A Risky Business

Kay Andrews OBE, Baroness Andrews of Southover, was appointed Chair of English Heritage in July 2009 and stood down in July 2013. She served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government from 2005 until 2009. Prior to being appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary, Baroness Andrews was a Government Whip and Spokesperson in the House of Lords for Health, Work and Pensions, and Education and Skills from, 2003 until 2005. She was the Founder and Director of Education Extra, the national charity for out of school learning and activities from 1992 until 1998 and received her OBE for her work in Education.

Greg Luton is Planning and Conservation Director for English Heritage in the East of England where his team monitor grants and provide statutory advice. He is Chairman of the Historic Environment Forum and a Trustee of Shape East, a local architectural trust. Previously, Greg was Assistant Regional Director in the South East dealing with grants, EH advice and the running of properties open to the public, where he led for EH on the establishment of the South Downs National Park. Earlier, Greg was Director of Conservation Projects and a Director of the Suffolk Architectural Heritage Trust. He has an MSc in Building Conservation.

Ian Morrison joined the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2008 as the Head of Historic Environment Conservation. The HLF is the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage, with around £375 million a year to invest in new projects. Ian provides advice and guidance on conserving historic buildings and structures, designed landscapes, archaeology and industrial, maritime and transport structures and artefacts. He also has lead responsibility for the HLF’s Townscape Heritage Initiative grant scheme, the Grants for Places of Worship programme and the new Heritage Enterprise scheme. Ian had a pivotal role in the development of HLF’s recently published Strategic Framework for 2013–2018 A lasting difference for heritage and people. Prior to joining HLF, he worked for English Heritage for 15 years.

Ian Lush began his career as a viola-player, in the Iceland Symphony and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras. He moved into arts administration in 1986 and held a number of senior positions, including Marketing Director of the Barbican Centre, and for eight years Managing Director of the London Mozart Players. Ian was appointed to the new position of Chief Executive of the Architectural Heritage Fund in 2003, since when he has been broadening the reach of its work and increasing its external funding, most recently bringing in £3.7million from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, English Heritage, the J Paul Getty Jr Charitable Trust and the Pilgrim Trust. From 2006–12 Ian was Project Director for ‘Discovering Places’, the heritage and environment project for the Cultural Olympiad.

Mary Cook is Joint Head of Chambers at Cornerstone Barristers and was called to the Bar in 1982. She is a recognised specialist in planning, environmental and compulsory purchase matters with a strong interest in the historic environment. She has experience of the compulsory purchase of Listed Buildings and enforcement issues related to the unlawful demolition of buildings in Conservation Areas. She is a member of the Planning and Environment Bar Association, the Compulsory Purchase Association and the Constitutional and Administrative Law Bar Association. She is a member of the organising committee of the Oxford Joint Planning Law Conference.

Mark Harrison joined the Metropolitan Police in 1980 where he gained experience in patrol, traffic and public order policing. He then transferred to Kent where he specialised in the investigation of environmental, wildlife and heritage crime. In 2008, he became the District Commander for Canterbury District which included policing the World Heritage Sites of St Martin’s Church, St Augustine’s Abbey and Canterbury Cathedral. Mark was seconded in 2010 as the policing advisor to English Heritage in order to develop and deliver the Heritage Crime Initiative and the Alliance to Reduce Crime against Heritage.

In 2011, Mark was appointed by the University of Kent as an Honorary Research Fellow, attached to Classical and Archaeological Studies within the School of European Culture and Languages and was elected as a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

In his spare time Mark is active archaeologist and historian working in his home county of Kent.

He was appointed as the National Policing and Crime Advisor for English Heritage in 2011 and is responsible for the management and delivery of the Heritage Crime Programme.

Mike Harlow first qualified as an engineer before converting to the law and working in the City for 15 years as a solicitor advising on built environment matters. In 2007 Mike left his partnership in Winward Fearon to join English Heritage in the role of Legal Director. Since then he has been very heavily involved in the implementation of the reforms to the system of protection of the historic environment, particularly in the drafting of the Heritage Protection Bill, PPS5 and recently the historic environment policies within the National Planning Policy Framework. He has been involved in key casework for English Heritage, like the Elizabeth House tall buildings inquiry in London and the proposed new shopping centre in the City of Lancaster. Mike also instigated the heritage crime programme which aims to reduce the threat of crime to historic buildings and sites across England.

Nigel Crowe is Head of Heritage for the Canal & River Trust. His role is to represent the Trust’s heritage function, leading a team of regional heritage advisers in England and Wales and providing advice and guidance on managing the historic environment of the waterways. He has over 25 years’ experience of working in the conservation, archaeology and interpretation of historic buildings and places. He has written widely on heritage matters and is a member of the IHBC’s editorial board and the author of the English Heritage Book of Canals (1995).

Mark Challis is a partner in Bircham Dyson Bell’s Government and Infrastructure Department, having joined the firm in 2003. He advises upon a wide range of planning, highways and compulsory purchase matters, including major infrastructure schemes. He has advised English Heritage on a number of high profile matters over the years, including tall buildings cases in Central London, opposition to compulsory purchase in Nelson, Lancashire, proposals for development at the Commonwealth Institute building in Kensington and Chelsea and enabling development schemes. Mark was a member of the drafting team that produced English Heritage’s guidance Enabling Development and the Conservation of Significant Places in 2008. He began his career in local government, at the Corporation of London during a time of intense development in the City of London.

Marianne Suhr is a Chartered Building Surveyor specialising in the repair of historic buildings. After completing a scholarship with the SPAB she worked for seven years in architectural practice. She gave up her desk job to concentrate on practical projects, and has recently completed the conservation of her third home. She was a co presenter during three series of BBC2’s Restoration and has also fronted the Discovery series, Project Restoration. Marianne lectures extensively on building repair, and runs courses for builders, homeowners and professionals. She set up the Old House Consultancy to assist homeowners in the Oxfordshire area repair and adapt historic houses. Marianne is co-author of the Old House Handbook and its companion volume, Old House Eco Handbook both published by Frances Lincoln.