Author Archives: IHBC NewsBlog

The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) has published its first review of VAT, with recommendations mainly aimed at ‘simplification’, including a call for a ‘comprehensive review of the reduced rate, zero-rate and exemption schedules’ and a review of ‘the turnover … Continue reading →

The Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain (DSWA) celebrates its 50th anniversary next year (2018) and to mark the occasion is planning a National Walling Competition at Kirkby Lonsdale, near its headquarters in Cumbria, on 20 May.

The Moray town of Forres has been crowned as Scotland’s Most Beautiful High Street, after winning a public vote out of a final shortlist of ten towns competing for the title. image Scotlands Towns website

Free online collection of high-resolution images  offers visitors an intimate look at historic buildings, artwork and artefacts, according to Government, Google and the Guardian. image DCMS Blog – licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0

Historic England (HE) is investigating the heritage of Islamic places of worship in England, and asks if IHBC members, colleagues and networks can help identify more listed buildings now in use as mosques. Formerly St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, now Wembley … Continue reading →

Scottish Parliament’s Local Government and Communities Committee report from its inquiry into the building standards verification processes concluded that there needed to be more homebuyer support, including for a Clerk of Works to become a ‘familiar face’ on building sites.

Planning and Building Control Today (PBC Today) notes that the above judgment is the first to feature BIM in a substantive way and raises some questions going forward about who should host and manage the common data environment (CDE) on … Continue reading →

BS 8415 ‘Memorial Standard for Monuments within burial grounds and memorial sites – Specification’ is available for public comment closing on 15 January.

Historic England’s (HE) ‘Heritage Protection Commissions’ (HPC) funds projects in response to specific calls for proposals that directly address the priorities outlined in Historic England’s Corporate Plan, and is calling for proposals on ‘Heritage, natural capital and ecosystem’ services with … Continue reading →

York Press reports that a Planning Committee councillor stayed away from a key meeting recently in protest at a suspensions row, and now campaigners seek to use this and tight vote as grounds for challenging the decision.

Plans to consult on a new, independent body that would hold Government to account for upholding environmental standards in England after leaving the European Union have been set out by Environment Secretary Michael Gove. Contains public sector information licensed under … Continue reading →

Three assessors, each with specific experience and expertise felt to be of value to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, have been appointed to assist the Chairman.

Residents have said they feel they are not being listened to regarding the future of St Paul’s Church in Penarth as a they raise concerns over a conversion proposal for 15 one and two bedroom flats and a 300 square … Continue reading →

New homes could be built in London using rooftop development space which would not alter the skyline and provide much needed affordable housing, according to new research for Knight Frank.

The Scottish Parliament recorded the following questions and answers concerning energy efficiency and the historic Built Environment (BE), reported by BEFS, that cover matters such as Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for stone built properties, to accredited assessors and construction costs … Continue reading →

Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) research shows that almost 15,500 houses have been approved in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty(AONB) in the past five years despite their ‘protected’ status indicating government failure to protect special landscapes.

Government has published its response to ‘The Mendoza Review: an independent review of museums in England’, the first in over a decade to examine public funding into the museums sector. Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament

A survey of more than 1,000 people by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) found that most feel they have no influence on planning decisions.