritage Lottery fund
can be considered a barometer of activity... it suggests that this activity is
gathering pace,' he revealed.
As the event moved into workshops, it was clear that public sector cuts were
not universally feared by delegates. In fact, some were positively relishing
the cuts which they saw as an opportunity to take on assets discarded by
cash-strapped local authorities. One told me afterwards that he deplored the
amount of empty buildings in his area and blamed his local authority for
neglecting these assets.
With more opportunities to take on these assets emerging, one challenge for
heritage activists will be making sure that projects meet a genuine need as
well as preserving historic buildings.
Barry Quirk, chief executive of Lewisham Council, who headed a heritage asset
transfer review for the last government, said successful asset transfer was
not about the asset itself but about 'crystalising a common cause around a
building'. He advised delegates to look for a connection between the social
purposes of the future with the assets of today.
So community activists may be faced with the twin demands of running public
services and making sure that cuts do not leave a heritage black hole too big
for Lottery money to tackle.
Newstart Blog:
LINK
The Built Environment Forum
Scotland (BEFS) has called on Scottish Ministers for early guidance and
transparency over the Scottish Governments proposals for dealing with the
expected cut of £1bn from the block grant of £34bn.
This follows recent announcements in England that both English Heritage and
the Commission for Architecture and Built Environment are both clearly in the
firing line for significant cuts.
The equivalent organisations in Scotland are Historic Scotland - who in turn
fund many BEFS member organisations who manage, conserve and protect our built
heritage - and Architecture & Design Scotland (A+DS).
Robin Burley, Chair of BEFS said: “Certainly there are not many scenarios to
consider from a public expenditure point of view other than a reduction in
budgets, but there are options for the Scottish Government to consider on how
it will spread the pain of the anticipated £3.7bn cut from the block grant
over the next 3 years. We are concerned that there may be too much emphasis on
ring fencing the budgets and therefore impact on particular areas such as the
built environment could be particularly damaging”
“Following the release of the Independent Budget Review (Beveridge report), we
welcome the Finance Secretary, John Swinney’s statement that he will take
forward dialogue with stakeholders in advance of the budget process, but feel
that we are being backed into a corner to make short-sighted disproportionate
cuts from which the sector may never recover. This would have an adverse
affect on Scotland’s economic recovery and unemployment levels.”
Craig Stirrat, Director of BEFS said: “We are concerned at the timing of the
budget announcement, which is not expected until November after Westminster
has completed a Comprehensive Spending Review in October. By then many members
of BEFS will have already set their budgets for 2011/12. If cuts have to be
made then organisations need time to work out the best way to implement them.”
It has been estimated that the historic built environment generates in excess
of £2.3 billion to the Scottish economy each year and employs up to 60,000
full time workers.
In June, Ministers had written to the leaders of agencies or bodies that help
deliver public services. The list includes local authorities, NHS Boards and
non-departmental public bodies.
BEFS is holding a Congress on the 2 September 2010 in the Roxburghe Hotel
Edinburgh, which will showcase many of the achievements of the built
environment sector and the significant contribution which the sector
contributes to Scotland’s place making agenda.
For the BEFS Congress see:
LINK
www.befs.co.uk
VisitEngland has launched Green
Start this summer - an online toolkit to help small to medium sized
organisations become more sustainable.
Green Start is available, at no cost, to all tourism organisations interested
in understanding how they can embrace sustainable practices. The online and
DVD based initiative has been designed to help organisations review their
performance and illustrates how sustainable practice can save money, encourage
greater efficiency and have a positive impact on the local community.
Alongside Green Start, Keep it Real, is a complementary marketing and
communications tool providing organisations with tips and advice on marketing
their green credentials. Comprised of five useful chapters, Keep it Real
answers key questions: Who do I tell? Why am I telling it? What do I say?
Where do I tell? and When do I tell?
This project is a joint initiative with the regional tourism delivery partners
of England, led by the national tourist board VisitEngland.
Green Start is available at
www.better-tourism.org
Keep it Real is available at:
LINK
Visitors to the UNESCO World
Heritage Site of Bath will be able to use a free iPhone app for an expert tour
of its architectural jewels thanks to an 800-year-old charity.
St John’s Hospital has been providing care to elderly disadvantaged people in
Bath through its city almshouses since the 12th century.
It has produced the free guide to the best of Bath’s world famous
architecture. The app, suitable for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, has a map
of the city which shows people where they are. By clicking on pins marking key
sights people reveal stunning photos of places such as the Royal Crescent,
Pulteney Bridge and The Circus. Each of the 19 entries entry has
specially-written expert text to accompany it.
For the charity, the app is a chance to affirm its commitment to the city it
has served for many centuries while raising its profile and, in turn, its
income through a donations page. Jonathan O’Shea, Chief Executive at St John’s
Hospital, said, “While St John’s has a long history, we are also a charity
which looks to the future. This is a great way to demonstrate that by using
the latest technology we can reveal more about Bath and St John’s.
While there are a few generic guides to Bath available as apps, there are none
with the expertise and quality of the St John’s historic visitor guide. One
of the places featured on the app is St John’s main buildings set around
Chapel Court. These are close to the source of the city’s hot springs and only
yards off the well-trodden tourist trail, but are generally undiscovered -
even by Bath residents.
The app was developed by Bristol-based creative agency 375 which has worked
with clients such as Bristol Zoo, the Centre for Sustainable Energy and the
Met Office. Managing Director Harvey Whitehead said, “When St John’s
approached us with their idea we seized the opportunity. It was a fascinating
challenge for us to be the first to produce such an App. I think we’ve created
a superb tool for residents and visitors alike which is simple to use and
packed with information. It’s also a great introduction to the work of this
historic Bath charity. Above all, the app looks fantastic – in fact it looks
almost as good as Bath itself.”
Download the app by visiting
http://bit.ly/stjohnsbathapp and information is available on the St John’s
web site at
www.stjohnsbath.org.uk/iphone-app
Minister for the Cabinet Office,
Francis Maude, and Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd, have today written
an open letter to the voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors
asking them to contribute their ideas to help reduce the deficit. They are
being asked to share ideas about how they can help reduce the deficit directly
with the Office for Civil Society.
Tackling the deficit and restoring confidence in the economy is a high
priority. Significant savings have been made across all areas of Government,
but the deficit reduction plan is not just about cuts. It is also about
finding better ways of doing things.
Voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations are today being asked
to share their innovative ideas of how things can be done more efficiently.
Those in the sector have a wealth of experience from delivering services on
the frontline, often in the most disadvantaged areas, and can see what is
working well and what can be improved.
Ideas and examples from the sector can be posted on the Cabinet Office website
or e-mailed directly to
sectorchallenge@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk .
Cabinet Office News:
LINK
English Heritage has set up an
experimental online forum to support networking, advice and knowledge sharing
for public sector historic environment practitioners.
The 'Historic Environment' forum will be developed alongside HELM and other
training events and conferences, to provide a continuing community of practice
for those working in the sector.
It is part of the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) Communities of
Practice website: LINK
Registration to use the forum is free and open to all local authority staff
and staff of national agencies, to ask questions, make contacts, work together
and solve problems.
Communities of Practice:
LINK
ICONUS 2010 will be an iconic
international event to promote expertise in achieving social regeneration
through the regeneration of cities and their heritage.
To integrate developments in theory and practical case studies through an
integrated approach to the built environment, communities and infrastructure,
the event will unite and connect experts from the full range of disciplinary
areas involved in sustainable city regeneration and development including
policy development, urban planning, heritage and conservation including
relevant aspects of transportation, architectural and landscape design,
engineering, project management and cost engineering.
The conference aims to present an opportunity to showcase professional
knowledge and practical experience on the field of research on sustainable
urban development from Hong Kong and the Pacific Rim countries, the UK ,
Europe and America . Professional knowledge sharing will be achieved by
showcasing best practices in the development of sustainable communities
through the use of case studies, proposals and concepts and work in a
facilitated range of discussions. The conference will focus on current
developments in Hong Kong as a means to present Hong Kong as a provider whilst
also promote worldwide best practice to enhance existing practices in Hong
Kong .
Call for Papers
Deadline for Abstract Submission (200 words): Sunday, 15 August 2010
Full Paper Submission by: Friday, 1 October 2010
Enquiry & Submission:
theiconus@yahoo.com.hk
Organiser: Hong Kong College of Technology
Date: 22-23 November 2010
Venue: University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
30 July 2010
Speakers have been announced for
the first day of the international joint conference on heritage investment,
‘Investing in the Past - Funding Heritage Projects, Global and Local’, to take
place in Glasgow on 18-20 November 2010, with speakers to include:
- Loyd Grosmann, cultural heritage ambassador to
government and the media,
- conservation funding expert Dr Rob Pickard, IHBC, and
- Ratish Nanda of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, among
other international authorities on heritage projects.
Seán O’Reilly, Director of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation
(IHBC), one of the partner organisations leading the conference, said: "We’re
delighted to have had such a positive response from this remarkable group of
international experts. Their understanding of the interactions between
communities, investment and regeneration ranges from across the world, and
will help anyone interested in heritage projects respond to the ‘shifting
sands’ of their own national and local economies.
Delegates from all parts of the globe can come to Glasgow in November and
benefit from an equally international range of insights into heritage projects
and finances. This conference is the best, and probably the only way to
explore such a diversity of perspectives on the universal heritage challenge:
developing conservation projects that are sustainable both for local
communities and in light of wider economic imperatives."
Welcoming the initiative, Baile Hanzala Malik, Glasgow City Council’s
Executive Member for International Affairs, and Chairman of Glasgow City
Heritage Trust, (GCHT), another partner in the event, said: "Sourcing
sustainable funding for regeneration projects is a vitally important topic,
and we welcome this opportunity to bring together key international experts to
explore case studies and solutions from across the world. We also looking
forward to showcasing examples of award-winning heritage regeneration projects
here in Glasgow to an international audience."
The conference is brought by a partnership of the Institute of Historic
Building Conservation (IHBC), the Association of Preservation Trusts (UKAPT),
and the Glasgow City Heritage Trust (GCHT). Supporting organisations include
Historic Scotland, ICOMOS UK, the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), and
Glasgow’s City Council, altogether helping make an event that will deliver
global and local answers to the biggest challenge for our historic places:
investment.
The programme for the second and third days of the conference will focus on
national issues and case studies from across the UK, and will be published in
August.
For email alerts and current news:
www.investinginthepast.co.uk
Programme: LINK
Speakers (Day 1):
LINK
Download the event flier:
LINK
For other IHBC supported Conferences & Schools:
LINK
The Culture, Media and Sport
Committee is today launching a new inquiry into the funding of the Arts and
Heritage; closing date Thursday 2 September.
The Committee is inviting written submissions and requesting views on the
following issues:
- What impact recent, and future, spending cuts from central and local
Government will have on the arts and heritage at a national and local level;
- What arts organisations can do to work more closely together in order to
reduce duplication of effort and to make economies of scale;
- What level of public subsidy for the arts and heritage is necessary and
sustainable;
- Whether the current system, and structure, of funding distribution is the
right one;
- What impact recent changes to the distribution of National Lottery funds
will have on arts and heritage organisations;
- Whether the policy guidelines for National Lottery funding need to be
reviewed;
- The impact of recent changes to DCMS arm’s-length bodies - in particular the
abolition of the UK Film Council and the Museums, Libraries and Archives
Council;
- Whether businesses and philanthropists can play a long-term role in funding
arts at a national and local level;
- Whether there need to be more Government incentives to encourage private
donations.
The Committee will also examine other areas of interest that are raised during
the course of its inquiry.
A copy of the submission should be sent by e-mail to
cmsev@parliament.uk and have
‘Funding of the Arts and Heritage’ in the subject line. Submissions should be
received by Thursday 2 September 2010.
A guide for written submissions to Select Committees may be found on the
parliamentary website at www.parliament.uk
On 26 July 2010 Defra published a
discussion paper ‘An invitation to shape the Nature of England’ inviting all
comments and submissions from anyone with an interest in the Natural
Environment White Paper.
Our natural environment underpins our economic prosperity, our health and our
wellbeing. As a result, protecting the environment and enhancing biodiversity
is one of Defra’s top 3 priorities, as outlined in the Department’s Structural
Reform Plan: LINK.
A key commitment under this priority is the publication of a White Paper on
the natural environment by spring 2011. Defra wants all interested parties to
have a say in shaping the development of the White Paper.
Caroline Spelman, at the launch of Environmental White Paper discussion paper,
noted, among other things:
‘As a nation we are in environmental as well as economic deficit…. We need to
seize this opportunity to start paying down that debt…
‘English national parks support over 54,000 tourism-related jobs. The Peak
District National Park alone contributes £155 million to the region in
economic output – 60% of local businesses say business would suffer if the
landscape deteriorated….Farmers in environmental stewardship schemes, for
example, reduce carbon emissions from their farms by 3.5 million metric tonnes
a year – that’s a carbon saving of around £1.25 billion every 7 years.
‘And the health and diversity of our natural environment doesn’t just add to
the quality of our lives – it can actually extend them.
People who live within 500 metres of green space are almost a quarter more
likely to be active at recommended levels than those who don’t.
‘And it’s estimated that the NHS could save over £2 billion through increased
activity in open green spaces – our own natural health service. Our trees
capture carbon and hold soils together, preventing flooding and helping to
control our climate. They also add immeasurably to the quality of life in our
towns and cities. In some parts of inner London, for example, each tree is
calculated to be worth as much as £78,000 in terms of its benefits. I might
make the tree surgeons in Smith Square prune with a little more sensitivity
next time!...
‘This is an issue for the Devolved Administrations and the whole of Government
too….We all share a planet and we all share the very real economic costs when
its natural protection is damaged… Our natural environment is incredibly
generous – it provides us with goods and services worth trillions of pounds at
no cost.…
I encourage you to take this opportunity to give us the benefit of your
knowledge, your expertise and your vision as we shape the future nature of
England.’
DEFRA Article:
LINK
DEFRA Caroline Spelman's Speech:
LINK
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has
announced confirmed funding for four projects in Scotland, Wales and England:
Sir Walter Scott’s home, ‘Abbotsford’, in the Borders; Newbridge Memorial Hall
in Caerphilly; a Tudor dwelling house known as ‘The Walronds’ in Devon; and
the 18th-century Wrest Park in Bedfordshire.
Initial support has also been awarded for projects in Staffordshire,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Suffolk and Worcestershire.
The four confirmed HLF grants are:
-
Abbotsford, Melrose, Scottish
Borders – confirmed grant of £4.8m: Abbotsford, home to one of
Scotland’s greatest writers, Sir Walter Scott, is located in the Scottish
Borders. HLF’s grant will enable restoration of the house and its
contents, including fascinating personal items relating to historic
figures such as Rob Roy’s sporran and Napoleon’s pen case. A new visitor
centre will be discretely located in the landscape, a learning suite
set-up in the basement and the Hope-Scott wing will be turned into
self-catering accommodation to provide additional income.
-
Newbridge Memorial Hall,
Caerphilly – confirmed grant of £2.9m:
Known as the ‘Memo’, this Grade II* listed building is an important focus
for community life in the former mining town of Newbridge. It was created
as a memorial to those who gave their lives during World War I and houses
the largest ballroom in South Wales as well as a spectacular Art Deco
auditorium. A finalist in BBC Two’s Restoration series, the building is
now set to be fully restored as a heritage centre where visitors can learn
more about the history and people of the Valleys. A comprehensive
training programme will give volunteers the skills to help run the centre.
-
The Walronds, Cullompton, Devon
– confirmed grant of £1.7m:
The Walronds is a Tudor house from the early 1600s. It was built in the
centre of bustling Cullompton, a Devonshire market town owned for many
centuries by Buckland Abbey. It is a rare intact example of an early town
house and provides a unique snapshot of 17th-century living. The project
will enable full restoration of the house and ensure the ground floor and
gardens are available for wider community use. The upper floors will be
converted into holiday accommodation to provide essential income for the
site’s long-term future. There will be an extensive education programme
for people of all ages to learn about the property and acquire
conservation and volunteering skills. The community kitchen will be the
focus of a social enterprise partnership in catering for students with
learning disabilities from nearby Petroc College
-
Wrest Park, Silsoe,
Bedfordfordshire – confirmed grant of £1.14m:
Wrest Park, charting over three hundred years of gardening history, is on
a par with the great landscapes of Stowe and Stourhead and was worked on
by a number of distinguished designers including Capability Brown,
Nicholas Hawksmoor, William Kent and James Gibbs. HLF’s support will
enable the upper gardens and path network to be restored as well as
providing better visitor facilities, improved exhibitions and
opportunities for volunteers. The project will continue to build on
experience gained from the HLF-supported historic and botanic gardens
bursary training scheme by delivering on-the-job training for eight novice
gardeners.
HLF announce £126,900 in
development funding
A further four projects have received initial HLF backing today with
development funding totalling £126,900. These projects can now move to the
next stage of their plans before a final funding decision is made:
-
National Memorial Arboretum,
Staffordshire - initial support for a £1.5m HLF bid: Opened in 2001
and comprising 150 acres of maturing trees and over 160 individual
memorials, the National Memorial Arboretum was inspired by Virginia's
moving Arlington National Cemetery. The Arboretum has become the UK's
focal point for Remembrance and commemorates those killed in the Armed
Forces, the emergency services and many other individuals who have a
special reason for being remembered. The project forms the first phase of
long-term plans to develop the site's visitor facilities and focuses on
what Remembrance means to people. Plans include the recruitment and
training of 70 new volunteers who will join the current 130-strong
volunteer team.
-
Old Newcastle: ‘Where the Story
Begins’, Newcastle-upon-Tyne – initial support for a £1.17m HLF bid,
including £43,400 development funding:
The Black Gate, Castle Keep and St Nicholas Cathedral form the medieval
nucleus of modern Newcastle and a massive landmark in the city. The
project aims to revitalise the 13th-century Black Gate and bring it back
into public use as a heritage, education and community resource.
-
St Mary at the Quay, Ipswich,
Suffolk - initial support for a £2.8m HLF bid, including £68,500
development funding: Plans to repair and adapt the medieval Grade
II* listed St Mary at the Quay into a wellbeing centre have been agreed.
The new centre would provide a flexible exhibition and performance space,
a café and IT facilities, counselling rooms and an office area.
-
Croome Court, Severn Stoke,
Worcestershire – initial support for a £1.5m HLF bid, including £15,000
development funding: The National Trust plans to undertake the
first phase of restoration to Croome Court, a Grade I listed 18th-century
Palladian mansion near Worcester. As Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown’s first
complete landscape, this is an important site which created a new trend in
garden design across the UK. The project, devised to complement the
surrounding HLF-funded regenerated parkland, will provide greater
opportunities for visitors to learn about the house and grounds and will
help tell the fascinating stories of the Court over two and a half
centuries of history.
HLF News:
LINK
A new Friends scheme has been
launched by Planning Aid for Scotland (PAS), that gives members a range of
benefits to help them on their journey through the planning maze, and anyone
can join the scheme.
For £25 a year members can attend the annual Friends event, receive a weekly
planning news e-bulletin and free entry to a quarterly prize draw to win a £25
Waterstone’s token.
Friends also have the chance to attend PAS training events for free or reduced
prices and by recruiting another friend help spread the word about the
importance of understanding planning.
Kathryn Hume, Friends scheme co-ordinator, said:
"The Friends scheme has always been popular among planners, PAS volunteers,
with community councils and others who understand how planning affects their
lives. But planning is also important to those working in housing,
construction, regeneration, the environment and a range of other professions,
who need to know what planning can do for them, particularly at a time when we
need to work more efficiently and with limited resources.
This new Friends package gives a range of exciting benefits for current and
future members and we welcome anyone to join us and reap the rewards of better
engagement with the planning system, through PAS.”
For £25 a year members now receive new benefits including:
• Invitation to a special exclusive Friends event each year
•A new weekly e-bulletin with invaluable planning and related news and events
•Free entry to a quarterly prize draw to win a £25 Waterstone’s book token
•Unique opportunities to attend other PAS training events and seminars with
free or reduced price entry
•A £5 M&S voucher if you recruit a friend to join the Friends scheme (recruit
as many as you like)
•Invitation to attend PAS Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Planning Aid News:
LINK
Planning Aid Friends:
LINK
Angela Brady has been elected the
next President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the UK
body for architecture and the architectural profession.
Angela will become President Elect on 1 September 2010 and will take over the
two-year elected presidency from Ruth Reed on 1 September 2011.
Angela will be the 74th RIBA President, a position previously held by Sir G.
Gilbert Scott and Sir Basil Spence among others; she will be the second woman
President.
Angela Brady is director of Brady Mallalieu Architects, and is currently
serving as a CABE enabler, Vice-Chair of Civic Trust Awards, advisor to the
British Council, visiting critic for London Metropolitan University, external
examiner for the Mackintosh School of Architecture, Ambassador for the
Government Equality Office and a STEMnet Ambassador. She is also Chair of the
Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland (RIAI) London Forum and a member of
RIAI Council and the RIBA’ Women in Architecture committee.
Speaking today, Angela Brady said: “As RIBA President, my priorities will be
to ensure the RIBA remains as relevant to its members as possible and to
encourage all members to act as advocates for the benefits good design can
bring to buildings, communities and the environment. There is a real challenge
for us to position architecture and architects as offering real value for
money to society - well designed buildings improve people’ health, wealth and
happiness and that is the message I will be championing during my term in
office. I will continue to stress the importance of sustainability in design
as well as press for more diversity in the profession. I also aim to increase
national and international links within the construction industry, so that we
can work collectively to combat some of the environmental and economic
problems we all face.”
Angela Brady was born in Dublin and graduated from Bolton St. Dublin School of
Architecture after which she won a post graduate scholarship to Denmark. She
worked with Arthur Erickson in Toronto. Qualifying as an architect in 1984,
she worked for GMW and SEH before setting up her own private practice with her
partner, Robin Mallalieu in 1987, Brady Mallalieu Architects.
RIBA News:
LINK
The conversion of a granary in West
Sussex into staff or guest accommodation has been allowed after an Inspector
found that it would not harm its historic integrity.
The granary stood in the curtilage of a former miller's house near a restored
windmill, both listed. The timber-framed building faced with painted
weatherboarding stood on brick piers above ground level. The inspector did not
find it architecturally exceptional, echoing English Heritage's decision not
to list it.
The limited external alterations proposed would not unacceptably affect its
appearance, he decided, while the interior possessed no features of particular
interest. While recognising the need to apply listed building policies to any
proposal affecting curtilage buildings, he found the alterations acceptable.
He concluded that the proposal would not detract from the building's
appearance or affect its architectural or historic integrity. He awarded costs
against the council after noting that the applications for planning permission
and listed building consent had been refused against officer advice and had
probably been influenced by third party representations without proper
consideration of the planning merits of the proposals.
DCS Number 100-067-874
Planning Resource Article:
LINK
Housing Minister Grant Shapps
announced that the government will set up a community energy fund which will
be used to pay for district heating and renewable energy schemes.
Developers would pay into the fund as a way of meeting their carbon reduction
obligations rather than having to pay for expensive onsite renewable or
directly fund offsite energy schemes. Under the definition of zero carbon
developers are allowed to offset 30% of a new development’s carbon emissions
offsite, the so called 'allowable solutions'.
DCMS News:
LINK
Green Building Press Article:
LINK
Search Planning Resource News:
LINK
27 July 2010
A number of our public bodies are
set to be merged, abolished or streamlined, including MLA, UK Film Council &
merging of sports bodies, as DCMS also looks at English Heritage, the Heritage
Lottery Fund, the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Commission for Architecture
and the Built Environment as well as declassifying the Churches Conservation
Trust and reviewing the status, role and functions of Visit England and Visit
Britain.
This is part of the Government's drive to cut costs and increase transparency,
accountability and efficiency.
Proposals.
Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, has proposed a number of changes,
including:
* abolishing the UK Film Council and establishing a direct and less
bureaucratic relationship with the British Film Institute; this would support
front-line services while ensuring greater value for money - Government and
Lottery support for film will continue
* abolishing the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council to focus efforts
on front-line, essential services and ensure greater value for money -
Government support for museums, libraries and archives will continue
* merging UK Sport and Sport England, creating a more effective structure
to deliver elite sport success and a wider sports legacy from the 2012 games
Some key functions carried out by these bodies would be transferred to other,
existing organisations.
We will do further work over the summer to finalise the details and timing of
these changes. We will also continue to look at its other arm’s length bodies
and explore further opportunities to improve accountability and efficiency.
Changing times
“The Government is committed to increasing the transparency and accountability
of its public bodies, while at the same time reducing their number and cost,”
said Mr Hunt. “Many of these bodies were set up a considerable length of time
ago, and times and demands have changed. In the light of the current financial
situation, and as part of our drive to increase openness and efficiency across
Whitehall, it is the right time to look again at the role, size and scope of
these organisations.
“The changes I have proposed today would help us deliver fantastic culture,
media and sport, while ensuring value for money for the public and
transparency about where taxpayers’ money is spent.”
Further proposals
These include:
* abolishing the Advisory Council on Libraries and winding up the Legal
Deposit Advisory Panel
* abolishing the Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites
* declassifying the Advisory Committee on National Historic Ships and
transferring its functions to another body
* declassifying the Theatres Trust so it can act as an independent
statutory advisory body
We are also...
* looking at our responsibility for heritage and the built environment,
and considering the role and remit of English Heritage, the Heritage Lottery
Fund and the National Heritage Memorial Fund
* considering the role of the Commission for Architecture and the Built
Environment
* discussing with the Church of England the merits of declassifying the
Churches Conservation Trust
* considering whether to change the status, role and functions of Visit
England and Visit Britain
Finally, we have confirmed that we intend to merge the National Lottery
Commission with the Gambling Commission, subject to further consideration of
the business case.
DCMS News:
LINK
Transcript (extract) of a speech by
the Prime Minister on the Big Society, 19 July 2010.
‘… So we need to turn government completely on its head. The rule of this
government should be this:
If it unleashes community engagement – we should do it.
If it crushes it – we shouldn’t.
And these are the three big strands of the Big Society agenda:
First, social action:
The success of the Big Society will depend on the daily decisions of millions
of people – on them giving their time, effort, even money, to causes around
them. So government cannot remain neutral on that – it must foster and support
a new culture of voluntarism, philanthropy, social action.
Second, public service reform:
We’ve got to get rid of the centralised bureaucracy that wastes money and
undermines morale. And in its place we’ve got to give professionals much more
freedom, and open up public services to new providers like charities, social
enterprises and private companies so we get more innovation, diversity and
responsiveness to public need.
And third, community empowerment:
We need to create communities with oomph – neighbourhoods who are in charge of
their own destiny, who feel if they club together and get involved they can
shape the world around them.
Methods
If these are the three strands of the Big Society agenda, there are also three
techniques we must use to galvanise them.
First, decentralization:
We must push power away from central government to local government – and we
shouldn’t stop there. We should drive it down even further…to what Phil
Redmond has called the ‘nano’ level… to communities, to neighbourhoods and
individuals.
Second, transparency:
It goes without saying, if we want people to play a bigger part in our
society, we need to give them the information.
So, for example, by releasing the data about precisely when and where crimes
have taken place on the streets… we can give people the power not just to hold
the police to account… but to go even further, and take action themselves –
for instance, starting a new neighbourhood watch scheme, youth club or an
after-school club if they realise that’s when most of the trouble begins.
Third, providing finance:
We believe in paying public service providers by results. It encourages value
for money and innovation at the same time. But the potential problem is that
you can lock smaller organisations out, because they don’t have access to
start-up capital.
So government has a crucial role to play in bridging the gap – and indeed,
more widely, in connecting private capital to investment in social projects.
We have already said we will create a Big Society Bank to help finance social
enterprises, charities and voluntary groups through intermediaries.
And I can announce today that it will be established using every penny of
dormant bank and building society account money allocated to England. These
unclaimed assets, alongside the private sector investment that we will
leverage, will mean that the Big Society Bank will – over time – make
available hundreds of millions of pounds of new finance to some of our most
dynamic social organisations…’.
For full text see: No 10 Speeches:
LINK
PlanningBlog:
LINK
Owen Luder’s iconic brutalist
structure makes way for £150m Tesco regeneration scheme.
The demolition of a multi-storey car park in Gateshead made famous by the
1970s gangster film has started. Bulldozers moved on to the Trinity Square
site, which featured in Michael Caine film Get Carter, three years after
revamp plans were announced. The 1960s car park became a landmark on the
Gateshead skyline and some film fans and enthusiasts of the Brutalist
architecture hoped it would be saved.
The demolition is expected to take eight weeks.
The car park is part of a site where there are plans for a £150m redevelopment
including shops, offices, a student village and supermarket. Plans by Tesco
regeneration subsidiary Spenhill will be considered later this year.
The car park was designed by Owen Luder, who was in Gateshead to watch the
demolition. He said it was a sad day and that Gateshead was losing its 'front
teeth'. Mr Luder added he thought the car park should be kept and the shops
below it revamped. "It was allowed to deteriorate, it obviously looks an
eyesore. In fact it could be renovated. "The sad thing is of course that in 20
or 30 years time when they in fact are going to demolish what is going to be
built now, there won't be interviews on that."
BBC News: LINK
Building Newsletter:
LINK
EH launches an on-line application
form for designation.
This is the first time that applications to list, schedule or register a
heritage asset can be submitted to English Heritage in one form and on-line.
It is envisaged that subsequently the form will also include full mapping
functionality to allow applicants to clearly indicate the areas they wish to
be assessed.
Help text on how to complete each stage of the form and hyperlinks to further
sources of information are included. Hard copy versions will be available on
request.
This new online form represents one of the first stages in the development of
a unified designation system. Later this year, all designated assets will be
available and searchable online through the English Heritage or Heritage
Gateway websites. This will be a real achievement for HPR and will be the
first time that designation records for all assets types are available
on-line. Linking on-line applications with the online database will also speed
up the assessment process.
See the online application form at:
LINK
HELM: LINK
English Heritage's Annual Report
and Accounts
2009/10 was laid before Parliament yesterday.
The Annual Report and Accounts includes highlights of English Heritage’s major
achievements of 2009/10. These are presented under the six aims of our
strategy, Making the Past Part of Our Future. The section which begins on page
2 provides a helpful summary of the year. The headline figures are presented
in easy to use pie charts on page 13.
EH Annual Report:
LINK
Annual statistics of the number of
objects of treasure and portable antiquities in England and Wales in 2008
produced by the British Museum on behalf of DCMS were released on 23 July 2010
according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.
DCMS Publications:
LINK
The Marine Conservation Zone
Project (MCZ Project) is a partnership project seeking public input to help
identify potential Marine Conservation Zones.
MCZ Project will work with people who use the sea for their livelihood or
leisure to identify potential new Marine Conservation Zones. It wants sea
lovers to get involved with a new interactive marine map by uploading details
of which areas of sea they like to use and marine species, habitats and
undersea landscapes they have seen there.
Go to www.mczmapping.org
to upload information about your marine activities, and the location of
marine wildlife, notable habitats and geological features you have seen. Or
just look at the layers of data out of personal interest to discover more
about your region’s sea.
The information shared will be used by representatives involved in these
projects to plan the Zones.
The deadline for uploading data is 30 September 2010.
Natural England Interactive Marine Map:
LINK
CABE has published its annual
report for the year to the end of March 2010.
This covers performance in areas including housing, education; public space;
and sustainability. CABE met or exceeded every one of its targets last year.
CABE’s design review team offered advice and support to 236 major new
developments across the country through 324 separate reviews. Each of these
reviews cost around £2,500. Meanwhile, our public space team directly
supported more than 40 local projects, and helped lead the Skills to Grow
partnership which is tackling the serious skills gap facing the green space
sector.
CABE worked with 82 per cent of local authorities in England to increase their
knowledge about good design and their skills to deliver it. For example, one
of the most important tasks facing planners today is getting their core
strategy right and CABE worked face to face with 74 local authorities helping
them embed good design in these pivotal documents.
To help improve the quality of new housing, CABE trained 250 officers from 170
Local Authorities as Building for Life assessors. This gives them a
consistent way to assess and negotiate the quality of homes proposed for their
area. A record 36 schemes also achieved the Building for Life standard and we
shared these examples of great practice with every planning team in England.
CABE continued helping schools design the campus and teach the curriculum. In
May 2009, a minimum design standard was introduced for most new schools,
following advice from CABE. This improved the quality of 73% of the schemes
brought forward. We also ran Green Day, a project which helps teachers and
pupils make their school sustainable. Over 120,000 pupils got involved,
learning about the connections between climate change and the built
environment.
More people than ever used the CABE website, which attracted 560,000 unique
visits. Publication downloads from the site rose by 29 per cent, to 208,000,
which illustrates the scale of demand for this kind of practical advice.
Throughout the year CABE continued to test the impact of what CABE does.
Independent research found that more than eight out of ten of our customers -
architects, planners, parks managers, teachers, councillors and transport
professionals - changed what they did as a result of using CABE services or
reading our research and guidance. In addition, the value of CABE advice to
the public purse was estimated at £84 million per year for schools, and £850
million per year for housing.
The report contains accounts as well as a record of performance, with a
management commentary which describes activity in more detail.
CABE Annual Report 2009-10:
LINK
The Scottish Government has
launched a consultation into the future of planning system, Resourcing a High
Quality Planning System.
The consultation looks specifically at two areas – fees associated with
planning applications and resourcing at local authorities and other government
agencies.
Scottish Government Publications:
LINK
This new initiative is the pilot
for an annual Award scheme to celebrate Heritage Alliance’s members and to
demonstrate the energy and achievements of heritage volunteers.
The Award, which is open to Alliance member organisations and their members,
should showcase an inspirational project that was completed in the past 12
months (to May 2010) by a volunteer individual or team (professional work is
not excluded if funded and managed by volunteer effort) where the project has
had a long-term impact and commanded the respect of the sector. We’re
particularly interested to hear about projects that are likely to appeal to a
wider non-heritage audience and offer a powerful human story, which we can
tell to the nation.
Proposals should be submitted in fewer than 500 words, with one image that
encapsulates the project, by email before 31 July to Denis Dunstone; Transport
Trust and member of the Alliance Board
denis.dunstone@talktalk.net
Enquiries should also go to Denis please, on 02795 941595.
Entries will be judged by The Alliance’s Chairman, Deputy Chairman, a Board
member and the CEO. Their decision is final. The winner will be notified by 30
September and presented with the Award at The Alliance’s AGM & Heritage Day on
8 December at The Banqueting House, Whitehall. The member promoting the winner
will be asked to produce a short slide show or video of the achievement (with
technical support) for presentation to the audience at the event. The winner
will also receive a memento of the event and PR / marketing exposure.
Heritage Alliance Heroes Award 2010:
LINK
In April 2009 English Heritage was
designated by Government as a provider of Official Statistics.
Two products produced by English Heritage were defined as official statistics,
'Heritage at Risk' and 'listed buildings'. As a designated provider of
official statistics we will follow the regulations set out in the Code of
Practice for Official Statistics January 2009 when producing, analysing and
disseminating these statistic
EH Heritage at Risk:
LINK
EH Heritage at Risk Article:
LINK
21 July 2010
The Heritage Alliance (THA) has
called for ‘proper resourcing’ for historic environment services in Local
Authorities in its response to the Department for Culture Media and Sport’s
recently published Structural Reform Plan (SRP), the key tool of the coalition
government for making departments accountable for the implementation of the
reforms set out in the coalition agreement.
The Alliance, which represents over 80 heritage sector organisations, lists a
number of priority areas including local government.
It says: 'Professional and specialist skills are vital to maximising the
benefits from heritage. As funding and planning powers are devolved from
national and regional agencies, Local Authorities need a highly trained
workforce to ensure the effective management of the historic environment. Now
that much of the ring fencing of local government funds has been dismantled,
we urge CLG to make the case for proper resourcing for historic environment
services in the forthcoming review of Local Authority finance, and for DCMS to
have sufficient resources to work alongside CLG in ensuring local
competencies.'
THA chair Loyd Grossman OBE said: "The civil society heritage sector accepts
that there will be cuts to historic environment funding and services and we
are ready to fill the deficit wherever possible. However, what we would like
from the new government is greater clarity on its attitude and approach to
heritage and clear acknowledgement of its important social and economic
contribution. This recognition is vital if cuts are to be fair, proportionate
and effective."
Culture Gov Publications:
LINK
Planning Resource News:
LINK
Heritage Link News:
LINK
The Planning Officers Society has
risen to the challenge laid down by the new Government and submitted
suggestions to cut excessive red tape in national and local government.
In its letter to Eric Pickles the Society said "We welcome the initiative to
reduce the burden of unnecessary regulation, both as part of our ongoing
commitment to providing a more efficient and accessible planning service to
our customers, and because it could help us in delivering your localism agenda
within the tight financial constraints in which we now find ourselves."
Fifteen areas of planning which might benefit from de-regulation have been
highlighted in the submission. Stuart Hylton, who compiled the list for POS,
said "This is just the start of the debate. The Society will be looking right
across the planning service for other ways of making it more streamlined and
accessible".
Stephen Tapper, Society President, commented: "we have expressed our
willingness to discuss these suggestions with the Secretary of State or with
his department if that would prove helpful."
The letter highlights fifteen areas of planning which might benefit from
de-regulation including:
- Cutting paperwork accompanying planning applications
- Scrap "long, turgid" sustainability documents
- Revise the range and detail of evidence requirements such as strategic
housing market assessments
- Reconsider the need for annual monitoring reports
- Advertise planning applications with on-site notices and electronic media
rather than local press
- Reduce the number of planning applications which need to be referred to
central government
- 'De-jargonise' the system to help increase public participation
- Review the current four-year and ten-year "immunity" rules, preventing
enforcement action being taken against unlawful development as these place
heavy enforcement burdens on local authorities and undermine public confidence
in the effectiveness of the planning system.
Planning Officers Society Article:
LINK
Planning Officers Society Article 2:
LINK
Planning Resource News:
LINK
Derry/Londonderry is celebrating as
it becomes the UK’s first ever city of culture.
Derry/Londonderry beat three other finalists, Birmingham, Norwich, and
Sheffield, to the title.
Its passion and commitment to culture, its strong cultural programme and
support from communities across the city, all contributed to
Derry/Londonderry’s winning bid.
Derry/Londonderry will become a focus for national attention in 2013 and could
host high-profile events including the Turner Prize, BBC Sports Personality of
the Year, The Brits and the RIBA Stirling Prize as part of its year in the
spotlight.
Culture Minister Ed Vaizey and Phil Redmond announced the result in Liverpool.
Culture Gov News:
LINK
www.cityofculture2013.com
Liam Neeson blogs:
LINK
The Milton Keynes shopping centre
has, on 16 July, been listed, at Grade II, by Tourism and Heritage Minister
John Penrose, while requests to overturn two earlier listing decisions – for
Coventry Market and the Castle House Co-op in Sheffield – have also been
rejected by the minister.
However, he has turned down the application to list the Gatehouse at St.
Anne’s College, Oxford.
John Penrose said: “Post war buildings can, more than others, divide opinion.
The ‘test of time’ cannot be rushed, so the minister – me on this occasion -
has to weigh the advice of experts and, where there is no clear consensus,
find a way through that helps protect what’s truly excellent. My decision to
list Milton Keynes Shopping Centre and to reject calls to de-list important
modern buildings in Coventry and Sheffield demonstrates this. These are
interesting and eye-catching buildings that clearly merit the extra protection
that comes with listed status.
They are not, of course, guaranteed immortality. The point of listing is to
make sure that, if plans come forward in the future to demolish or redevelop
them, the locally-elected decision makers are made fully aware of the
buildings’ importance.”
Culture Gov News:
LINK
David Willetts, Minister of State
for Universities and Science, has announced a review of the Design Council.
The Minister and the Design Council Chair, Lord Bichard have invited Martin
Temple, Chairman of the 600 group, to lead the review. It will consider the
future role and status of the Design Council as the national strategic design
body.
Minister of State for Universities and Science David Willetts said: “The UK is
a world leader in design and the Design Council has played an important role
in promoting the value of design to the economy With the forthcoming Spending
Review it is right that we take this opportunity to assess the role of the
Design Council and consider options for the future. I have asked Martin
Temple to lead the review - he brings a wealth of business experience, as well
as knowledge of the Design Council through his role as a board member”.
Martin Temple CBE is a non-executive Director and Chairman of The 600 Group.
He was the Director-General of the EEF from 1999 to February 2008, when he
became Chairman. Martin was previously Vice President of Avesta-Sheffield AB,
a major producer of stainless steel. He has served on the boards of a wide
range of companies around the world. He is Chair of BIS’s Business
Simplification Support Programme (Solutions for Business Transition Management
Board). He has been a board member of the Design Council since February 2009.
News Distribution Service:
LINK
The first Congress for Built
Environment Forum Scotland (BEFS) will take place on Thursday 2 September 2010
at the Roxburghe Hotel, 38 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, with Fiona Hyslop,
Minister for Culture and External Affairs, addressing the delegates and an
innovative ‘project soapbox’ forum to build awareness of the work of BEFS’
members.
The congress will explore the relationship between people and place by
showcasing projects and initiatives with plenty of community participation. We
will draw linkages between what is happening on the ground and the
Government's national outcome for sustainable places.
-
To be addressed by Fiona Hyslop, Minister for
Culture and External Affairs
-
Key note addresses from Ruth Parsons, Chief
Executive, Historic Scotland and Sandy Robinson, Principal Architect,
Directorate of the Built Environment
-
Market place and 'project soapbox' showcasing
projects and initiatives
-
Drinks reception
A programme and further information about the Congress
is attached. Up-to-date information will also be available on BEFS website
www.befs.org.uk
Participation fee: £45; Reduced rate: £20
The reduced rate is applicable to organisations which are members/subscribers
of BEFS, as well as members of a member/subscriber. A list of BEFS members and
subscribers is available on BEFS website.
To book your place at the Congress, please go to:
LINK Last
day for booking is 12 Aug.
If you are interested in sharing your experiences and promoting your project
or initiative at the market place, or if you have any further questions,
please contact BEFS office: 0131 220 6241,
info@befs.org.uk
www.befs.org.uk
BEFS Index:
LINK
HCA is holding an online debate to
explore new ways to help bring more private sector homes back into use.
Affordability issues, exacerbated by the current economic conditions have
placed greater emphasis on the need to tackle empty homes. Currently, there
are 1.8 million households on the social housing waiting list and over 762,000
empty homes, around half of which have been empty for more than six months.
The debate is running until 30 July to address key challenges that local
authorities face tackling empty homes, highlight innovative practice and
generate practical solutions to help the sector bring more empty homes back
into use. A series of films have been produced to spark debate and provide the
latest thinking from industry experts including:
* Jon Hough – Principal Housing Strategy Officer, Leeds City Council
* David Ireland – CEO, Empty Homes (EH)
* Sir Bob Kerslake – CEO, HCA
* Katharine Hibbert – Ex-squatter and author of Free: Adventures on the
Margins of a Wasteful Society
* Steve Hoey – Co-ordinator, Canopy Housing
* Andrew Wells – Estate Agent, Allsop
* Ceri Barraclough – Marketing Sales Executive, Camelot Property
Homes and Communities:
LINK
On Wednesday (7 July) Heritage and
Tourism Minister John Penrose published the list of applications for the UK’s
new Tentative List of sites for World Heritage Site status.
From the Tynwald Hill Norse assembly site on the Isle of Man, to Navan Fort in
Northern Ireland, to Brunel’s Great Western Railway in Southern England, the
38 potential sites cover a range of countries, historic environments and
landscapes.
An independent expert panel will now be set up to assess each bid, and a new
list of potential sites will be drawn up for submission to UNESCO in 2011. Mr
Penrose said of the applicants: “We wanted a strong and varied list to
eventually put to UNESCO, and I’m delighted that so many wonderful, diverse
places have been put forward".
For photos of each site see Photo 1:
LINK & Photo 2:
LINK
Culture Gov News:
LINK
PricewaterhouseCoopers claims UK
firms are "biting the hand that feeds" through negligent approach to ecosystem
services
The threat to businesses arising from unchecked biodiversity loss is larger
and more immediate than that presented by climate change.
That is the stark conclusion of a long-anticipated UN-backed report to be
launched in London later today, which warns that the vast majority of firms
are ignoring risks associated with biodiversity loss and environmental
degradation, despite the fact that they pose a serious and growing threat
to their operations.
The two year study from the UN Environment Programme The Economics of
Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), will show that the annual economic impact
of biodiversity loss stands at between $2 trillion (£1.3 trillion) and $4.5
trillion, equating to up to 7.5 per cent of global gross domestic product.
It argues that contamination of water supplies, the loss of productive land
through soil erosion and drought, and disruption to supply chains caused by
deforestation and overfishing all result in multibillion-dollar costs that are
largely ignored by the current global economic system.
A section of the report, contributed by consultancy giant
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), also says that fewer than one in five firms see
biodiversity as an important business issue, while just two of the world's
largest 100 companies manage it as a strategic risk.
Environment secretary Caroline Spelman is scheduled to speak at the launch of
the report, and is expected to argue that there is a strong economic case for
businesses to take action to limit activities that damage biodiversity. She
will also highlight the recent experience of BP, which has seen its share
price halved as a result of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. "The real
impact on the local economy, wildlife and marine health may not be fully known
for years," she is expected to say. "What's bad for biodiversity is bad for
business."
Report lead author Pavan Sukhdev is also expected to argue that governments
must play a more proactive role in forcing businesses to address biodiversity
loss. In an interview with the Guardian newspaper ahead of the launch, he
argued that modern businesses had become 'soulless corporations' unchecked by
government regulation. "We have created a soulless corporation that does not
have any innate reason to be ethical about anything," he said. "The purpose of
a corporation is to be selfish. That is law. So it's up to society, and its
leaders and thinkers, to design the checks and balances that are needed to
ensure that the corporation does not simply become cancerous, and that's
something that sometimes we do and sometimes we really don't."
businessGreen:
LINK
businessGreen Blog:
LINK
UNEP Documents:
LINK
The winners of the six 2010 British
Archaeological Awards were announced to a packed audience at the British
Museum this afternoon (19 July).
Established in 1976, the British Archaeological Awards are a showcase for the
best in British archaeology and a central event in the archaeological
calendar.
Today’s ceremony, attended by the DCMS Minister for Tourism & Heritage John
Penrose MP, and hosted by historian and broadcaster Michael Wood, was a key
event within the Council for British Archaeology’s two-week Festival of
British Archaeology, a huge UK-wide celebration of archaeology with more than
750 events running from 17 July to 1 August.
The Chairman of the British Archaeological Awards trustees, Dr Mike Heyworth
MBE, said:
"These awards have gone to the very best of British archaeology from the last
two years. We congratulate all the winners and are hugely encouraged by the
public interest in archaeology and the enthusiasm shown across the UK for our
archaeological heritage, as we have seen in particular with the Staffordshire
hoard."
The DCMS Minister for Tourism & Heritage, John Penrose MP, said, at the event:
"Today we’re celebrating the very best of British archaeology and I was
extremely impressed by all the worthy nominees.
This two-week festival highlights so much good work from all over the country.
750 events in just two weeks is a massive achievement, which gives thousands
of people a chance to muck in, discover and appreciate the heritage around
them - it is a unique and wonderful opportunity."
The winners of the six Awards are as follows:
Best Archaeological Project: The Tarbat Discovery Programme
Best Community Archaeology Project: Fin Cop – Solving a Derbyshire Mystery
Best Archaeological Book: Europe’s Lost World: the re-discovery of Doggerland
by Vince Gaffney, Simon Fitch & David Smith published by the Council for
British Archaeology
Best Representation of Archaeology in the Media: Thames Discovery Programme
web site
Best Archaeological Innovation: Lindow Man: a Bog Body Mystery Exhibition at
the Manchester Museum (April 2008-April 2009)
Best Archaeological Discovery: The Staffordshire Hoard
CBA News: LINK
16 July 2010
Natural England (NE) releases
research celebrating Local Authority best practice.
In 2009, Natural England commissioned the Local Government Information Unit
(LGiU) to research examples of environmental best practice amongst Local
Authorities.
Natural Leaders is the result of this research and looks at the lead role
councils can play in promoting their natural environment. It brings together
their ideas and experiences as they galvanise the private and voluntary
sector, find resources and develop a local vision to deliver positive outcomes
for both people and wildlife.
The actions suggested within the report also challenge local authorities to
think differently about these issues and identify how best they can be
addressed. The research points to four areas where the council’s leadership
can have the biggest impact:
* partnership
* long term vision
* community engagement
* investment in natural capital.
Natural England will use the findings from this research to:
* Share good practice as part of our advice to Local Government
* Promote good environmental leadership that puts the natural environment at
the heart of local decision making
* Encourage routine and systematic collection of environmental leadership best
practice from Local Government.
Local Authorities are vital to realising the benefits of the natural
environment for their communities. They can lead the debate on management of
natural resources, galvanise the private and voluntary sector, find resources
and develop local policy.
Local Authorities are also vital partners for Natural England as it delivers
its statutory duties. They can be involved in service delivery, information
provision and joint enforcement.
Natural Leaders presents the information from this research and looks at the
lead role councils can play in promoting their natural environment. It brings
together their ideas and experiences as they activate the private and
voluntary sector, acquire resources and develop a local vision to deliver
positive outcomes for both people and wildlife.
The actions suggested within the report also challenge local authorities to
think differently about these issues and identify how best they can be
addressed.
Natural England - Our Work:
LINK
Natural England Publications:
LINK
The Heritage at Risk Register 2010
published today (Wednesday 7 July) by English Heritage shows a significant
slow-down in the number of Grade I and II* buildings being saved from neglect
and decay prompting fears that England might lose the very thing which makes
it most special in the eyes of the world and could help to underpin economic
recovery.
Between 1999 and 2007 the number of Grade I and II* buildings on the Heritage
at Risk Register fell by 17% but since then there has been no percentage
change in the number coming off the Register after being rescued. In 1999,
one in six buildings on the "at risk" register was fully economic to repair.
Now, 11 years on, it is just one in eight.
The "conservation deficit", the difference between the cost of repair and the
end value of the 1,218 buildings and structural scheduled monuments on the
Register, is now estimated at £465 million, a 10% rise from 2009.
Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: "In the current
uncertain climate, English Heritage has two vital contributions to make. First
is our Heritage at Risk programme itself. It gives communities – local people,
local authorities and the larger community of both official and voluntary
heritage groups – accurate information about the condition of local
neighbourhoods. It encourages them to become actively involved in restoring
what is precious to them, and it reassures them that any public funding goes
to the most needy and urgent cases.
Second is our grants and expertise. Where private investors won't venture,
where developers have walked away and where public bodies have other
priorities, it is often only an English Heritage grant, coupled with our
world-leading expertise, which can save a building from being lost. Our
budgets too will be under pressure but we will do all we can to continue to
provide a life-line for the nation's past. The Heritage Lottery Fund is also
of enormous benefit to buildings and other heritage sites which are open to
the public and we are delighted the Government intends to restore its share of
Lottery income."
Other key facts revealed by the Heritage at Risk Register this year are that:
1 in 32 grade I and II* listed buildings are at risk
1 in 14 conservation areas surveyed are at risk
1 in 6 scheduled monuments are at risk
1 in 16 registered parks and gardens at risk
1 in 7 registered battlefields are at risk
1 in 6 protected wreck sites are at risk
Overall the number of entries fell by 139 between 2009 and 2010 to a new total
of 4,955, a 2.7% decrease but past experience shows that reduced spending on
heritage takes several years to show up. Conservation areas are excluded from
the totals above as this is the first year that they have been properly
incorporated into the Register. However, English Heritage's focus on them last
year is leading to councils and local groups achieving considerable
improvements in many parts of the country. The number of scheduled monuments
at risk has fallen by 140 to 3,395 largely because of the success of English
Heritage's drive to help owners undertake often quite simple and inexpensive
methods of repair and prevention. There are now six registered battlefields,
down from seven in 2009, and eight protected wreck sites at risk, down from
nine in 2009 as one has been removed as a direct result of improved management
of the site.
Dr Simon Thurley, continued: "The fact that historic buildings at risk are
getting harder to save is very worrying. Removing domestic buildings from the
Register has been the real success story of the last 10 years but with
decreased house prices, the difficultly of getting mortgages and the
uncertainly of the jobs market, private buyers and small developers are less
likely to invest in a building at risk. We might also see more buildings
coming onto the Register as people spend less and less on maintenance and
repair. Government figures show that in private housing as a whole this spend
fell 12% from 2008 to 2009 and continues to fall.
Larger developers and construction companies are also facing difficulties.
Fewer are embarking on big regeneration projects and some are having to halt
work or even abandon a site altogether. And where public bodies and
development agencies could previously support such schemes, they too are
unable to invest.
We are delighted that the governmental Planning Policy Statement 5, published
earlier this year, for the first time requires local authorities seriously to
consider how they are going to tackle local heritage at risk. But local
authority cuts, both in terms of funding and conservation staff, could result
in catastrophic losses. Sixteen percent of historic buildings at risk are the
libraries, schools, hospitals, police stations and other typically Victorian
or Edwardian edifices owned by local councils and greatly cherished by local
communities. Their condition could deteriorate even further and their numbers
increase. And will councils still put money into other local heritage, parks
and public monuments for example, which give no direct financial return but
are central to the lives of those around them? Lack of public funds will hit
regions differently. The North East could be particularly vulnerable as only
23% of its Heritage at Risk entries are capable of the sort of re-use which
could traditionally attract private investment.
Neglect is a slow, insidious process whose costly damage takes time to become
clearly visible. Cuts in both private and public spending are currently
inevitable but armed with our Heritage at Risk Register, English Heritage is
well-equipped to guard against the loss of the nation's greatest treasures and
to suggest effective and economical strategies to protect our national
heritage."
English Heritage - Heritage at Risk:
LINK
The date and location of the next
national Heritage Champion conference has now been confirmed. It will take
place on 15 November at the Foundling Museum in central London.
Whilst details of the programme are still being finalised, the day will
include an address from English Heritage Chair, Baroness Andrews, a
presentation on the recently launched Planning Policy Statement 5: Planning
for the Historic Environment, and a workshop on what local authorities can be
doing to combat the problem of heritage crime.
The conference will also give Champions the opportunity to share experiences
with colleagues and learn from the approaches of others. The day will be
rounded off with a drinks reception and the opportunity to explore the museum.
Space is limited so those who wish to attend should either email
champions@english-heritage.org.uk or phone Owain Lloyd-James on 0207 973 3841.
HELM: LINK
www.foundlingmuseum.org.uk
The MIA (Management of Industry
Accreditation) route to getting CSCS Heritage Skills Cards will close at end
of August 2010.
If you are a contractor who works on pre 1919 and listed buildings you may
find yourself not being eligible to work on this type of building or being put
forward for tender lists should you not be a holder of the CSCS heritage
card. The MIA (Management of Industry Accreditation) route to CSCS heritage
skills card involves completing a short form detailing specific projects and
work undertaken in the last five years for those who work on historic sites.
The MIA route closes at the end of August this year and so it is imperative
that those working in the sector take advantage of this route.
NHTG _ Qualifying Your Workforce:
LINK
EMCBE - CSCS Cards:
LINK
CSCS:
LINK
Darlow Smithson Productions and the
BBC are currently developing a new six-part series about architectural
heritage, to be presented by Dan Cruickshank.
Each series will focus on one building to trace its social and architectural
history and the methods and materials used in its construction, along with the
stories of previous owners and occupiers.
For more information email
yasemin.rashit@darlowsmithson.com or ring 020 7482 7027.
Information is now being gathered
for The Guide to Planning Consultants 2010-11, scheduled for publication in
September 2010.
The Guide will be distributed in print to all readers of Planning magazine and
all subscribers to DCS Ltd’s Development Control Practice Manual. Entries are
free of charge and must be submitted by Friday 16 July 2010. In addition, your
details will be included on our web-based contact information directories.
Only firms responding to this request will be listed in the Directory. We will
not carry over information from previous editions. If you have any queries
please contact consultdirectory@haymarket.com.
Information must be submitted via the online survey - to enter the survey
please click: HERE
Planning Resource Careers:
LINK
A council leader has slammed his
own planning committee after it denied consent to move and restore a Grade II
listed farmhouse on the Welsh golf course which will host this year's Ryder
Cup.
Celtic Manor Resort golf complex in Wales made an application to rebuild the
17th century building at nearby Haines Farm – a proposal that was recommended
to be approved by the council’s planners. But following the
planning committee’s refusal of the proposals on 7 July, councillor Matthew
Evans, leader of Newport City Council, said: "I am bitterly disappointed and
mystified by the planning committee’s decision."
A spokesman for Celtic Manor Resort said: "All planning application options
have now been exhausted. It is extremely frustrating that our local
councillors … have chosen to reject the carefully prepared recommendations of
their own council officers."
The Ryder Cup takes place at the Celtic Manor Resort from 1-3 October.
Planning Resource News:
LINK
See the report to the Planning Committee:
LINK
A new interdisciplinary research
project, led by the University of Bath, will monitor and predict the impact of
floods and driving rain on historic buildings to try and protect them for
future generations.
The risk of flooding is likely to increase due to climate change and the
effects of increased urban development. The 2007 flooding in the South West
and the 2009 flood in Cumbria have shown that substantial structural damage
can be caused by events such as these to heritage buildings and
infrastructure.
The PARNASSUS project brings together engineers and conservationists from the
University of Bath, archaeologists from the University of Southampton, and
geographers and material engineers from the University of Bristol to predict
how historic structures react when subjected to flooding and driving rain.
The researchers will survey the effects of past floods and use sophisticated
flood and climate change modelling tools to assess the risks of future
flooding for heritage sites selected by the National Trust, Historic Scotland
and English Heritage. The project will investigate the effect of water
saturation on the structural integrity of the buildings and measure
deterioration caused by freezing and thawing.
Cold weather can cause water trapped in the masonry to expand, leading to
cracking and damaging of the structural strength of the building. Part of the
study will be to assess past levels of deterioration of sites to identify
which types of building are most vulnerable to freeze-thaw damage. The
researchers will also take samples of the building materials and subject them
to different climate change scenarios that could take place over the next 100
years.
Dr D’Ayala of the University of Bath’s Department of Architecture & Civil
Engineering is principal investigator for the project. She said: “Due to
changes in urban areas through the centuries and the changing climate,
historic city centres find themselves at increased risk of flooding and
detrimental effects by driving rain. Our three year project aims to quantify
the actual risk of damage for different scenarios at sites such as Tewksbury,
York, Winchester, and sites in Scotland, and to propose effective mitigation
strategies, respectful of the historic fabric.”
The aim of the project, funded by Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
and the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Science and
Heritage Programme (www.heritagescience.ac.uk
), is to produce guidelines for on-site monitoring of driving rain effects,
reliable prediction of flooding scenarios effects, and remediation measures.
Dr D’Ayala added: “The problem is complex and also requires an understanding
of the economics involved. This is why we have the support of institutions
such as National Trust, and Historic Scotland, as well as the involvement of
partners from the insurance and conservation industries.”
Bath University News:
LINK
Natural England is urging farmers
and land managers with Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) agreements due to expire
on 31 July to renew them as soon as possible, in order to avoid a gap between
agreements, and consequently, a gap in payments.
Environmental Stewardship is an agri-environment scheme administered by
Natural England that provides funding to farmers and other land managers in
England to look after features of their land such as historic sites,
landscapes, wildlife, water and soil. There are several types of Environmental
Stewardship agreements available: Entry Level, Higher Level, Organic Level,
and Uplands – designed to support hill farmers in disadvantaged areas. These
agreements are hugely significant for the rural heritage and historic
environment. Find out more about ES schemes here
.
Although large numbers have already renewed their Entry Level Agreements,
around 2,600 (52 per cent) of farmers and land managers either submitted their
renewal applications after the June 1 deadline, or have yet to return them.
Natural England will give as many of the late applicants as possible a start
date of August 1 for their new agreements, but there will inevitably be some
whose new agreements will not begin until September 1 at the earliest.
Natural England News:
LINK
12 July 2010
The Prime Minister has announced
new plans - Structural Reform Plans (SRPs) - to hand power to the public with
every department publishing a plan that sets clear priorities and measurable
milestones.
These Structural Reform Plans (SRPs) mean anyone can check that departments
meet their commitments.
SRPs are the key tool of the Coalition Government for making departments
accountable for the implementation of the reforms set out in the Coalition
Agreement. They replace the old, top-down systems of targets and central
micromanagement.
No 10 News:
LINK
A new action plan for the radical
shift of power from Whitehall to local councils and communities that will make
the Big Society part of every day life was published by Communities Secretary
Eric Pickles on 8 June.
Today the Prime Minister is announcing new Structural Reform Plans for making
departments accountable for the implementation of the reforms set out in the
Coalition agreement. They replace the old, top-down systems of targets and
central mismanagement.
Decentralisation Minister Greg Clark said in a speech today that the new 18
month programme will deliver radical decentralising and transparency reforms
that put citizens and councils in control of their communities.
Mr Clark believes too much power has been sucked out of communities into
Westminster eroding trust in politics, and sapping responsibility and
initiative with stifling bureaucracy.
Already Ministers have begun to remove swathes of centralising and red tape
policies including ending Regional Strategies and putting housing back into
local hands, ending unwanted garden grabbing, abolishing Home Information
Packs and a burdensome council inspection regime.
The new 45 point action plan will force the department to shift gear so its
purpose will be putting localism into action instead of ruling by central
diktats.
Decentralisation Minister Greg Clark said: "We're busting open the established
way of doing things. The department will now only work to empower people, not
to keep Whitehall in power. Councils are no longer going to be strangled by
prescribed one-size-fits diktats on the one hand and smothered by regional
bureaucracy on the other. We won't be micromanaging, second guessing, and
interfering in your affairs any more. We're going to put citizens and
communities in control."
The Communities and Local Government's Structural Reform Plan will set out the
department's five priority actions for making localism and the Big Society
part of everyday life by:
* decentralising power as far as possible
* meeting people's housing aspirations
* putting communities in charge of planning
* increasing accountability
* letting people see how their money is being spent.
Notes to editor
1. The Cabinet Office has published Structural Reform Plans for Education and
Communities and Local Government alongside the Cabinet Office Structural
Reform Plan which was published recently. More information on the Structural
Reform Plans can be found at
www.number10.gov.uk/news/topstorynews/2010/07/structural-reform-plans-53023
(external link).
2. The CLG Structural Reform Plan is availale at:
www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/structuralreformplan. It sets
out a range of actions and milestones envisaged to deliver Coalition
Agreements including:
* Stopping the restructuring of councils in Norfolk, Suffolk and Devon
* Moving from Local Authorities reporting to central Government to Local
Authorities reporting to local people
* Giving residents the power to instigate local referendums on any local
issue and to veto excessive council tax increases, as part of a Localism Bill
* Freezing Council Tax in England for at least one year and seek to freeze
it for a further year, in partnership with local authorities
* Giving residents the power to instigate local referendums on any local
issue and to veto excessive council tax increases, as part of a Localism Bill
* Scrap Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), and replacing them with
local enterprise partnerships
* Scrapping Regional Strategies and return decision-making powers to local
councils
3. The coalition has already begun row back on swathes of unnecessary red
tape:
* Called time on the Regional Spatial Strategy putting power back in the
hands of local people and scrapped housing targets. Soon I will be announcing
the full list of incentives to local authorities that will encourage
development.
* Made HIPS history and already the number of homes being put up for sale
has gone up by 35 per cent.
* Put an end to unwanted 'garden grabbing' putting the decision back in
the hands of local people.
* Cut the ring fencing and red tape which comes attached to hundreds of
millions pounds worth of central government grants.
* Abolished Comprehensive Area Assessments where town halls report back to
Whitehall.
* Handed over more power to councils so they can manage high
concentrations of shared housing in their area, without putting off landlords
from renting the homes people need.
* Vince Cable has announced an immediate review of all regulation in the
pipeline for implementation which has been inherited from the last Government.
* Lord Young of Graffham has been appointed as advisor to the prime
minister on health and safety law and practice to reduce the compensation
culture.
Communities News:
LINK
Urgent action demanded to improve
SAP for calculating energy use of new homes
The government’s tool for calculating the energy performance of new dwellings
cannot adequately meet the challenges of delivering low-energy and zero-carbon
houses, concludes a new report.
A six-month study undertaken by the Zero Carbon Hub, due to be published next
week, concludes that the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) now used to
calculate the energy performance of new dwellings and demonstrate compliance
with Building Regulations is not adequate in its current form.
Compliance tools are used to assess a design to see if it meets the energy
criteria set out in regulations and often steers designers and the products
and systems they specify. However, should the compliance regime result in a
poor reflection of reality then there is a risk that carbon emissions and
energy use will be higher than expected.
The report suggests that urgent action is required to ensure that a compliance
tool fit for purpose is developed to meet the government’s target for all new
homes to be zero carbon by 2016.
It proposes that the development of a tool could be financed by government, or
through the private sector with government maintaining ownership of the
policy.
David McEwan (Glasgow) comments on 9 Jul 10 4:44 pm:
'Although it’s unclear as to whether this report refers to SAP 2005 or the
Part L 2010 version (confusingly termed SAP 2009), it raises an important
question; why is the Government continuing to spend money expanding the
capabilities of SAP, when other alternative tools are already available in the
form of SBEM and DSM?
These existing non-domestic compliance methods can equally apply to domestic
properties and offer tools which are flexible enough to accommodate different
levels of building complexity – the kind of complexity required in new housing
to achieve zero-carbon, with all the associated passive design strategies,
clean-technology and renewable energy sources.
The Part L 2010 version of SAP has already moved to a monthly calculation
method, the same as SBEM. Surely opening up the choice of tools available for
domestic dwelling compliance allows more flexibility – enabling designers to
pick the tool sufficiently complex for the building in question.
At this time when the Government is asking for ideas on how to save money,
surely making use of existing tools that Energy Assessors are already familiar
with is the most cost effective way forward without the need for more
government investment?'
Building Newsletter:
LINK
Zero Carbon Hub: LINK
The Penfold Review, set up to
identify whether non-planning consents delay or discourage investment, has
published its final report.
This report, following the interim report in March, sets out recommendations
to simplifying the planning and consents environment and includes proposals
that could free up resources, save time and money, and deliver real benefits
not only to developers and investors, but also to consenting bodies in
England. Local communities in could also benefit from greater transparency and
clarity about how decisions are made.
The review focused on 'non-planning consents', such as environmental permits,
highways orders, and heritage consents that are needed alongside or after
planning permission. It found a complex and fragmented landscape that poses
real problems for some businesses to navigate effectively.
The Review recommends:
* simplifying the non-planning consents landscape by removing some
individual consents and rationalising other groups of related consents
* giving developers easy access to clear, accurate and up-to-date
information
* delivering greater certainty for developers and removing duplication by
improving the way planning and non-planning consents operate together
* improve the co-ordination and governance around decisions involving
multiple decision makers
* strengthening the service culture of decision-making bodies by, for
example, setting timetables for the determination of non-planning consents
* creating a clear system for oversight of the planning and non-planning
landscape
The Government will consider the recommendations from the Penfold Review in
detail and will publish a formal response in the autumn.
Download the report
HERE
BIS Penfold Review: LINK
Search The Planning Portal:
LINK
Housing minister Grant Shapps has
confirmed that the Government is committed to bringing in legislation allowing
the creation of Local Housing Trusts which would have powers to undertake
housing development which would not need specific planning applications.
Proposals for this new breed of Trusts will be included in the forthcoming
Decentralisation and Localism Bill, due to surface this autumn.
He explained that the trusts would have to show they had the support of the
local community for planned housing developments, and would have to meet some
basic planning criteria - but would not need to lodge specific planning
applications.
Any profits made from new developments would have to be reinvested in the
local community, and the land would remain with the housing trust - regardless
of what happened to the houses.
Search The Planning Portal:
LINK
£50 million will be invested in
regenerating business and transport hubs and greening housing schemes, the
Scottish Government said on 6 July.
Whole zones of Scotland's towns and cities will benefit from cash for major
regeneration work including new business spaces, wireless technology zones,
green energy for social housing, renewing derelict sites and more efficient
transport schemes.
The fund will help kick start regeneration schemes stalled by the recession,
providing backing for projects struggling to get finance from commercial
lenders. Ministers have agreed the fund with the European Investment Bank,
made up of cash from the European Commission and the Scottish Government,
which will lever in additional investment from public and private sector
partners.
Large-scale urban regeneration projects will benefit and the fund will
continually recycle cash for new projects, by getting money back when projects
start generating returns. Visiting Bridgeton Cross today to see how the east
end of Glasgow is being transformed with the help of European and Scottish
funding sources, Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil said:
"Regeneration is critical to boosting our economy and safeguarding jobs. This
new flexible £50 million fund will help kick start a whole range of fantastic
regeneration projects that will revitalise communities most in need and
support economic recovery. Importantly by ensuring we recycle the cash
investment, through an 'invest now, repay us later' model, we will support
many key projects and leave a lasting legacy to fund regeneration in Scotland
for many years."
Simon Brooks, European Investment Bank Vice President responsible for the
United Kingdom said: "The European Investment Bank looks forward to supporting
significant regeneration across Scotland's towns and cities. This will support
economic recovery, revitalise local communities for the benefit of their
inhabitants and attract additional much needed investment."
Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for Regional Policy, European Commission said: "I
am delighted that JESSICA Scotland Fund is being launched today. The European
Regional Development Fund will grant £24 million to this Fund that will boost
regeneration and economic development in Scotland's deprived urban areas. The
Jessica Fund encompasses a sustainable approach to regeneration by
establishing an evergreen fund, by creating premises that will support
economic growth, by focusing on land redevelopment and by supporting areas of
social need. This fund can be recycled and re-invested and therefore provides
a longer term contribution to economic development."
The Scottish Government News:
LINK
Prince Charles is set to launch his
19th charity on 22 July – the Prince’s Countryside Fund – with the aim of
supporting the nation’s most vulnerable farmers and small rural communities to
improve the long-term viability of the British countryside.
The new fund, which is expected to raise tens of millions of pounds for
depressed rural areas in the next decade from big businesses, is 'designed to
assist the smaller family farm', the Prince stated. Speaking to John Craven
during an interview on BBC One’s Countryfile on Sunday, Prince Charles said:
"People visit the countryside and it's always there, but people don't
understand how much work has to go into maintaining it and keeping it like
that…It doesn't just happen by accident so the important thing is to ensure
that rural skills are maintained and young people have a chance to take part
in rural businesses and skills." It has been suggested that the Fund could be
of particular use to uplands landscapes, of which 75 per cent is designated as
National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The charity is raising money from a wide range of businesses and retailers,
including Waitrose, McVities and McDonalds, in order to provide grants to
projects, large and small, that are delivering its three core objectives:
improving the sustainability of British farming and rural communities
targeting the areas of greatest need, reconnecting consumers with countryside
issues, and supporting farming crisis charities through a dedicated emergency
funding stream.
There will also be a focus on promoting school farms and gardens and educating
children about the origins of food, whilst retaining reserve funds to
distribute in the event of emergencies. It is understood that around a dozen
leading figures from the retail and production worlds will serve on a board of
trustees for the new fund, and that many companies have already pledged money
to the "starting pot" of £1 million.
www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk
BBC iPlayer:
LINK
New Labour's Housing Market Renewal
(Pathfinder) Initiative has resulted in the destruction of thousands of
terraced houses across the north of England, ripping the heart out of
communities and repeating the terrible mistakes of the 1960s and 70s,
according to SAVE Britain’s Heritage, with the future of the areas affected
explored in a new report for SAVE, ‘Reviving Britain's Terraces: Life after
Pathfinder’, by Mark Hines Architects.
SAVE, a fierce critic of the Pathfinder schemes, has teamed up with architect
Mark Hines to look at how housing earmarked for demolition can be adapted,
upgraded and remodelled to a high standard of energy efficiency, creating a
range of accommodation and forming exemplar 'eco-communities' of the future.
SAVE’s website reports:
A recent report in Property Week revealed that, to date, Pathfinder has cost
£2.2 billion and knocked down four times as many homes as it created. Yet,
despite many stalled schemes and a widespread realisation that the policy has
been a disaster, the juggernaut rolls on, and good terraced housing continues
to fall to the bulldozers. SAVE has been one of the most vocal critics of the
scheme, publishing its first damning report Pathfinder in 2006 and fighting
demolitions in a number of key areas - most recently Bensham, Gateshead and
Toxteth Street, East Manchester. This report takes Toxteth Street as a case
study, looking at the groundbreaking ideas put forward by Mark Hines as part
of that campaign.
Copies of the report are available from SAVE through its website.
Save Britain's Heritage:
LINK
Maintenance Matters! a new web
resource designed by Cadw, the Welsh Assembly Government’s historic
environment service, for owners of historic and listed properties, is now live
after its launch in June, with a unique capacity for users to create and
store customized maintenance plans for their buildings which can then be used
as a basis for regular inspections.
This resource enables owners not only to monitor the condition of their
buildings over time, but also to compile a key component of their logbook that
will help to chronicle the history of the building.
The website also offers expert advice coupled with photographs and drawings to
provide an online guide to maintaining historic buildings, what to look for,
when and how to keep the properties in best possible condition.
Alun Ffred Jones, said: "A stitch in time saves nine is what they say and it
certainly holds many truths when it comes to looking after historic
properties. A maintenance issue which is nipped in the bud at an early stage
can often save a lot of trouble and expense later on. I urge owners of
historic properties to log on to the Maintenance Matters website and create a
personal plan for their own property. The website will hopefully become a
valuable aide memoire for owners and a useful resource on a wide range of
topics and tips, including advice on what to look out for, identifying common
signs of damage as well as what to do next in the event of a problem arising."
Cadw News:
LINK
Maintenance Matters Wales:
LINK
Forest of Dean District Council has
lost its enforcement action over a building made of straw bales originally
constructed for research and educational purposes by local resident Jim
Wallis, who subsequently moved in and lived in the property.
The straw bale house had become a planning cause célèbre, the subject of high
court challenges and two appeals. As a result of the most recent one Wallis
has been allowed to retain the building, threatened with demolition, and to
live in it.
Peter Williams, group manager for planning and housing with the local planning
authority, said “It’s very disappointing to lose this case. Planning
permission was originally granted as an exception to policy for a specific
educational purpose and because of its environmental aspects.
Planning law states that immunity from enforcement action is gained either
after 10 years for uses of land or breaches of condition, or four years for
building works or changes of use to a single dwelling.
The council’s argument in this case was that the relevant period was 10 years
as there was a breach of a condition on the original planning permission. The
inspector accepted the appellant’s argument that the relevant period in this
case was four years. The complexity of the arguments is reflected in the fact
that the case has been the subject of consideration by two inspectors and the
High Court.”
Search The Planning Portal:
LINK
7 July 2010
At its Council meeting on Thursday
10 June Gordon Masterton OBE was appointed as the eleventh Chairman of the
Construction Industry Council; Keith Clarke, CIC’s former Chairman, now
becomes Deputy Chairman in accordance with CIC’s rules & byelaws.
Gordon Masterton OBE is Vice President Environment of the Jacobs Group, one of
the world's largest and most diverse providers of technical, professional, and
construction services.
Prior to this appointment, Gordon was a Director of Babtie Group and became
Vice President Environment when Babtie Group, became part of the Jacobs Group.
During this time he worked in the Far East establishing an office in Kuala
Lumpur. When he returned to the UK he headed up the Group's work in bridges
and building structures, advising on a number of major PFI building projects.
In 2001 Gordon was elected Vice-President of the Institution of Civil
Engineers and became President in November 2005, serving until November 2006,
encompassing the bicentenary of the birth of Brunel. In 2008 he was awarded
an OBE for services to civil engineering in Scotland. He is the second Civil
Engineer and Past President of ICE to Chair CIC, following Robin Wilson
(1994-96).
In a speech to Council, Gordon outlined 3 key commitments for his Chairmanship
of CIC:
* To fully support Paul Morrell, the Chief Construction Adviser;
* To be a continuing advocate for safety and support the work of the CIC
Health and Safety Committee (Gordon held the post of Chairman of the CIC
Health & Safety Committee for 2 years);
* To be an advocate for the industry and work with CIC to represent the
professionalism and quality of the construction industry in the best possible
light through tough economic conditions.
Addressing the CIC Council meeting Gordon said: “In a climate where the
government is wielding the metaphorical scalpel (well, let us hope it IS a
scalpel and not a butcher’s knife), the voice of reason becomes even more
important. And it seems increasingly likely that we are entering a period when
construction could pay a heavy price in the government’s search for short term
fiscal economies. When the global economy nose-dived, private sector
investment in construction projects plummeted. But the industry received
significant relief from the government’s fiscal stimulus policy. Publicly
funded projects were brought forward, and, although there were many
redundancies, there was a safety net that saved a great many. The safety net
is about to be removed. We will be flying without a net. And that means we are
in a higher risk environment, with less public expenditure and more
competition across sectors for a share of a smaller cake.
But that is also an opportunity for CIC to represent the industry, with your
support, as fundamentally a wealth creator, not a sink for government money to
keep us all employed doing things we like to do. This will not be a time for
special pleading. It will be a time for reasoned arguments that have clear
impact and that, with laser-focus, present a clear argument that construction
creates wealth and stimulates economic activity; and this country needs
economic growth like never before.”
CIC News:
LINK
The Government has promised further
guidance on the implications of the Coalition’s decision to scrap Regional
Strategies and suggested that the administration may use secondary legislation
rather than wait for primary legislation to make the change in the planning
regime.
That was the message from planning minister Bob Neill when he responded to a
Commons debate on Regional Strategies during which Conservative and Liberal
Democrat MPs asked for clarification of the status of the letter sent by
communities secretary Eric Pickles. MPs warned of a “policy vacuum” because
of a lack of transitional guidance while others pointed to conflicting legal
advice over whether the letter could be treated as a “material consideration”.
Conservative backbencher Geoffrey Clifton-Brown insisted that Government must
not allow uncertainty to lead to “paralysis” of the planning system and costly
legal challenges by judicial review.
He said: “With no timeline in place for the proposed Decentralisation and
Localism Bill that the Government intends to introduce, there is concern that
councils throughout the country will face a number of hugely costly legal
challenges by judicial review and appeals to defend. Therefore, the difficulty
for decision makers is what legitimate weight they should accord the Secretary
of State’s letter.”
During the debate in Westminster Hall, MPs welcomed Pickles’ decision to scrap
the Regional Strategies. He wrote to all local authorities in England on 27
May, informing them of his intention to scrap them, a move that would free
councils from central Government housing targets.
Mark Lancaster, the Conservative MP for Milton Keynes North who secured the
debate, said: “I welcome the secretary of state’s decision to abolish Regional
Strategies. However, this does raise a number of serious questions and the
sooner we have the answers the sooner local authorities will be able to move
forward in implementing local issues.”
Bob Neill told MPs that ministers were satisfied with the legal advice that
they had been given about the letter and 'that it is a material consideration
and should be regarded as such, both by local planning authorities, in
considering applications, and by the inspectorate'.
He said: “Ultimately, there will be a need for primary legislation to sweep
such matters away, which will be dealt with in a localism Bill that will be
introduced to the House in this Session. However, we will also explore the
possibility of using secondary legislation to remove the most difficult part
of the Regional Strategies in advance of that. We are actively discussing with
officials the means by which this may be done."
He added that the next step was to issue more detailed guidance, following the
letter from the Secretary of State.
He said: “Moreover, we will give local authorities the opportunity to revise
partially those plans to reflect the abolition of the Regional Strategies and
the imposed targets that went with them.”
He added that a 'focused revision' of the plan that concentrated on certain
aspects, such as the housing aspects that are affected by the removal of
strategies, 'need not take a long time'.
Meanwhile, decentralisation minister Greg Clark has revealed that the promised
Decentralisation and Localism Bill would include a statutory obligation for
councils to co-operate across area boundaries.
He said the legislation would contain an 'obligation on authorities to
co-operate on those parts of their policies which cross borders and boundaries
and in a way that cross boundaries were perhaps not recognised in the regional
system'.
Search from the
Planning Portal:
LINK
The next Calls for Proposals for
ESPON (European Spatial Planning Observation Network) will open on 24 August
2010. The deadline for submitting proposals is 19 October 2010. The total
available budget is 1.950.000 Euro.
The ESPON 2013 Programme, the ‘European Observation Network for Territorial
Development and Cohesion’, was adopted by the European Commission on 7
November 2007. The programme budget of €47 mill is part-financed at the level
of 75 % by the European Regional Development Fund under Objective 3 for
European Territorial Cooperation. The rest is financed by 31 countries
participating, 27 EU Member States and Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and
Switzerland.
The mission of the ESPON 2013 Programme is to: 'Support policy development in
relation to the aim of territorial cohesion and a harmonious development of
the European territory by (1) providing comparable information, evidence,
analyses and scenarios on territorial dynamics and (2) revealing territorial
capital and potentials for development of regions and larger territories
contributing to European competitiveness, territorial cooperation and a
sustainable and balanced development'.
The Calls are the following:
1. Call for Proposals for 2 Targeted Analyses (Priority 2 of the ESPON 2013
Programme)
2. Call for Proposals for ESPON Database Project Phase II (Priority 3 of
the ESPON 2013 Programme)
All the documentation related to the calls, including the procedure for
applying, the eligibility rules, the evaluation criteria and the submission
material, will be made available by 24 August 2010.
Info Day and Partner Café
The ESPON 2013 Programme invites potential beneficiaries to the Info Day on
New Calls and Partner Café on 8 September 2010 in Brussels. It will provide
the chance to get information on the new funding opportunities and to meet
potential project partners. The online registration will open soon at the
ESPON website.
Research institutes that are looking for partners to prepare a proposal for
one of the projects under the Calls are remembered to have a look at the
overview of potential partners. The fields of expertise that are indicated in
the overview provide you with a good impression of which institutes might be
interested in the same research theme as you and might wish to join you in a
Transnational Project Group. More
Please contact the ESPON Coordination Unit by sending an e-mail to
info@espon.eu
ESPON Programme: LINK
ESPON Calls: LINK
To be launched in 2011, and seeking
contributions, is a new Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and
Sustainable Development (JCHMSD), intended to stimulate and encourage research
devoted to the sustainable development of cultural heritage and to the
positive contribution of cultural heritage management towards a sustainable
environment.
JCHMSD develops the skills and knowledge of the international community
working in the field of cultural heritage and sustainable development. It
disseminates the results of innovative research and practices, contributing to
the improvement of current practices while developing and applying
new/emerging practices.
JCHMSD publishes:
• A range of theoretical and practical papers based upon quantitative and
qualitative methodological approaches.
• Articles are particularly welcome on immovable cultural heritage and its
role in sustainable development, as well as the sustainable development of
immovable cultural heritage. Immovable cultural heritage ranges from cultural
landscapes to monuments. Other relevant dimensions of cultural heritage will
also be considered for publication e.g. rural cultural heritage, indigenous
cultural heritage management.
Publication dates of volume one will approximately be May 2011 for issue 1 and
October 2011 for issue 2.
The coverage of the journal includes, but is not limited to:
• Cultural heritage – assessment, management, marketing and publicity,
tangible and intangible dimensions.
• Sustainable development – preservation, conservation, restoration,
rehabilitation, reconstruction, demolition, best practices, unsustainable
development and consequent threats e.g. urban developments, large-scale
agriculture, mining activity.
• Cultural heritage and sustainable development – legislation, Cultural
Heritage Impact Assessment, effects of climate change, ecological
sustainability, social sustainability, economic sustainability.
• The role of research and scholarship.
• Teaching & curriculum development.
Key Benefits:
• JCHMSD is the only journal linking cultural heritage management with
sustainable development.
• JCHMSD is the source of knowledge for the community of academics,
practitioners, policy makers and students involved in the field of cultural
heritage and sustainable development.
• JCHMSD joins a large and varied community involved in cultural heritage and
sustainable development (built environment, tourism, sustainability fields).
• JCHMSD is international: the challenging tasks of managing cultural heritage
while aiming for sustainable development and managing sustainability while
redeveloping cultural heritage are on all countries’ agenda.
Key Journal Audiences:
• Academics and practitioners in the emerging field of cultural heritage and
sustainable development.
• Academics and practitioners in the fields of heritage, conservation,
environment, urban planning, rural architecture, building surveying, place
management, tourism.
• Policy makers.
• National, regional and local government officials.
Emerald Insight:
LINK
The UK Pavilion at the World Expo
2010 in Shanghai by Heatherwick Studio has scooped the Royal Institute of
British Architects’ (RIBA) prestigious RIBA Lubetkin Prize for the most
outstanding work of international architecture by an RIBA member.
The prize is named after the world-renowned architect Berthold Lubetkin
(1901-1990). The winner will be presented with a unique cast concrete plaque,
based loosely on Lubetkin’s design for the Penguin Pool at London Zoo,
commissioned by the RIBA and designed and made by the artist Petr Weigl.
The UK’s pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, named the ‘Seed Cathedral’, is
constructed from 60,000 7.5 metre long slender acrylic tipped aluminum rods
suspended in a timber frame which sits upon a landscaped area designed to look
like a creased piece of paper. The long rods, which quiver in the breeze,
create an effect which has been likened to a dandelion and a sea urchin.
The UK Pavilion beat off stiff competition from two other shortlisted
buildings: Timberyard Social Housing, Dublin by O’Donnell and Tuomey and the
Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Centre, Alaska by David Chipperfield Architects.
The three shortlisted buildings were seen by a visiting jury comprising Paul
Monaghan, architect and Chair of the RIBA Awards Group and Tony Chapman, RIBA
Head of Awards, who reported to the full jury chaired by RIBA President Ruth
Reed and including architect Keith Williams and Paul Finch, OBE, editorial
director of The Architects’ Journal and chair of CABE.
RIBA News:
LINK
Community engagement specialists
Planning Aid have published a guide to good public engagement in development
schemes.
The easy-to-read free guide - produced by Planning Aid England (PAE) and
Planning Aid for London (PAL) - contains practical advice and is illustrated
by real examples of good practice. It has been produced in response to a
growing number of requests for advice on good practice in engaging with local
people in development schemes.
Sue Percy, Director of Planning Aid England, said: “There is no perfect recipe
for good community engagement. All development schemes are different. But this
guide describes some good practice ingredients which can be used to develop a
positive and beneficial engagement process.”
Download the Good Practice Guide to Public Engagement in Development Schemes
Here:
LINK
RTPI News: LINK
Planning Resource:
LINK
FIND, the UK’s most advanced online
mapping website, has launched an exclusive London Building Heights map.
This online map shows buildings with height points superimposed; just like
spot heights traditionally shown on walking maps for hills and mountains. The
accuracy of the map is unprecedented. In a recent test, One Canada Square, a
skyscraper in Canary Wharf, was only 76 cm off its actual height. The building
height map shows at a glance the average and maximum height of
any London building, its area and volume, complete with the estimated number
of residential and commercial floors.
Mariam Crichton, FIND’s Development Director, said: “Architects and Planners
have frequently asked FIND if reliable building height information is
available, as it was not we decided to create our own building height model to
solve their problem.”
In order to create the most accurate building height map available, FIND used
sophisticated modelling techniques to combine some of the highest quality
mapping and height survey data in the UK. This map layer can be used for
viewing a site within the context of its surroundings, attaching height values
to a planning application, or just getting a feel for the surface terrain of
an area.
FIND’s June release also utilises the recent release of OS OpenData with maps
such as Ordnance Survey Street View now free to view. In addition, FIND has
become one of a select few mapping providers in the UK to offer professional
quality maps and data for Northern Ireland from OSNI.
GIS Lounge:
LINK
www.findmaps.co.uk
FIND Maps London Building Heights:
LINK
An extension to a Somerset village
by classicists ADAM Architecture has been approved by Mendip District Council.
The traditional-styled proposals for an expansion of Norton St Philip, nine
miles south of Bath, were recommended unanimously by district and parish
council officials and involve an additional 51 houses, a shop, market building
and commercial office space, which would replace a derelict chicken processing
factory. Many of the existing 300 homes are listed and are within a
conservation area.
Search from the Planning Portal:
LINK
Entries for the 2010 UK Landscape
Award opened on 6 April and will close on 27 August 2010.
Good landscapes, wherever they are, help make great communities. A new town
square, a restored coastal path, a regeneration scheme with public space at
its heart, all make a contribution to how well a community works. The UK
Landscape Award is looking for the best landscape in the UK.
The Award helps to implement the European Landscape Convention (ELC) in the
UK. The Convention is the first international convention to focus specifically
on landscape, and is dedicated exclusively to the protection, management and
planning of all landscapes in Europe.
The ELC became binding from 1 March 2007. The convention highlights the need
to recognise landscape in law, to develop landscape policies dedicated to the
protection, management and creation of landscapes, and to establish procedures
for the participation of the general public and other stakeholders in the
creation and implementation of landscape policies. It also encourages the
integration of landscape into all relevant areas of policy, including
cultural, economic and social policies.
The Award
The ELC establishes a Council of Europe Landscape Award to recognise quality
stewardship of landscapes. Member states run national competitions to identify
national winners who are then put forward for the European-level award. The
Award has only been run once before. This is the first time that the Award has
been run in the UK.
Dates for entry
Entries for the Award opened on 6 April and close on 27 August 2010. The
winner will be announced on 8 November 2010 at the European Landscape
Convention Conference in Liverpool. The UK winner will then be submitted to
the Council of Europe’s European Landscape Award which will be announced in
March 2011.
www.uklandscapeaward.org
2 July 2010
The first ever sample survey of
England's 14,500 listed places of worship, just published by English Heritage,
suggests that approximately 90 per cent are in good or fair condition but 10
per cent are potentially in need of urgent major repairs.
The survey also revealed that congregations are increasingly worried about
getting funding to make repairs and are concerned at the implications of
looking after a listed building and getting permission to make major changes.
EH has produced a guide, DVD and a dedicated website to provide advice on what
congregations can do.
Impact of grants
Research into the impact of the £25 million a year Repair Grants for Places of
Worship (RGPW) scheme run jointly by English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery
Fund reveals that 76% of congregations would not have been able to complete
their repair and maintenance project at all without a grant. This means that
over the last eight years, some 1,190 of England's most important places of
worship would have become seriously at risk and 30% state that they would have
closed, 17% indefinitely. This equates to up to 266 places of worship which
could have been permanently closed. For 73% of places of worship, the RGPOW
makes up more than 50% of the total cost of their repairs.
Research into the impact of the approximate £12 million a year Listed Places
of Worship Scheme for England (LPWS) currently financed by the Treasury,
reveals that although it only provides grants of 17.5% of the total cost,
equivalent to the VAT, 1 in 5 recipients said they would not have been able
to proceed without it. 86% of recipients polled said that their grant halted
the decline of the building and 76% said it prevented irreversible damage.
Recipients of both schemes said grants helped them plan a more certain future
for their place of worship avoiding more costly repairs later on. Grants
helped them to increase numbers of visitors and broaden community use. Grants
also impact on the local economy as the research found that 90% of recipients
exclusively used local businesses to undertake repairs.
Others
The Church of England has detailed advice, much of which is relevant to any
place of worship. The National Churches Trust has appointed a National Support
Officer, part-funded by English Heritage, to provide advice and information
for Friends Groups on the telephone and on their website. The Churches
Conservation Trust's Regeneration Task Force is helping prevent vulnerable
churches from closing, English Heritage is continuing to offer part-funded
Support Officers delivering expert advice at local level and the The Society
for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, using funding from the Heritage
Lottery Fund and English Heritage, is running free Faith in Maintenance
training courses for volunteers.
Planning Portal News:
LINK
English Heritage News:
LINK
English Heritage, Caring for Places of Worship:
LINK
Download key findings on repair grants
HERE
Download key findings on LPOWS
HERE
Wandsworth Council has approved plans to bring Balham’s Grade II-listed “Drum”
back into public view.
The Drum is a circular ‘pill box’ building on Balham Hill which provides
access to a deep-level air raid shelter below.
The underground shelter, which lies deeper than the Northern Line, stretches
north to Clapham Common where a second access Drum is located. The structure
is one of 11 deep level shelters built during World War II in response to
German bombing raids. Currently, the Balham Hill Drum is hidden from view
behind a high block wall and is in a poor state of decorative repair. The
surrounding site is largely derelict except for two small storage buildings.
The new proposal includes removing the site’s boundary wall to expose the
Drum to the street and restoring the Grade II Listed building’s appearance.
The scheme would also create new homes for sale and social rent on the
surrounding site which is fenced off and disused. One eight-storey and one
four-storey building would be constructed on the land to the rear of the Drum
to provide a total of 62 new flats. More than a third would be made available
for social rent. A cycle store with space for 62 bikes would also be created
as well as communal garden.
The underground shelter would continue its current use as a private archive.
Planning applications committee chairman Cllr Nick Cuff said:
“This scheme would bring a fascinating piece of wartime history back into
public view and make good use of the surrounding site which has been largely
derelict for decades. Twenty-one of the new flats would be reserved for
social rent to help meet the borough’s growing need for affordable housing.”
Wandsworth Council News:
LINK
Robert Adam has scored a massive victory in his plans to revamp the largest
private house in London not owned by a member of the royal family.
The architect’s scheme to demolish part of the Witanhurst mansion in Highgate,
an early 20th century grade II*-listed property, and replace it with a large
three-storey pavilion design in the style of an orangery was rejected by
Camden Council at the end of last year. However, a planning inspector has now
upheld an appeal by developer Safran Holdings, heard at a public inquiry in
May, paving the way for the scheme – estimated to cost in excess of £20
million – to go ahead.
The inspector said he considered the orangery to be “sympathetic with the
architectural character of Witanhurst” and “a scholarly response to its
situation, in terms of its sitting, form, scale, composition and detail”.
Adam described allowing the demolition of a wing of an important listed
building and supporting its replacement with a new classical building as a
radical decision, despite the fact his approach was supported by English
Heritage. “It shows that heritage is not necessarily preserving things in
aspic and that modern classical buildings can be a complement to old classical
buildings,” he said.
A new basement complex, remodeling the front facade and reinstating the
forecourt and landscaping are also part of the proposed development,
understood to be for a mystery Russian oligarch.
Witanhurst was built in 1774 and enlarged to its current 3,700sq m in 1913
through a Queen Anne-style house by architect George Hubbard.
The 90-room property has been on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk
Register for 10 years and has stood vacant for 40 years. It served as the base
for BBC’s Fame Academy and was sold for a reported £50 million.
The latest news is a blow to local groups including the Highgate Society and
residents living around Witanhurst, who had fiercely objected to Adam’s
proposals.
BD Online:
LINK
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg today launched a £1 billion Regional Growth
Fund to help areas and communities at risk of being particularly affected by
public spending cuts.
The fund, which will operate in 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 will help areas most
dependent on public sector employment as the country makes the transition to
private sector-led growth and prosperity. Both private bodies and
public-private partnerships will be able to bid for funding by demonstrating
that their proposal will bring in private investment and support sustainable
increases in private sector jobs and growth in their area.
Speaking in Bradford after the first Coalition Cabinet meeting outside of
London today, Nick Clegg said: "While we sort out the nation's finances we can
also help to foster a thriving and more balanced economy so that no region or
community gets left behind. The Regional Growth Fund will create the
conditions for growth and enterprise in the regions by stimulating investment
and create sustainable private sector jobs. Alongside our commitment to waive
some employment taxes for new businesses starting up in targeted regions of
the country, this fund can make a real difference to companies during
difficult times."
Nick Clegg also set out plans for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) that
will bring together councils and business on an equal footing with one voice,
replacing the current Regional Development Agencies (RDAs). In a joint letter
sent to councils and business leaders today, Business Secretary Vince Cable
and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles have asked them to consider forming new
local enterprise partnerships that can provide strategic leadership in their
local areas and create the right environment for business success and economic
growth.
Vince Cable, the Business Secretary said: "We are determined to rebalance the
economy towards the private sector, so it's important we create a more
effective structure to drive economic growth and development across the
country. We want a structure that reflects the genuine interests and
commitment of enterprise, local councils and other stakeholders like
universities and colleges. Local enterprise partnerships will provide that
vision and then take on the task of renewing local economies and tackling
local barriers to growth. Today we are asking them to tell us about their
vision and I'm looking forward to what they've got to say."
Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary said: "If you want to rebuild a
fragile national economy you don't strangle business with red tape and let
bloated regional quangos make all the decisions. Urgent action is needed to
rebuild and rebalance local economies so that new businesses and economic
opportunities spread across the country. The solution needs to be local - we
know that when councils and local business work hand in hand they can drive
economic growth together and places can be transformed. Local enterprise
partnerships are central to this vision which is why we are asking them what
they need. By giving up central control we will put democratic accountability
back into the local economy making it responsive to the needs of local
business and local people."
Local Enterprise Partnerships will tackle issues including planning and
housing, local transport and infrastructure, employment, enterprise and
supporting business start-ups. Other roles currently carried out by the RDAs
will be led nationally, such as inward investment, sector leadership, business
support, innovation and access to finance.
Further details of the Regional Growth Fund, and the creation of LEPs, will be
set out in the forthcoming White Paper on local and regional growth.
Alongside this, Ministers also today announced plans for a Green Paper on
business finance. As part of the government's strategy to encourage investment
in growing companies in areas overly dependent on public sector employment,
the Green Paper will consider the evidence, and identify any barriers to the
supply of finance in such areas. It will consider whether more can be done to
encourage bank finance, and also look at other possible sources of finance -
such as growth capital and equity finance. The paper will also consider the
role for local stock exchanges, and whether concerns about lack of liquidity
and diversification can be overcome.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/1626439
The National Planning Forum has launched Mediation in Planning - a report by
Leonora Rozee OBE and Kay Powell.
Mediation is one of a family of techniques used to assist with improving
communication, negotiation and consensus building. Mediation procedures are
generally conducted with the help of a neutral third party.
‘Mediation in Planning’ was jointly commissioned by the Planning Inspectorate
and National Planning Forum. The project was funded by the Planning
Inspectorate, National Planning Forum and the Planning Advisory Service.
Cllr. Mike Haines, Chairman of the National Planning Forum said “We firmly
believe that the time is right for mediation to take its place in the toolbox
of the planning system”. He added, “Planners, elected members, developers,
businesses and local communities need to find ways to work more effectively
together. Mediation offers a non- confrontational and collaborative way
forward, in line with the Government’s localism agenda.”
Katrine Sporle, Chief Executive of the Planning Inspectorate commented, “This
study shows that mediation can be used to find sustainable solutions in
complex planning cases and, if adopted, could assist in quality outcomes
without recourse to dispute resolution. This is good news for local
decision-making.”
Planning Portal News:
LINK
National Planning Forum:
LINK
Download the report
HERE
A report published today by the Green Investment Bank (GIB) Commission, a
fully independent group convened by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to advise
Government, highlights the urgent need for a new public financial institution
to unlock the investment needed for Britain to deliver a timely transition to
a low carbon economy.
The Commission, which consulted widely with financial institutions, businesses
and NGOs, estimates that £550 billion could be required for investment in
supply chains and infrastructure in order to meet UK climate change and
renewable energy targets between now and 2020. But a number of barriers,
notably insufficient capacity in the debt capital markets, perceived risk
around policy support frameworks, risk around the new technologies being
rolled out and difficulties with financing large numbers of smaller projects,
have together made financing low carbon infrastructure at the scale and speed
required to meet the UK's carbon targets unachievable without scaled up
Government intervention.
The Commission recommends that the GIB be established to act in the public
interest to identify and address these market failures and investment barriers
over the long term. The GIB should sit alongside the Committee on Climate
Change, which advises Government on legally binding climate change targets,
and provide financial advice to Government on climate change-related
investment issues.
The Commission also recommends that the Bank should rationalise the plethora
of existing Government quangos, funds and initiatives that aim to support
climate change objectives and by doing so significantly improve the
cost-effectiveness of such efforts.
To ensure an independent and enduring institution is established, it will be
critical that the GIB is established in Statute with a clear mandate. But
continued momentum is also crucial for success and the Commission recommends
that the Government appoints a "Shadow" Board to lay the foundations for the
new Bank while a GIB Bill is drafted and taken through Parliament.
The Commission has proposed that the primary focus of the GIB should be on
lowering risk for investors, rather than simply providing capital. It suggests
the GIB could help catalyse low carbon investment by:
* Unlocking project finance through equity co-investment, first loss debt
and insurance products for low carbon technologies and infrastructure.
* Creating green bonds to access to the very large pools of capital held
by institutional investors. Such products would fit with the long-term
investment horizons of pension funds and life insurance companies and would
provide the scale of capital needed to fund the low carbon transformation.
* Selling green ISAs, which would be an important and visible way for
retail investors to make a contribution to the funding of green
infrastructure.
* And, in light of the recent National Audit Office report entitled,
Government funding for developing renewable energy technologies, the GIB
should use the potential rationalisation of quangos and their funds to
radically improve Government support for low carbon innovation and
commercialisation.
James Cameron, Executive Director and Vice-Chairman of Climate Change Capital,
as well as a member of the Green Investment Bank Commission said, "The Green
Investment Bank can work over the long term in the national interest and will
help to build the new clean economy around us. It is a tremendous opportunity
to rapidly scale up the investment we need to tackle climate change, whilst
simultaneously creating the jobs and industries of our future."
Chief Executive of E3G Nick Mabey and co-author of the paper that made the
first case for the creation of such an institution said "The traditional
approach of simply increasing the rewards to investors in the low carbon
economy has delivered only a fraction of the investment needed. It is time for
a new approach. The GIB, with its focus on innovative risk mitigation, will
send a strong signal to investors that the UK is serious about its low carbon
transformation. By unlocking major new streams of investment the GIB will give
greater certainty of meeting the UK's climate change targets and give better
value for money to taxpayers and energy consumers."
Climate Change Capital News:
LINK
Cliamte Change Capital Think Tank:
LINK
The Government has issued a call to arms against pointless regulation and
unnecessary bureaucracy, launching a new Your Freedom website at
www.hmg.gov.uk/yourfreedom
the site asks the public how they want the Government to redress the balance
between the citizen and the state.
Action already underway
The Coalition is already taking action. Within weeks of coming into office,
the Coalition scrapped Home Information Packs - pointless red tape that was
hampering the housing market, scrapped the top down housing targets and
meaningless regional spatial strategies and put an end to unwanted 'garden
grabbing' putting the decision back in the hands of local people.
The Your Freedom website
The website is an opportunity for anyone to suggest ideas on restoring
liberties that have been lost, repealing unnecessary laws and stripping away
excessive regulation on businesses.
Your Freedom asks three questions:
* Restoring civil liberties: which current laws would you like to remove
or change because they restrict your civil liberties?
* Cutting business and charity regulations: which regulations do you think
should be removed or changed to make running your business or organisation as
simple as possible?
* Repealing unnecessary laws: which offences do you think we should remove
or change and why?
The public say they only need laws and regulation that makes sense.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles will shortly be asking Councillors and
Council staff to suggest how the thick forest of outmoded, outdated and
obsolete secondary legislation can be cut down to size. Government wants them
to be local leaders not passé pen pushers.
Launching Your Freedom today, the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "For
too long new laws and regulations have taken away people's freedoms,
interfered in everyday life… the state has crept further and further into
people's homes, the places they work, their private lives. That intrusion is
wrong. This government is putting freedom under the spotlight. We want the
British people have their say on where the state should step in, and where it
should butt out. We are asking people for ideas on restoring hard won
liberties that have been lost, on repealing unnecessary laws that have no
place on the statute book, and on stripping away the excessive regulation that
stops businesses from innovating. We don't think every problem can be fixed
by passing a new law. We understand that Whitehall doesn't have all of the
answers, and doesn't have a monopoly on the best ideas."
Users can post their ideas and comment on their favourites. Relevant
departments will respond to the most popular workable ideas, and the Deputy
Prime Minister will give regular updates.
Communities News:
LINK
www.hmg.gov.uk/yourfreedom
A massive increase in the amount of home insulation installed across Great
Britain is being kick started today (30 June), paving the way for the
Government’s new Green Deal.
By properly insulating homes, people can save money on fuel bills, protect the
warmth of their home and cut carbon emissions. It’s estimated the most energy
inefficient homes in the UK could save, on average, around £550 per year by
installing insulation measures.
Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne is today demanding that energy suppliers
work harder to insulate lofts and walls ensuring that consumers, especially
low income vulnerable households, receive measures which can offer significant
energy bill savings.
Under the newly restructured Government obligation on energy companies (CERT -
Carbon Emissions Reduction Target), extended from March 2011 until December
2012:
* 68% of energy suppliers’ work will now have to be met through
professionally installed loft, cavity and solid wall insulation. With DIY
insulation added, more than 80% of the scheme will be focused on insulation.
Previously just 60% was met through professional and DIY work;
* 15% of homes helped will be the lowest income households more at risk of
fuel poverty;
* Energy companies will now be stopped from promoting compact fluorescent
lamps in order to prioritise insulation, further to the total ban on light
bulb mail-outs.
DECC will also consult this summer on whether to retain the subsidy for low
carbon gadgets like eco-kettles, shower regulators and high efficiency
appliances in place of even more homes being insulated.
The changes to CERT will mean some 3.5 million more homes across Great Britain
are likely to benefit from insulation, building substantially on the 2.5
million homes treated under the scheme since April 2008.
Chris Huhne said: “Our plans will give a huge boost to the insulation
industry during the economic recovery as we pave the way for the start of the
Green Deal. This is the beginning of a massive and urgent increase in home
energy insulation for the nation. We are demanding that energy companies work
harder to make homes warmer, more environmentally friendly and cheaper to run,
especially for those who need it most.”
The government announced in the Queen’s Speech that it is to introduce
legislation which will enable households to finance more expensive measures
like solid wall insulation with no upfront costs. Through the Green Deal,
energy efficiency work could be repaid through a charge on a home’s energy
meter offset by the savings made on fuel bills, meaning many householders will
benefit from day one. This Green Deal is expected to be available in late
2012.
National Insulation Association Chief Executive, Neil Marshall, said: “We
welcome this bold move by Government and recognition of the critical role that
insulation has to play in reducing energy bills and tackling climate change.
The introduction of a minimum level of insulation that must be carried out by
the energy suppliers along with other changes such as stopping the promotion
of CFLs will ensure that there is a major increase in the amount of insulation
undertaken. This will provide significant benefits to householders and a much
needed boost to our industry enabling us to plan and be ready for the
introduction of the Green Deal in 2012.”
Director of the Association for the Conservation of Energy, Andrew Warren,
said: "This decision provides an important step towards refocusing the
long-standing energy efficiency obligations upon energy companies. It breaks
new ground, by mandating a minimum percentage of investment for one specific
energy saving option - in this case, insulation."
Notes to editors
1. CERT is an obligation placed by Government on gas and electricity
suppliers to deliver a reduction in household carbon savings across England,
Scotland and Wales. It aims to help ensure the UK meets its statutory carbon
reduction targets. In helping households take up energy efficiency measures,
it helps more households benefit from reduced energy bills and increased
thermal comfort alongside increased security of supply from reducing energy
demand and local air quality benefits.
2. By extending the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target to December 2012 an
additional 108 million tonnes of CO2 will be saved with annual savings by the
end of the scheme, equivalent to 2% of current household emissions. It is
expected that suppliers will need to invest around £2.4 billion on energy
efficiency to meet this target.
3. CERT requires suppliers to focus at least 40 per cent of their activity
on a 'Priority Group' of vulnerable and low-income households including those
in receipt of eligible benefits and pensioners over the age of 70 by
increasing the energy efficiency of these households. 15% of homes helped
under the 40% will be the lowest income households more at risk of fuel
poverty. It will focus on older poorer households and low income families and
disabled groups including Pension Credit claimants, Child Tax Credit
recipients under a £16,190 income threshold, income-based Job Seeker’s
Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (that includes a
work-related activity or support component) or Income Support, and one of the
following:
- pensioner premium
- disability or severe disability premium
- award of child tax credit that also includes an element for a
disabled, or severely disabled, child or young person
- child under the age of five.
4. Assuming suppliers pass all their costs on to consumers in their energy
bills then the average annual supplier cost per consumer bill will be £50
under the extension compared to £41 under CERT now, meaning an additional £9
to consumer bills per year to 2012 only. All households will have an
opportunity to benefit from measures which can deliver energy bill savings
significantly beyond these costs.
DECC News :
LINK
Deep in the forests of central France, an unusual architectural experiment is
half-way to completion, as a team of masons replicates in painstaking detail
the construction of an entire medieval castle, the Chateau de Guedelon, which
was started in 1998, after local landowner Michel Guyot wondered whether it
would be possible to build a castle from scratch, using only contemporary
tools and materials.
Today, the walls are rising gradually from the red Burgundy clay. The great
hall is almost finished, with only part of the roof remaining, while the main
tower edges past the 15m (50ft) mark. Builders use sandstone quarried from the
very ground from which the castle is emerging. Modern cement did not exist in
the 13th Century, so mortar is made from slaked lime and sand. For tools they
have basic ironware.
Eccentric pipe dream
In woods surrounding the castle, craftsmen ply all the trades required for so
monumental an endeavour. Stone-cutters and carpenters fashion the raw
materials. A blacksmith forges the nails. Ropes, baskets and roof-tiles are
all made on site.
"The rule is that only what we know from documents that existed at the time is
allowed," says Sarah Preston, an English guide.
What started out as an eccentric pipe dream is now an established enterprise,
drawing in tens of thousands of visitors from around Europe every year. And
Guedelon is also highly respected in the academic world. Experts are
fascinated by what the experiment can teach about medieval building methods.
One example concerns lime kilns, used for making the mortar. Archaeologists
had often wondered why they found traces of two separate kilns at construction
sites. Experience at Guedelon showed that, in a day's work, builders often
needed to top up the mortar brought in from the main kiln with small amounts
made close at hand. Hence the small second kiln actually inside the castle.
The discolouring of lime-based mortar is another revelation. Within one or two
years of being laid, Guedelon's walls are already showing streaks of unsightly
white where the lime is leaching. Archaeologists think this is a clue to why
medieval castles were very quickly plastered and painted: it was to hide the
mess. Mr Guyot, who owns the nearby castle of St Fargeau, teamed up with
businesswoman Maryline Martin to launch the project in 1996. Part of the
rationale was simply to provide employment for local people.
How to build a medieval castle
The Guedelon site was chosen because it contained all the necessary materials:
plentiful oak from the forests, as well as clay and water. The castle's design
is based on a style made popular by French King Philippe-Auguste in the early
13th Century.
An architectural team approves each year's building plans, after a master
mason has sketched details from dozens of contemporary castles. Again, nothing
that is not referenced in equivalent 13th Century buildings is permitted.
"Funnily enough, we found that even though we knew we were being accurate,
somehow the castle lacked soul. So we invented a character - the owner - who
would have likes and dislikes, wanting this and not wanting that," says Ms
Preston. Seigneur Guilbert is a middle-ranking feudal lord, who has been
granted the right to build his castle because he sided with the crown during a
baronial rebellion in 1226.
The rebellion - at the accession of the 12-year-old Louis IX (later Saint
Louis) - did actually take place, and was suppressed by his mother Blanche de
Castile. In the annals of Guedelon, construction started in 1228. Each year
that passes is a year in historical time too, so we are now in 1240.
Completion is due around 1253 - or 2023 in today's calendar.
What happens when the castle is finally finished, no-one is really sure. One
option is to start extending. "Remember, medieval castles were often works in
progress. In the 15th Century they might have added new bits with different
architectural styles, and then again and again," says Preston. "So we could
keep going for ever."
BBC News:
LINK
29 June 2010
Heritage teams across Wales charged
with protecting and restoring the nation’s historic buildings are being left
unstaffed amid cost-cutting.
The Institute of Historic Building Conservation raised fears that local
authorities were losing the ability to advise property owners on maintaining
the nation’s cultural legacy.
The organisation’s Wales spokesman, Nathan Blanchard, a heritage consultant
from Conwy, said many councils lacked anyone with the necessary experience.
He said: “The main impact is that you’re not going to have the embedded
ability to offer advice to property owners and to ensure the historic
environment dimension. If you don’t have that embedded quality of advice
within the local authority there is often a danger that you’ll have decisions
that are not fully informed. Without that level of advice you can get losses
of listed buildings that are part of all our heritage.”
Mr Blanchard said: "It is increasingly the case that conservation officers are
not replaced when they leave a local authority."
Bridgend County Council’s team leader for the environment Neil Sumner left
several years ago after a re-organisation and was never replaced. The county
is home to 361 listed buildings and 15 conservation areas.
Mr Blanchard said: "Blaenau Gwent County Council has never had a conservation
officer, but with just 53 listed buildings and one conservation area a
full-time post would be difficult to justify.
As part of their duties many conservation officers are expected to attract
grant funding to local authorities to assist with heritage schemes. When these
dry up the conservation officers themselves can find themselves out of a job."
Neither Flintshire nor Ceredigion, which have 2,904 listed buildings and 45
conservation areas between them, have conservation officers.
Flintshire County Council’s area includes St Winifred’s Well in Holywell which
Henry V visited in 1415 before his historic victory at Agincourt. The local
authority has not had a conservation officer for a year.
Ceredigion council, which has responsibility for the 5,500-acre Trawsgoed
Mansion, in Cwm Ystwyth, near Aberystwyth, recently decided not to renew the
contract of its conservation officer, Gary Cooper.
Trawsgoed has links to Collwyn ap Tangno, founder of the fifth noble tribe of
North Wales.
Mr Blanchard said the IHBC recently asked Cadw – the historic buildings arm of
the Welsh Assembly Government – to 'undertake research on the extent to which
conservation posts are in decline'. But Mr Blanchard said that 'the proposal
was greeted with indifference'.
Conservationist Mark Baker, who sits on the National Trust’s Committee for
Wales, suggested many current conservation officers lack the specialist
knowledge they need. Mr Baker, 25, who is doing a PhD on Welsh country homes
at Cardiff University, said: “I know that even when they have a conservation
officer they usually don’t have any conservation training."
Head of planning for Flintshire County Council Andrew Farrow said that 'they
had recently agreed to make a full-time appointment'. A spokesperson for
Bridgend said that 'they have adequate resources to protect the county’s
historic buildings and their townscape heritage scheme has won a number of
awards'.
A spokesperson from Cadw said: “It is for local authorities to set their own
priorities in the light of local circumstances and available resources. Cadw
has recently completed visits to every local planning authority to review each
authority’s approach to the conservation of the historic environment and to
offer best practice advice and guidance to help further develop and strengthen
existing practice. This arrangement is set to continue.”
Wales Online:
LINK
Steve Quartermain, the chief
planner at Communities and Local Government, has written to all chief planning
officers and the Planning Inspectorate drawing attention to the Government’s
moves to resist garden grabbing.
Read the letter to chief planning officers at:
LINK
Bulldozers have moved in to
demolish 329-council owned flats on a housing estate ranked as Wales’ ugliest
eyesore.
The properties in Penarth Heights – known as Billybanks – will be replaced by
a modern housing development by Crest Nicholson. The site overlooks Cardiff
Bay as was voted the ugliest eyesore in Wales by a survey of 5,000 readers of
the Beautiful Britain magazine.
Search from the
Planning Portal:
LINK
The London Borough of Enfield
Assistant Director in the Place Shaping & Enterprise Department, Stephen
Tapper, has become the new President of the Planning Officers Society.
Stephen was elected at the Society's Annual General Meeting held in Southport
on Friday 25th June 2010. At the AGM Stephen stated that he had several aims
for the year:
"First and foremost, the Society must work with the new government to make
sure that recent and future changes, including the radical change to strategic
planning, are properly effective and achieve the laudable aims of greater
efficiency and greater local ownership of the planning process, without
creating delays and uncertainties that will work against recovery in the
development industry, and further erode our ability to meet housing need. The
Society is in a good place to influence the new government as it represents
the most experienced and skilled public sector planning practitioners in the
country.
Secondly, to work more closely with the other professional bodies and
associations to respond to and support the government in bringing about
effective change - the more common ground we can identify, the stronger will
be our response. An area of particular interest is to give guidance on ways
in which the public can be more engaged and influential in the planning
process, leading to better outcomes in terms of development quality, which is
an agenda that would be shared by most local councillors involved in planning.
Thirdly, and continuing work led by the outgoing President, to implement
changes in the Society itself to broaden its appeal within the public sector,
and to ensure that it properly represents the diversity of public sector
planning and planners. At the same time, to promote the richness and diversity
of the work that planners do in the public sector to encourage a succession of
talented people. The Society's new website will be a key to achieving that."
Stephen is well placed to represent the Society, having worked for a number of
planning authorities in the North, Midlands and South East, and he is
currently Assistant Director, (Strategic Planning and Neighbourhoods), at the
London Borough of Enfield, where he has helped to revitalise and grow the
Council's regeneration agenda.
Stephen has been Chairman of the Society's Sustainability and Rural Planning
Committee for many years, and was particularly engaged in promoting good
policy and practice in regard to sustainable building. He took up the position
of Senior Vice President of the Society in May 2009, and has been very
involved in the work to improve the organisation and effectiveness of the
Society.
The Immediate Past President of the Society is David Hackforth, Head of
Planning at Milton Keynes Council. The new Senior Vice-President is Mike
Holmes, Director of Planning & Transport Services at Bournemouth BC; the new
Junior Vice-President is Malcolm Sharp Director of Environmental and Community
Services at Huntingdonshire DC.
Planning Officers Society:
LINK
The Prince’s Regeneration Trust has
launched a free online toolkit to help local authorities and other public
bodies dispose of heritage assets sustainably and cost effectively.
This toolkit provides local authorities with guidance for each key step
undertaken when managing and disposing of a heritage asset. In total fourteen
steps have been identified that need to be undertaken and considered in order
to dispose of heritage assets sustainably. This user friendly toolkit
discusses each step in detail and explores relevant case studies and useful
tools that can be used to implement best practice along the way.
PRT Sustainable Heritage:
LINK
PRT Sustainable Heritage Toolkit:
LINK
The Museums, Libraries and Archives
Council (MLA) has launched new case studies, guidance and tools to support
museums, libraries and archives in planning how they deliver their services
and in measuring their contribution to social outcomes, and which includes a
listing of helpful websites and guidance on the place of cultural activities
in delivering Local Area Agreements.
The Generic Social Outcomes Framework (GSO), developed for MLA in 2005, has
been widely used by organisations such as Tyne and Wear Museums & Archives,
Essex libraries, Nuneaton Museum & Art Gallery, Museums Sheffield,
Stoke-on-Trent Museums to capture the contribution museums, libraries and
archives can make to their communities and wider society.
The new materials are based on first-hand experiences of organisations using
the GSO framework, and include a helpful step-by-step approach to using the
guidance. Other tools include sample questionnaires to help gather evidence of
impact on users and case studies illustrating how organisations have
successfully used the GSO framework to plan their delivery; assess their
contribution to outcomes; and advocate for their service.
The new materials are published on the MLA’s Inspiring Learning for All
website - a source of information for practitioners in the museums, libraries
and archives sector looking at learning and social outcomes.
Inspiring Learning for All:
LINK
MLA News:
LINK
MLA Delivering Outcomes:
LINK
Download the helpful websites index:
LINK
Ward's Corner, the indoor market
and buildings above Seven Sisters station that Haringey council has spent
years trying to scrub away in favour of a retail and residential unit, has
been saved, as opposition to the scheme, headed by the Ward's Corner Community
Coalition (WCCC), argued that any development should help out existing local
businesses and be respectful of the area's history and heritage.
A court of appeal judge decided this week that removing the market, a
haphazard and partly derelict mixture of mostly Latin American stallholders,
would 'damage race relations' in the area.
Giving the lead judgement, Lord Justice Pill said that 'on the material before
the council, there was sufficient potential impact on equality of opportunity
between persons of different racial groups, and on good relations between such
groups, to require that the impact of the decision on those aspects of social
and economic life be considered…There was no analysis of the material before
the council in the context of the [Council’s equality] duty and that he would
allow the appeal and quash the permission'.
The main retail tenant was to be a major national supermarket chain, on a
junction where a large Tesco already takes up one entire block.
The WCCC described the background to their initiative as follows:
‘The Wards Corner Community Coalition ('WCC') came together to block a
development by Graingers, which plans to demolish the Edwardian buildings and
those in three adjacent streets, and build 8 storey blocks of flats and retail
space for chain stores and a national supermarket. The Coalition want to hold
onto their market, their local businesses, their meeting spaces, the building
they cherished and improve the area by building on the vibrant and
multi-cultural character of Seven Sisters. The process of developing an
alternative plan has brought the communities together and we have become
inspired by the sheer skills and knowledge possessed by our local community.’
The WCCC organised various attention-grabbing stunts, even getting Boris
Johnson to visit the market before he was elected Mayor and eliciting from him
a promise that he'd ‘call in’ the project.
Londonist:
LINK
Bindmans: LINK
Wikispaces: LINK
CABE: LINK
This is London:
LINK
Three buildings which the Victorian
Society campaigned to save will no longer be demolished under revised plans
put forward by Spurs football club welcomed by the society.
The Victorian Society has welcomed Spurs' revised plans for its major new
stadium development in Tottenham. The club plans to build a new 56,000
capacity stadium at the heart of a 20-acre development to the east of
Tottenham High Road. New houses, offices, a hotel, a supermarket and a new
museum are all planned for the site.
But the first application, submitted back in December, put a number of
historic buildings at risk of demolition. These included the Red House (the
historic former club headquarters), the White Hart pub and an attractive
Edwardian dispensary. The buildings were to be replaced by a public open space
between Tottenham High Road and the new stadium. But the proposal was
criticised by the Victorian Society, SAVE Britain's Heritage, CABE and English
Heritage.
Now the club has submitted a revised scheme which sees these three buildings
restored rather than demolished and incorporated into a new public plaza to
the south of the new stadium.
Victorian Society Article:
LINK
The National Trust was recognised
for its commitment to renewable energy earlier this month, scooping the
‘Pioneer’ award at the Renewable Energy Association’s British Renewable Energy
Awards 2010.
Beating off stiff competition from a shortlist of four high profile
contenders, the Trust was recognised for the 140 renewable projects it has
installed at its properties and for its new energy commitments; to reduce
reliance on fossil fuels by 50 per cent by 2020, and to reduce overall energy
consumption by 20 per cent by 2020 (from 2009 levels). This will be achieved
by continuing to use a mix of solar, hydro and wind and replacing oil-fired
heating with woodfuel bio-mass boilers and heat pumps.
The Trust’s renewable energy projects include photovoltaic solar slates at
Kynance Cove in Cornwall; an Archimedes screw hydro turbine at Bonfield Ghyll
in the North Yorkshire Moors; and the installation of 24 photovoltaic panels
on the roof of the Grade I listed Dunster Castle in Somerset, which in sunny
weather provide most of the castle’s daily electricity requirements. Biomass
boilers have also replaced oil fired boilers at 44 sites, including the new
visitor reception and tea-room at Scotney Castle in Kent. Each property is
assessed to find the best energy solution for it; tailored to its needs, and
to make the most of its own natural resources. Most of the Trust’s renewable
projects have been funded either by npower or the Big Lottery Fund.
National Trust News:
LINK
25 June 2010
England’s Planning minister Bob
Neill has called on the planning profession to lead the move to 'put power
back into the hands of local people’
Speaking at the National Planning Forum on 25 June, Neill stressed the
Government’s intention that councils and local people should work together
with developers and planners to deliver new building in their area.
He said that this would 'herald a new era in planning'. "People who make
planning decisions will no longer be able to avoid reporting back to those
whose lives are directly affected by them", he said. "Communities will be able
to come together and take responsibility for solving their own local
challenges in a way that makes sense for them. And in return, they will be
offered powerful incentives that ensure they see the benefits of the
development they welcome. But we can’t return to localism simply by changing
the rules. We need your help to make this work. Planning has its roots in a
democratic system that engages local communities. You were there at the
beginning, and you will be there again to give communities the real power and
real influence they deserve."
Neill stressed that planning policy would be streamlined and simplified, to
free up local authorities and communities to make their own decisions. In the
future planners would not just be planning experts, but experts at working
with communities, and translating their visions into action.
Local plans would be more transparent and spell out how they will benefit the
community. Communities will help develop proposals for their neighbourhoods,
rather than be consulted on ‘options’ that have already been prepared.
And local, long-term plans would become more important, he said. “If a new
development is in the plan that is supported by local people, a proposal in
line with that plan will be approved unless there are significant reasons
against it,” he added.
Search frin the
Planning Portal:
LINK
The Government has used its
emergency Budget Statement to stress its backing for England’s Local
Development Orders (LDOs) as the most appropriate way of ensuring a simplified
planning consents process in areas where there is potential or need for
business growth.
The coalition Government also confirmed its intention of abolishing the
Regional Development Agencies, a move which will require primary legislation.
The Budget report explained that the administration would support the creation
of strong local enterprise partnerships, particularly those based around
England's major cities and other natural economic areas, to enable improved
co-ordination of public and private investment in transport, housing, skills,
regeneration and other areas of economic development.
The Government has also signalled that it is considering the most appropriate
framework of incentives for local authorities to support growth, including
exploring options for business rate and council tax incentives, which would
allow local authorities to reinvest the benefits of growth into local
communities. A White Paper detailing all these proposals is promised later
this summer.
In a statement the Planning Officers Society welcomed these initiatives,
saying it 'strongly supports locally led economic development initiatives and
enterprise partnerships based on local communities working together to deliver
effective strategic planning for economic regeneration'.
The POS added that 'the trial of LDOs, which initially we thought would create
more pitfalls than benefits, has demonstrated that when properly undertaken
LDOs can deliver fast and effective business growth'.
Planning Portal News:
LINK
A bid to list two of the remaining
buildings at the now closed Trawsfynydd nuclear power station in North Wales
has failed as Wales’ heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones has refused the
request to protect the power plant, now being decommissioned, which was
designed by Sir Basil Spence, architect of Coventry Cathedral.
The power station was the first inland nuclear power station in Britain. The
towers' height is set to be reduced by half at the end of this year. The
building was constructed between 1959 and 1963 to a design by Sir Basil
Spence, with garden designer Dame Sylvia Crowe as landscape consultant. It
began generating electricity in January 1965 as Britain's fourth nuclear power
station. The power station was taken off line in 1991 and decommissioning
began in 1993.
The minister Alun Ffred Jones was asked to consider whether the reactor towers
met the criteria for listing 20th century buildings.
His decision not to list them clears the way for the towers to be partially
torn down, with work expected to start towards the end of this year.
Clayton Hirst, who campaigned to save the towers, said he was 'obviously
disappointed at the decision, but satisfied Cadw looked at it in a thorough
and vigorous process'. Writing about his reasons for saving the towers on the
Waleshome.org website Mr Hirst said that 'Trawsfynydd should sit alongside
Coventry Cathedral as one of Spence's greatest works. The problem is that it
is tainted by what is contained within', he wrote. 'Not only is the site
contaminated with radioactive material, but the very fact that it houses two
worn out nuclear reactors contaminates the public's attitude towards the
structure, making it one of Wales' most unloved buildings', he added.
The Twentieth Century society, which campaigns for the preservation for
Britain's modern architectural heritage was asked to back the campaign for the
listing, but declined to do so because there were too many 'issues'. Although
they agree the building is worth saving 'architecturally', there were too many
other considerations, not least the fact that the building is full of 'toxic
material', according to the society's Jon Wright. "It's an important building,
but it doesn't surprise me that it's not been granted listed status," said Mr
Wright. He added: "the society believed it was far better to keep it there
than cover it up, which will happen under the decommissioning plans. You can't
pretend it was never there, that's a bit silly," he said. "Better to leave it
as it is until it is decided how to deal with what's inside."
"The station was built with all local mortar and stone, and it was designed
for the landscape", he added.
"Even the lake is man-made, so it's not as natural a place as it looks," Mr
Wright said. "I am sorry it hasn't been listed, but pleased Cadw looked at it
closely," he added.
BBC Wales:
LINK
Planning Portal News:
LINK
The Spending Challenge is a
large-scale public engagement asking for ideas on how the government can save
money and deliver more for less. At this stage only frontline public sector
workers are being asked for ideas – to be submitted before 9 July - but
eventually everyone in the country will be able to have their say.
The press release says:
‘People who work on the frontline of the public sector and civil service are
well placed to know how cuts should be made. They see what’s going on in their
department and workplace, and know where there are opportunities to make
savings and deliver the best public services for less. That is why public
sector workers are being asked for their ideas first.’
Further details:
LINK
The Urban Design Group (UDG) has
elected Amanda Reynolds as its chair, the first woman to hold the role in its
32-year history.
An architect and urban designer with her own London-based practice AR
Urbanism, UDG said her election marks ‘an important threshold for the role of
women within the organisation’.
UDG: LINK
Planning Resource News:
LINK
The Royal Institute of British
Architects (RIBA) is calling for applications from architects to join the new
RIBA Conservation Register, ahead of its official launch in autumn 2010.
The new Register forms an important part of the RIBA’s work to support
architects currently involved in historic conservation, but also to enable the
next generation of conservation architects to gain the necessary skills and
experience to successfully establish themselves in this specialism.
The Register is organised in a three-tier design to allow architects to
progress through a ‘stepping stone’ system, therefore enabling less
experienced architects to join the Register and gradually build up experience
and expertise; this is something often overlooked in single-level registers,
where extensive prior experience is a necessary prerequisite for
accreditation.
The Register will feature the following three tiers:
Specialist Conservation Architect (SCA) Suitable
for those working on historic buildings of outstanding national importance,
such as Grade I and II listed buildings or scheduled monuments, and with
highly specialist skills in one or more aspects of conservation.
Conservation Architect (CA) Suitable for those
working on regionally important historic buildings such as Grade II listed
structures, and buildings in sensitive historic environments.
Conservation Registrant (CR) Suitable for those
working on the repair, maintenance, alteration and refurbishment of heritage
buildings, for example unlisted buildings in conservation areas, locally
important historic buildings and the general pre-1919 building stock.
The Register is endorsed by English Heritage, and is based firmly on the
international guidelines on conservation set by the International Council on
Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and is open to all ARB registered architects.
RIBA President Ruth Reed said: "Conservation architecture has a highly
significant part to play within the profession, and the RIBA is firmly
committed to strengthening the profession’s credibility and standing in the
field. The new Conservation Register will facilitate the process for those
commissioning works on heritage buildings, clients who require architects with
the appropriate level of knowledge, competence and experience for their
individual project. This will create more opportunities for architects at all
levels to undertake specialist conservation work, and help the next generation
of architects to obtain the relevant skills and expertise needed."
Joy Russell, Head of Conservation Architecture at English Heritage said:
"English Heritage is committed to the principle of conservation accreditation
as an independent assessment of an architect’s skills and competence in
conservation, a means of making that information available to owners and
managers of heritage assets, and an encouragement to gain knowledge and
experience for architects who are interested in building conservation.
For a number of years we have required those in receipt of our grants to use
the services of a conservation-accredited architect, and we have recognised
the AABC Register as a measure of individuals’ competence. Once the new RIBA
Conservation Register is launched, we will be pleased to extend that
recognition to architects who have attained the Register’s ‘Specialist
Conservation Architect’ level."
To apply to join the Register, please email:
conservation.register@inst.riba.org or call 020 7307 5375. All
applications must be received by 31 August 2010.
RIBA News:
LINK
Heritage Alliance Chaiman Loyd
Grossman has released a statement on the Budget as follows:
‘Of course we understand the need to bring the public finances back under
control and were- like everyone else- fully prepared for a tough budget. The
new rates of corporate tax and small profits tax is welcome. So many small
businesses in the construction industry are vital to the local economy: they
also have the knowledge and skills to maintain and repair the historic
buildings that contribute so much to our quality of life.
Sadly increasing VAT to 20% further aggravates the difference between looking
after our historic environment and the zero rate of VAT on new construction.
This new rate of VAT is a colossal and damaging as well as an irrational tax
on our heritage. And remember that our heritage supports social and economic
regeneration as well as a recession-busting tourism industry. The coalition
government retains some VAT exemptions and we will redouble our already
considerable efforts to explain why 20% VAT on maintenance and repair will
not contribute to a balanced and sustainable recovery.
The new higher rate of VAT also means that the Listed Places of Worship Grant
Scheme is now more valuable than ever. Communities up and down the country
have benefited from the schemes help in keeping beautiful and historic places
of worship open and in public use. The Heritage Alliance will continue to
campaign for the extension of the scheme beyond March 2011. In the meantime
communities should act fast in order to take advantage of the compensation
which is currently available.
Finally, the DCMS as a non exempt department is likely to experience a 25% cut
in funding over the next four years and this is bound to mean a reduction in
frontline activity undertaken by a great number of arms length bodies. This
is especially bad news for our heritage as we have lived with frozen grants
for the last eight years. However we intend to work closely with DCMS to get
the best deal for our national heritage and we are determined to play a
prominent role in rebuilding the economy and contributing our future national
prosperity.’
HCA is consulting on the creation
of a functional map for the place-making sector, with closing date 31 August.
The Better skills for better places partnership of more than 20 organisations
committed to improving the skills of people in the sector is creating a
functional map for place-making to capture this breadth of activity and
recognise the common skills and tasks that practitioners are using in their
jobs.
There are a number of occupations that sit under the umbrella of the
'place-making sector' - new requirements are demanding different skills within
individual professions and increasingly the lines between them are blurring
and overlapping as people take a more holistic approach to places.
This is your opportunity to help inform the development of this important
piece of work and ensure that it truly reflects the activities and skills
involved in place-making.
We'd be grateful if you would review the draft Functional Map for place-making
and provide us with your comments on the questions posed at the end of each
section of the map by 31st August 2010. This should take about 30 minutes.
You can respond to this consultation in two ways:
1. Complete the questions on the functional map itself Download the
functional map and complete, save and then email the whole document to Adrian
Smith at Pye Tait Consulting.
2. Complete the online survey
1. Download the functional map to use as reference
2. Use the information contained in this document to complete the
online survey.
Deadline: 31st August 2010
Four consultation events are being held around the UK, if you are interested
in attending, please email Adrian Smith at Pye Tait Consulting or call 01423
509 433.
Homes & Communities:
LINK
See the online survey at:
LINK
18 June 2010
The closing date for the IHBC’s
Annual Gus Astley Student Award 2010 is 31 July, with work eligible that was
submitted on a taught course between August 2008 and July 2010, and covered
any topic relating to places or their conservation; for example, building
histories, heritage and planning projects, or studies for development in
historically sensitive structures and areas.
IHBC Director Seán O’Reilly said: "As well as encouraging early career
professionals on conservation courses such as those recognised by the IHBC for
training our future members, we’re encouraging students across all disciplines
that shape our historic and built environment, as these also train future
specialists that will look to the IHBC for professional support. And the
rewards for successful candidates are many, with cash prizes and places at our
annual educational Schools among them, and encouragement and support for
publication as well as high-profile presentations at key sector events.
We’ve also launched a new web site that gives the background to the award, and
to Gus Astley, whose memory it honours. This means that students making
submissions can see how their work fits into its wider history, as all good
conservation professionals should consider. And, as the award is made for
course work, the only extra effort for the candidate is to make the
submission. It could not be easier!"
The IHBC’s Gus Astley Annual Student Award is given for work submitted by a
student on a taught course relevant to the IHBC’s areas of interest and judged
as being of exceptional value. A new judge is selected each year, with
previous judges including Malcolm Cooper, Chief Inspector, Historic Scotland,
and Dr Roger Bowdler, Head of Designation, English Heritage.
For details and background on the IHBC’s student award see:
LINK
For the IHBC’s recognised conservation courses see:
LINK
For training events covering IHBC’s specialist interests see:
LINK
IHBC Director Seán O’Reilly has
congratulated the diverse professionals that contributed to the substantial
body of conservation-related projects in the shortlist for the 2010 Prime
Minister’s Better Public Building Award.
Seán O’Reilly said: "Key conservation themes for IHBC’s members - repair,
refurbishment, sustainability and exemplary new-build in sensitive settings -
are prominent across many of the projects on the shortlist for this year’s
Prime Minister’s Award. These include: enhancement and improvement at
Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum, the V&A, London’s Supreme Court, securing Bristol
Dock’s 200 year-old floating harbour, a corrosion-halting project on the Forth
Road Bridge, as well as new work complementing ‘honest repair’ at the
Roundhouse Campus in Derby.
The shortlist is a wonderful testimony to the strength and diversity of
public, business and professional interest in our valued historic places. It
also highlights how conservation can only be delivered effectively by skilled
and pro-active partnerships operating across the public and private sectors,
as well as across different disciplines. For that, clearly, we need
well-supported local authority conservation services, as they are the quality
control for what happens in our historic places. And as the new government
refocuses on localism in planning, they are also increasingly recognised as
the key to the kind of improvements we see here.
We know there are many other quality conservation projects worthy of such
distinction. Yet it’s worth remembering that, as so many of the shortlisted
projects have conservation as their main concern, these awards are a
substantial reminder of the range of benefits delivered with the support of
skilled conservation professionals."
The Prime Minister’s Award is sponsored by CABE, the Office of Government
Commerce and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. It is unique
in recognising both efficient procurement and excellent design.
Arts buildings feature prominently. The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford retains its
Greek revival core, but its interior has been transformed with the addition of
a light-filled atrium, beautiful staircase and new galleries which have
doubled its display space.
The Hull Truck Theatre’s new home responds to the city’s old warehouses, and
the architecture of the new Nottingham Contemporary arts space is inspired by
the warehouses of the city’s Lace Market. The V&A Museum’s medieval and
renaissance collections are displayed in stunning new spaces, with an
undulating glass roof.
The summit of Snowdon presented a highly inhospitable construction site but
the new Hafod Eryri visitor centre celebrates the mountain’s history and
folklore.
Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "I congratulate all those involved in
these outstanding projects. They are helping us to enhance the cultural life
of the nation and provide better education and healthcare, as well as creating
a more sustainable environment. I am convinced that creative design,
high-quality construction and efficient procurement make a real difference to
quality of life and give us real value for money."
Good design is supporting the provision of healthcare. At the New Stobhill
Hospital in Glasgow, patients are welcomed into a full-height, light-filled
glazed public arcade. Kentish Town Health Centre integrates a range of
services in flexible spaces with good use of public art. The Waldron places
healthcare at the heart of a south east London community with its mixed-use
development.
Two bridges have also been shortlisted: technical ingenuity has halted
corrosion of cables on the Forth Road Bridge and the deck of Runcorn’s Silver
Jubilee Bridge.
The winner of the Prime Minister’s Award will be announced on 13 October 2010
at the British Construction Industry Awards (BCIA) dinner.
The complete shortlist:
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Principal designer: Rick Mather Architects
From the outside, the Ashmolean Museum is still its 1845 Greek revival
original, but the new Ashmolean is centred around a stunning new building
replacing all but the original 1845 Cockerell Building.
Bristol Docks phase 1 – floating harbour
Principal designer: BAM Nuttall
Securing Bristol’s 200-year-old floating harbour by replacing the timber lock
gates and installing new hydraulic operating mechanisms presented major
engineering challenges.
Docklands Light Railway (DLR) three-car enhancement
project, London
Principal designer: Arup
The introduction of three-car trains on the DLR was a complex task: extending
platforms; rebuilding two stations; strengthening viaducts and bridges; and
installing new junctions. It has already regenerated this part of London ahead
of the 2012 Olympics.
Forth Road Bridge main cable project, South Queensferry,
Scotland
Principal designer: AECOM
Technical ingenuity has halted the corrosion of cables on the Forth Road
Bridge which carries around 24 million vehicles each year, with a technical
process with wide application.
Gainsborough flood alleviation scheme, Gainsborough,
Lincolnshire
Principal designer: Atkins
Creative and cost-effective solutions to strengthen existing flood defences
mean that Gainsborough’s flood risk from the River Trent is now down to a 1 in
200 year event.
Hafod Eryri, Snowdon Summit, Llanberis, Wales
Principal designer: Ray Hole Architects
Redeveloping a visitor centre and rail terminus at the summit of Snowdon was a
technical challenge but Hafod Eryri – a sustainable new building constructed
from local materials and showcasing the history, poetry and folklore of the
mountain – was completed on budget and without incident.
The Hull Truck Theatre, Hull
Principal designer: Wright and Wright Architects
Hull Truck Theatre has a new home with a 440-seat auditorium, and Hull city
centre has a beautifully crafted new landmark. The building’s brick structure
echoes the city’s grand old warehouses, with the industrial aesthetic
reinforced through use of steelwork set into brick and bolted onto concrete
walls.
Junction, Goole, North Yorkshire
Principal designer: Buschow Henley
The Junction provides art, commerce and a civic centre under one roof in an
exceptionally compact building. An auditorium, foyer, café, performance
workshop and council offices have been fashioned from the structure of a
market shed.
Kentish Town Health Centre, London
Principal designer: Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
In a bold and holistic approach to health care, different disciplines –
including a GP surgery, dentist, library and gym – have been brought together
in a thoroughly modern building with flexible and inter-related spaces.
University of Liverpool heating infrastructure project,
Liverpool
Principal designer: Levitt Bernstein
The university’s new energy centre proves that utility projects can also
produce striking buildings. It is clad in diamond-shaped aluminium scales and,
with its five pitched roofs, chimes with its historic surroundings.
Lowther Children’s Centre, Barnes, London
Principal designer: Patel Taylor
The Lowther Children’s Centre, a single-storey building, clad in white render
and with a sedum roof, is a sparkling addition to the primary school. Built to
a modest budget, it has become a local landmark and community hub.
New Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow
Principal designer: Reiach and Hall Architects
The New Stobhill Hospital, a pioneering dedicated ambulatory care hospital,
invites patients in through a full-height, glazed public arcade, filled with
natural light.
Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham
Principal designer: Caruso St John Architects
Imagination and engineering skill have gone into creating Nottingham
Contemporary, a new 3,400 square metre arts space. A challenging site has been
used to great effect, with architecture inspired by neighbouring warehouse
buildings in the Lace Market.
Prince’s Gardens halls of residence, Imperial College
London
Principal designer: Kohn Pederson Fox Associates
Run-down 1960s student accommodation has been replaced by modern buildings
that befit the grandeur of an 1840s square in South Kensington. The design
respects the original colour palette and makes clever use of façade panels.
The Roundhouse Campus, Derby
Principal designer: Maber Architects
‘Honest repair’ was the philosophy behind the restoration of Robert
Stephenson’s remarkable 1839 16-sided Roundhouse, once used to repair
locomotives. It is now the centrepiece of Derby College’s campus, home to
2,500 students.
Silver Jubilee Bridge (cathodic protection), Runcorn,
Cheshire
Principal designer: Mott MacDonald
A ground-breaking solution using cathodic protection was found to successfully
halt corrosion of the deck of Runcorn’s Silver Jubilee Bridge. It has the
potential to be widely applied to other chloride contaminated infrastructure.
Three Mills Lock and water control structures, London
Principal designer: Tony Gee and Partners
For more than 50 years, the Bow Back Rivers lay derelict and almost forgotten.
The completion of the Three Mills Lock has revived this network of waterways.
It is part of the Olympic Park but its legacy – for people, navigation and
wildlife – will stretch far beyond 2012.
United Kingdom Supreme Court, London
Principal designer: Feilden + Mawson
Although in a Grade II listed building, a modern civic space has been created
for the UK’s highest court. Its design speaks of transparency: there are large
public spaces with a café and exhibition space, and a public art strategy has
been integrated throughout the building.
Upton Square, Upton Village, Northampton
Principal designer: ZEDfactory
The six One Earth Dwellings – built with pre-fabricated timber frames and
maximising solar energy and daylight – are classified as ‘zero carbon’: the
first commercially available homes to achieve Level 6 of the Code for
Sustainable Homes.
Victoria & Albert Museum, Medieval and Renaissance
Galleries, London
Principal designer: MUMA
A successful synthesis of conservation and new installation allows the V&A’s
impressive collection to be displayed in the splendour it deserves. An
extraordinary daylit gallery has been created by exploiting light wells and
introducing an undulating glass roof, supported by translucent glass beams.
The Waldron, New Cross, London
Principal designer: Buschow Henley
The Waldron – a mixed-use space including retail and housing – places
healthcare at the heart of the community. Daylight, views and larger clinical
rooms prevent the building feeling like a medical labyrinth and lacquered
timber elevations add warmth.
A40 Western Avenue bridges replacement, London
Principal designer: Hyder Consulting
Careful design and excellent team work ensured that the replacement of two
bridges on a commuter route over the railway line into Paddington station was
delivered with minimum disruption. A state-of-the-art new footbridge improves
accessibility.
Better Public Building Media:
LINK
Better Public Building Finalists Index:
LINK
Better Public Building Finalists:
LINK
John Shaw has been appointed as the
new director of ASHTAV (The Association of Historic Towns and Villages of the
UK).
A long serving director of Area East of South Somerset DC, John brings to
ASHTAV considerable experience of local government with particular emphasis on
planning. His wide experience has given him a clear understanding of the
economic and social problems facing small towns and villages. He takes up the
post following the departure of Ela Palmer through ill health.
"As an existing trustee of ASHTAV, John is fully acquainted with our
activities and will be able to ‘hit the ground running’ and carry on Ela
Palmer’s excellent work in raising the profile of ASHTAV and representing our
members’ interests", says ASHTAV chairman John Alexander. "His knowledge of
how local government and the planning system works in practice is of
particular value to us."
For further information please contact Dan Wild (Honorary Secretary) on
01684566543 danwild@danwild.net
The government has pulled the plug
on Denton Corker Marshall’s £27.5 million Stonehenge Visitor’s Centre and a
£45 million grant for the BFI Film Center.
The projects are among 12, together worth £2 billion, that have been slashed
as part of the government’s public spending.
A further 12, worth £8.5 million have been suspended including Denton Corker
Marshall’s Birmingham Magistrates Court, which as BD revealed earlier this
month has been 'indefinitely postponed'.
Speaking in the House of Commons today (Thursday) Danny Alexander, the chief
secretary to the Treasury, said that the projects did 'not represent good
value for money'.
“As a result of the poor decisions made by the previous government, I have
taken the decision to cancel certain projects that do not represent good value
for money, and suspend others pending full consideration in the spending
review,” said Alexander.
“We have also found another spending black hole in the previous government’s
plans - projects had been approved with no money in place to pay for them.”
Plans for the Stonehenge visitor’s centre at Airman’s Corner, which was due
for completion in time for the 2012 Olympics, were finally revealed last year
after decades of delays and a change of site. Until now, the government had
been due to contribute £10 million towards the cost of the project.
DCMS projects being cancelled and the amount they will save are:
Libraries modernisation work - £2 million (per annum)
Find Your Talent – c £2 million
A Night Less Ordinary – c £0.1m
BFI Film Centre - £45 million
BFI archive digital access sub-project - £2.5 million
Stonehenge visitor centre - £17 million
Free swimming - £5 million (as part of a total saving of £40 million from the
Free Swimming Programme funding across Government)
Culture.Gov News:
LINK
BD Online:
LINK
The National Heritage Training
Group (NHTG) has been awarded the largest single amount of funding (£932,000)
of the 54 successful projects in the new £17million Heritage Lottery Fund
Skills for the Future programme.
This funding will provide work-based training and skills development
opportunities in England to equip people for a career in the built heritage
sector or expand and improve their knowledge and skills sets. This will be
achieved by the NHTG working with English Heritage, The National Trust,
ConstructionSkills and regional Heritage Skills Groups.
The project will offer 60 variable-length traditional building skills
placements, available towards the end of 2010/beginning of 2011 This will
greatly enhance the capacity of the built heritage sector to deliver
sustainable training and share good practice through a range of training -
from taster courses, Heritage Specialist Apprenticeship Programmes and
mentoring - leading to recognised heritage skills qualifications. Training and
live site-based work experience will be available for people from new
entrants, career changers and those looking to up-skill from mainstream
construction covering beginners right up to the pinnacle of master crafts
status.
The live, site-based training opportunities will be developed with regional
Heritage Skills Groups in England to ensure that there is suitable geographic
spread.
This project complements the existing Lottery-funded Traditional Building
Skills Training Bursary Programme which English Heritage has run for the last
four years, delivering a wide range of skills training - including
blacksmithing, botanic gardening, stone masonry, thatching and book
conservation. Over 700 placements have been created providing accredited
work-based training with highly-skilled crafts people and environmental
specialists.
In November 2004, English Heritage and ConstructionSkills signed the first
ever Sector Skills Agreement for the historic environment sector co-ordinate
the development of traditional building craft skills in England to continue
working together to address the skills needs of the sector.
English Heritage News:
LINK
The Heritage Skills Initiative at
North of England Civic Trust are pleased to announce that its joint ‘Skills
for the future’ Heritage Lottery Fun bid with Tyne and Wear Archives and
Museums has been successful, funding placements for the next generation to be
trained in engineering heritage skills.
If you want any more information, may be able to offer placements, or are
interested in being involved in another capacity please contact Andie Harris,
heritage skills coordinator at
andie.harris@nect.org.uk.
Press release reads as follows: Some of the region’s specialist heritage
skills are to be passed on to a new generation to ensure that the North East’s
industrial history will be preserved for the future. Thanks to a grant of
£490,100 from the Heritage Lottery Fund <http://www.hlf.org.uk>
(HLF) under their ‘Skills for the Future’ programme, Tyne & Wear Archives &
Museums and North of England Civic Trust will be able to offer training
placements in practical heritage engineering skills to 24 people across the
region.
The training programme aims to provide participants with varied skills
including the repair and maintenance of steam engines and trams, and skills to
maintain examples of Victorian industry such as mining and water pumping
equipment.
Iain Watson, acting director, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums says,
“The North East is famed as the birthplace of the railway and the region’s
fortune was made through mining, shipbuilding and marine engineering.
However we have reached a stage now where former miners and engineers are
aging or retiring and vital skills to preserve our industrial collections are
dying out. The Skills for the Future programme not only addresses this skills
gap head on, but it enables a new generation to gain first hand experience
working alongside expert older workers, develop their practical skills and
contribute to the maintenance and preservation of some of the most important
industrial heritage exhibits in the North East.”
The placements will cover a range of skills from mechanical engineering,
metalwork and carpentry to painting and finishing and pattern making. Trainees
will be able to preserve and protect valuable pieces of history and get some
hands on experience in the field.
Andie Harris, heritage skills co-ordinator at North of England Civic Trust
says: “The Heritage Skills Initiative (HSI) is committed to reducing the
skills shortage in the North East’s heritage sector. The Skills for the Future
programme is an engaging way for younger people to connect with valuable
pieces of the region’s heritage whilst also preserving the essential skills
needed to ensure their future. It is the first time the HSI has undertaken a
programme involving industrial heritage skills and it will be a huge benefit
to add this specialist knowledge to our remit.”
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums and North of England Civic Trust will work in
collaboration with museums, heritage societies and voluntary groups in the
region to deliver a programme of work based training placements.
This is just one of a number of North East Skills for the Future projects. In
total there are 54 projects across the UK and with an overall investment of
£17m from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This money will deliver 808 placements
and adds up to an impressive 780 years’ worth of paid training opportunities
for people across the UK seeking a career in heritage.
For more information on this project please contact Andie Harris on (0191) 232
9279 or email
andie.harris@nect.org.uk
The City of London has been accused
of ruining the interiors of flats at Chamberlin Powell & Bonn’s renowned 1950s
Golden Lane Estate by carrying out modernisation work without listed building
consent.
Residents have complained of a ‘grave oversight’ by a planning authority,
claiming that unauthorised works were carried out to the estate’s grade II*
listed Crescent House under the government’s Decent Homes programme.
Under a contract to modernise 70 kitchens and bathrooms, a number of original
screens between the kitchens and living rooms were removed and replaced with
‘bodged’ new versions based on a prototype.
Following complaints, the local authority held a meeting with English Heritage
and has now applied for listed building consent for the remaining work.
Crescent House resident Roland Jeffery said: ‘Ten kitchens have been gutted…
and my elderly neighbour is very upset. She said that she really didn’t want
the original features ripped out but was told that if she wanted
modernisation, it was all or nothing.’
Fellow resident Nigel Smith said the authority had also ignored listing
building management guidelines for the estate recently drawn up with the help
of Avanti Architects.
He added that original screens, made of teak with horizontal glazed and
painted sections, had been replaced with vastly inferior MDF screens.
The Golden Lane Estate has won a series of Housing Design Awards including the
Award of Awards in 2008.
A City of London spokesman denied that works to date had required listed
building consent or had breached the estate’s management guidelines.
A spokeswoman for English Heritage said it was satisfied that works were 'in
the spirit' of the original design.
BD Online:
LINK
Professional planners have warned
that the Government’s decision to axe this year’s allocation of the Housing
and Planning Delivery (HPD) grant will hamper the economic recovery.
The HPD grant was linked to the housing targets set out in the Regional
Strategies, where councils had to demonstrate they had a five year supply of
land to meet targets. The new Government has committed to abolish Regional
Strategies, and return planning powers to councils and communities, with
powerful incentives to deliver new homes and businesses.
But the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Planning Officers Society
(POS) have questioned communities secretary Eric Pickles’ decision to scrap
the grant worth £141m to local planning authorities, some of whom had been
allocated seven-figure sums.
Matt Thomson, head of policy at the RTPI, said: "Cutting the entire grant will
hinder councils making plans. The grant has been used by many authorities to
increase their ability to engage with communities and undertake research, both
of which are key Government objectives."
"It is essential that councils are motivated to produce sound plans. Strong
visions are needed for the future of places as an essential part of attracting
inward investment for economic recovery," he said.
John Silvester, spokesman for the POS, said: “We recognise that planning
cannot be immune from sharing the burden of easing the huge budget deficit the
country finds itself in but, nevertheless, it should be appreciated that
planning is key to economic recovery."
He stressed that the grant had been effective in many authorities in
supplementing authority budgets and allowing improvements in service which
would otherwise not have been possible.
He added: "Planning is at the front line of economic regeneration and
delivery. So, while we await a recovery, and an increase in fee income which
will enable authorities to recruit again, there really ought to be a freeze on
further job cuts in front line planning services. A new form of incentive or
reward for local authorities that deliver new jobs would be welcomed."
But communities secretary Eric Pickles has argued that the funding was flawed.
He said: “We believe the grant has proved to be an ineffective and excessively
complex incentive. The coalition agreement set out that we will provide
incentives for local authorities to deliver sustainable development, including
for new homes and businesses.”
Planning Portal News:
LINK
RTPI News: LINK
16 June 2010
The Institute of Historic Building
Conservation (IHBC), the UK’s professional body for built and historic
environment conservation specialists, has elected Mrs Jo Evans, Conservation
Officer in Guildford BC, as its new Chair.
Jo Evans is a trained planner and mother of two, and will succeed Dave
Chetwyn, who has just completed a very successful three years in that office.
Jo was Chair of the IHBC’s Membership and Ethics Committee prior to her
election and has previously held senior voluntary roles both on the IHBC’s
national Council and on its South East Branch committee.
She said of her appointment: "I’m delighted to be succeeding Dave as he was a
such a strong Chair, helping in particular to shape our national profile and
increase awareness of the added value conservation professionals deliver
across our public services. There’s no doubt that we now face tough and
challenging times all round, so it’s crucial that we continue to demonstrate
to government at all levels just how much benefit our members deliver, both
inside and outside the public sector.
I’m especially delighted that Baroness Kay Andrews, Chair of English Heritage,
has consistently highlighted the central role that conservation officers play
in securing great local places for everyone. In her recent speech at the House
of Lords, in her visits to senior local government officers, and not least in
her speech last week launching our own hugely successful Annual School in
London, she has highlighted the role of local conservation officers as
guarantors of quality places for all communities. It will make our respective
jobs much easier if we can get this message across to government clearly,
consistently and coherently."
Dave Chetwyn, IHBC’s Past Chair, said: "It has been a pleasure and a privilege
to chair the IHBC and to work with so many talented and committed people. I
wish Jo every success in taking the Institute forward."
Seán O’Reilly, IHBC Director, said: "Jo will bring a detailed understanding of
our membership standards to the new post, as she has overseen the recent
evolution of our assessment and disciplinary operations. Fortunately, Dave,
as our past chairman, also will continue his active ambassadorial support for
our conservation and regeneration agenda, so we are gaining capacity, not
losing talent.
Like Dave, Jo has extensive experience as a conservation professional both
outside local government and, today at Guildford, inside it. In this she
represents well the balance of our membership as a whole. With Jo, Dave, and
our many other officers and volunteers, the IHBC is well placed to address
these uncertain times, supported by the strategy agreed under new Corporate
Plan as recently approved at the Institute’s Annual General Meeting."
For info contact:
Seán O’Reilly, Director, IHBC: (0131)5583671
For IHBC see: www.ihbc.org.uk
The Institute of Historic Building
Conservation (IHBC), the UK’s professional body for built and historic
environment conservation specialists, adopted its Corporate Plan 2010-15 at
the 2010 AGM, with a unanimous vote from the members.
Charles Strang, Chair of the Communications and Outreach Committee leading the
recent progress of the plan, introduced the new Corporate Plan to the
delegates, emphasising its continuity with the earlier Corporate Plan and the
relevance of the new plan to current and future needs. He also noted the
review of the progress of the new plan, scheduled for 2013.
IHBC Director Sean O’Reilly said at the conclusion of the meeting: "This is a
firm endorsement of the substantial consultation and discussion process that
the Institute has carried out over the previous two years. In September our
Council will receive for approval the detailed programme for implementation,
ensuring the smooth progress of corporate planning in an organisation uniquely
distinguished by the diversity and enthusiasm of its inter-disciplinary
membership."
Download the AGM approved Corporate Plan 2010-15
HERE
Two IHBC members have been
recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2010, with a knighthood for
Donald Insall CBE, ‘considered by many to be one of the leading conservation
architects of his generation’, for services to conservation architecture, and
an OBE to Liz Davidson, for services to conservation and architectural
heritage in Scotland.
Their pro-active roles in the sector are well represented by Donald Insall’s
attendance at, and promotion of the sponsorship of, the IHBC’s 2010 Annual
School opening reception on the night before his knighthood, and Liz
Davidson’s contribution to and participation in the IHBC’s forthcoming joint
conference in November in Glasgow, Investing in the Past, which will look at
the development of local and global funding strategies for developing heritage
projects.
Jo Evans, recently elected Chair of the IHBC, said: "It’s wonderful to see
such substantial formal recognition of the efforts of conservation
professionals, and of the wide public benefits they bring as part of their
day-to-day work."
Cabinet Office News:
LINK
Direct Gov Newsroom:
LINK
For the IHBC/APT/GCHT joint conference in Glasgow, Investing in the Past, see:
www.investinginthepast.co.uk
For the IHBC’s Annual School 2010 see:
IHBC Gold 2010
For the IHBC’s Annual School 2010 see:
IHBC Llandudno 2011
Sir William McAlpine, Chairman of
the Brooking Architectural Museum Trust, guardian of Charles Brooking’s unique
and outstanding collection of architectural detail, salvage and fabric from
across the UK, writes as follows of the need for funds to help secure the
future of a collection of un-paralleled potential as a resource for training
conservation professionals:
'Your interest in Britain’s heritage has inspired us to write and ask for your
help in our quest to preserve this vital Collection for the future.
The very nature of Charles Brooking’s unique Collection has relied on his
dedication in rescuing, for the nation’s future generations, important items
of architectural detail before they are consigned to the skip, sold to the
highest bidder or, worse still, destroyed.
He has now amassed Europe’s definitive collections of windows and doors which,
with many other artifacts, represent an unparalleled architectural detail
history of the United Kingdom.
We are very pleased to be able to say that Charles wishes to pass a major part
of the Collection to the permanent care of the Trustees.
Thanks to well over 20 years of support from the University of Greenwich, we
have been able to house the major part of the Collection in 6,600 sq ft of
warehousing at Woolwich and Charles has been able to offer education through
access to selected displayed items.
The bad news is that the University is not able to renew the leases on the
present warehouses, which means we must again pack the Collection into
containers and move them to a secure site in preparation for the establishment
of the permanent Museum.
The good news is that we are in discussions with the excellent Weald and
Downland Open Air Museum near Chichester, a natural partner for us, in the
hope that we can together establish a facility there to house a major part of
the Collection.
We need to raise an initial £20,000 as a matter of urgency to fund the costs
of the moving the first phase of the Collection to a safe place pending the
move to our new home.
The donation form overleaf gives details of the online giving facilities we
have set up with the Charities Aid Foundation or your donation can be sent to
me at the above address – it will be most warmly welcomed.
Any contribution you might feel able to make would be hugely appreciated at
this crucial time.
Yours sincerely
Sir William McAlpine (Chairman of the Trustees)'
Download Appeal letter
HERE
Download Gift Aid form
HERE
The Department for Culture, Media
and Sport is seeking two Commissioners for Education/Community Engagement and
Local Authority Representation for English Heritage, with applications, along
with a copy of their CV, required by Tuesday 6 July 2010.
The Commission is the governing body of English Heritage and comprises the
Chair and up to 16 Commissioners. Commissioners provide expert advice and
guidance on heritage matters and have corporate responsibility for
establishing the overall strategic direction of the organisation and for
monitoring its performance against strategic objectives and targets.
Commissioners ensure that the organisation carries out its statutory
responsibilities, maintaining high standards of probity in the administration
of public funds and the effective use of resources.
The Person:
All English Heritage Commissioners will be expected to contribute effectively
to the overall work of the Commission and should be able to demonstrate:
* An understanding of English Heritage’s work, along with a commitment to
its aims and objectives.
* An understanding of the wider environment in which English Heritage
operates.
* An ability to think strategically and exercise sound judgment
* An ability to work constructively with fellow Commissioners and wider
stakeholders.
* An ability to represent their own area of expertise in the full range of
Commission discussions.
* An ability to challenge, as well as support, the executive team on a
full range of English Heritage issues, taking a corporate view beyond their
own areas of expertise.
Specific Blend of Skills & Experience:
Post 1 - Education/Community Engagement
* A sound understanding of education policy as it affects all stages of
learning and formal/informal learning.
* An ability to be an effective advocate for history education.
* A commitment to and experience of engaging wider public audiences
through learning.
The successful candidate will also be able to demonstrate knowledge of at
least one of the following:
* The Place Making Agenda
* Community Consultation / Engagement
* Volunteering.
Post 2 - Local Authority Representation
* Knowledge of all aspects of local authority responsibility.
* Experience of how national historic environment policy impacts on local
authorities.
* An ability to represent the views of local authorities in the
development of English Heritage programmes and priorities.
* An ability to be an advocate for historic environment issues within the
Local Authority arena.
Remuneration
Every Commissioner receives an allowance. Some receive an additional sum
directly linked to responsibilities undertaken such as chairing an Advisory
Committee and/or duties as a regional Commissioner. The remuneration range is
currently £4,090 to £9,340 per annum.
Term of Office & Time Commitment
These appointments are for four years from 1 September 2010. The
successful candidates may be reappointed for a second term.
The Application Process:
Further details and an application form, are available from:
Mark Greenwood
Public Appointments
Dept for Culture, Media & Sport
2/4 Cockspur Street, London SW1Y 5DR
Tel: 0207 211 2311
Email: Mark.Greenwood@culture.gsi.gov.uk
Culture.Gov Public Appointments:
LINK
Baroness Andrews, Chair of English
Heritage, claimed to be making a kind of maiden speech in the House of Lords
on 3 June because it was her first from the Opposition benches (Kay Andrews
was previously Labour’s Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the
Department for Communities and Local Government). It was also, she said, her
first speech on ‘the historic environment and the buildings and places which
frame our lives, experiences and memories’.
The theme of her speech was the role of heritage in the ‘national recovery
programme’. Welcoming the appointment of John Penrose as the Minister for
Tourism and Heritage, she said that: 'Heritage is the mainstream of our
tourism industry. Four out of ten people who come here say that they do so
because of our heritage. Accounting for £2.6 billion from international
tourism and a further £5 billion from domestic tourism, as an economic asset
it is just below agriculture and well above motor manufacture. It creates
jobs. Between them, the private and public sectors of heritage provide 270,000
jobs and they are not just in the south east. They are also in those remote
and rural areas of the country where options are so few. It has the capacity
to grow and become an even greater source of national reputation and wealth.'
She also placed heritage at the heart of the sustainability debate. 'Some of
the best and most sustainable examples of social and economic regeneration in
recent years (such as Weymouth and Blackpool) have been successful because
they are built around their heritage.' She also spoke up for conservation
standards in the UK, saying that ‘this country leads the world in the care and
protection we give the historic environment. People from Moscow, Naples and
all over the world come to see how we have done it and to learn from us. Other
countries are waking up to what they have already lost. If we do not send the
signal that this matters to us, we will lose not only culturally but
economically. We will also lose our leadership, which is so important to the
rest of the world. Nothing could be further from the truth than that this does
not matter. Failure will carry an extremely high price.’
Baroness Andrews regretted the impact of the recession on our industrial and
cultural heritage, saying that historic property owners and developers were
finding it difficult to borrow money for restoration projects. "Local
authorities are also losing skilled staff, including conservation officers and
planners — the people who guarantee that the places where we live are the best
they can possibly be", she said.
This led to a concluding plea that the Government should now provide
parliamentary time for a heritage protection bill that would ‘reduce red tape,
simplify the system and increase our ability to protect buildings and places
at risk’. "The cost of not doing that will be the huge bills of dereliction
and social diminution in the next few years", she said.
The full text of Baroness Andrews’s speech can be read in Hansard:
LINK
A unique opportunity to contribute
your skills and experience of the heritage sector to help take forward this
influential national organisation, as current Director (and IHBC Associate
Member) Chris Winter stands down in the Autumn.
Based at the UWE, Bristol and working throughout the UK and Ireland, you will
lead a well established team and others passionate about the historic
environment to promote good practice in all aspects of the management of
historic towns and contribute to policy decision making.
Background
The Historic Towns Forum (HTF) is a national organisation, set up (as the
English Historic Towns Forum) in 1987, to share and promote good practice
between Local Authorities with responsibility for the management of historic
towns and cities, and between these authorities and other public, private and
voluntary sector agencies. The HTF exists to promote the prosperity and
sustainability of historic towns and cities throughout the United Kingdom and
the Republic of Ireland. This it does by:
* Promoting an integrated approach to the planning and management of
historic towns and cities
* Facilitating a network for practitioners in local government and other
public, private and voluntary sector agencies
* Developing, promoting and disseminating good practice through organising
events, conferences and seminars; publishing guidance documents and developing
web-based information exchange; and promoting European links
* Influencing government and other policy making bodies on issues
affecting HTF Members through the statutory consultation processes and by
undertaking projects on key issues
* Developing partnerships in order to achieve these aims and objectives.
The Post
The Director works closely with the Chair and Executive Committee of HTF and
runs the organisation on their behalf and is responsible for all operational
activities of the organisation, for supporting the development of its policy
and strategy, and for the delivery of these through services to its Members.
Through an understanding of the heritage sector and the public, private and
voluntary sectors across the various disciplines within the sector, the
Director delivers a programme of projects, events and other activities to meet
their needs and the strategic aims of HTF.
HTF has an enduring partnership with the University of the West of England
which hosts the secretariat and provides employment, IT and other services.
The Director and administrators are employed by UWE, with all the benefits
that brings, but work exclusively for HTF.
Historic Towns Forum Newsletter:
LINK
For job details:
LINK
Plans to create tourism legacy from
Olympic Games and Diamond Jubilee, and pledge to boost domestic market share.
A new Government priority – to produce ‘the best marketing plan that any
country has ever had’ around 2012, was set out by Culture Secretary Jeremy
Hunt in his first key-note speech on tourism policy.
Mr Hunt today pledged to:
* Create a new fund with the aim of generating £1 billion worth of PR and
marketing activity in our priority markets in the years around 2012;
* Harness the full potential of 2012 to create a permanent tourism legacy for
the whole country, creating a sustained and sustainable increase in the number
of tourists visiting our shores;
* Set the industry a new goal: to increase the domestic tourism spend by UK
residents to 50 per cent of the total; and
* Review the web of quangos that affect tourism, aiming to simplify and focus
support for the tourism industry, which is worth around £90 billion to the
economy.
Speaking in Weymouth, the first 2012 Olympics venue to be completed, Mr Hunt
said: “Making sure we have a lasting tourism legacy from hosting the 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games is one of the most pressing issues for the
industry, and a top priority for Government too. I want to do all I can to
help deliver an increase in visitors to Britain in the years that follow. I
believe no other country can offer such rich history, wonderful culture, or
stunning countryside, and it’s important we showcase to the world the amazing
range of attractions and experiences this country offers. But as well as
encouraging more people from overseas to visit our shores, I also want to make
sure we do all we can to get British holidaymakers to stay in the UK. So I’m
challenging the whole tourism sector to increase the proportion of domestic
tourism spend by UK residents to fifty per cent.”
Mr Hunt stressed that the UK would learn the lessons from other global events
in the past such as the Olympics in Barcelona and Sydney, and Germany’s
hosting of the World Cup: “My priority is to make sure that London 2012 gets
it right; that we draw on all these lessons to produce the best tourism
marketing plan that any country has ever had. That is why I am announcing
today that I want to create a new fund with the aim of generating £1 billion
worth of PR and marketing activity in our 20 priority markets in the years
around 2012.”
The DCMS will work with private sector partners both to build up this fund and
work out the most cost effective way to spend it. Detailed plans of how this
fund will work will be published by the end of September.
Culture.Gov News:
LINK
The UK Government will be convening
a panel of experts to consider applications for inclusion on a new Tentative
List of sites for potential nomination to UNESCO for World Heritage status and
to make recommendations to Ministers by the end of 2010, with a closing date
for expressions of interest on 18 June.
The Government would therefore like to invite expressions of interest from
qualified individuals with knowledge of cultural and natural heritage to
participate on the panel of experts, which will probably number 7-10 members.
This will be an important and high-profile contribution to the UK’s cultural
and natural heritage, and prospective panel members should have suitable
qualifications in relevant fields. The Government will provide a secretariat
to support the panel.
Expressions of interest are requested by not later than 5pm on 18 June 2010
via
UKTL.Application@culture.gsi.gov.uk , clearly headed ‘Expert Panel’.
Responses should include a CV and contact details. Prospective applicants
should be aware that the meetings of the panel are likely to take place in
London. Dates have not yet been confirmed, but the panel is expected to meet
as follows: September (1 Day); October (2 days); and November (2 days) – there
may be the need for additional meetings, notably only the form and content of
the final report. Travel and subsistence will be provided, but there will be
no additional remuneration available. All panel members must be impartial and
should not be involved in the application process for any prospective UK
UNESCO World Heritage Site. Anyone who is interested in taking part in the
panel should also make it clear if they have any connection with any existing
or prospective UNESCO sites.
Culture.Gov:
LINK
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