CONTEXT 189 : SEPTEMBER 2026 3 Traditional stone buildings in Hebron have been rehabilitated, enabling families to return. (Photo: Hebron Rehabilitation Committee) The Custom House (Photo: Dhowes9, Wikimedia) Blue Stoops in Kensington, London, has won the award for the best conversion of a building to pub use in the CAMRA Pub Design Awards, held in conjunction with Historic England. The new pub is a conversion of the former Kensington Wine Rooms. conservation programmes. This was the case with the 2026 gold award-winning scheme, Hebron Rehabilitation Committee, for a programme that had, unusually, previously won an award in 2013 as Hebron Old City Rehabilitation Programme. Few readers will have experienced trying to do conservation in as difficult a context as this. Hebron’s Old City, in the southern West Bank, is a place of major cultural and historic importance, inscribed a world heritage site in 2017 and simultaneously added to the list of world heritage in danger. However, from the 20th century onwards, thousands of Palestinian residents have been forced to leave, under a complex set of interrelated pressures. Many families who legally own property were displaced, while vacant buildings deteriorated and became vulnerable to illegal occupation. This erosion of housing weakened local economic life and everyday community activity. In response, the Hebron Rehabilitation Project has repaired and restored historic buildings, returning them to use as safe, legally occupied homes, schools and business premises. Since the previous award in 2013 more than 1,400 traditional stone buildings have been rehabilitated, prevent further deterioration and illegal settlement while rebuilding everyday life in the Old City. Enquiry by Design The Georgian Group and the King’s Foundation have worked collaboratively to prepare guidance on managing complex heritage applications through the Enquiry by Design process. The publication draws on the organisations’ shared experience of the redevelopment proposals for Custom House in the City of London. Both organisations were closely involved in the project following the refusal of earlier proposals for the building, in which the enabling families to return, and helping stabilise areas that had been left empty and at risk. The project takes a holistic approach, closely linking housing, heritage, legal protection and community wellbeing. Buildings are restored using traditional materials and techniques, with modern utilities and features carefully added. Legal verification of ownership, safeguarding measures and ongoing maintenance help ensure homes remain occupied over the long term. Housing is not delivered in isolation. Alongside residential buildings, the project restores streets, markets, and public spaces, and supports small businesses and local services. By keeping homes lived in and maintained, it helps
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