Category Archives: Sector NewsBlog

Kew awarded landmark £5 million grant from The Julia Rausing Trust towards the Palm House renovation project

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has announced a landmark philanthropic donation of £5 million from The Julia Rausing Trust toward the Palm House renovation project, the largest philanthropic gift to date for the project and one of the most significant … Continue reading

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Historic Arts and Crafts Garden in Essex Protected

The Garden of Great Ruffins in Wickham Bishops, Essex, has been protected by registration at Grade II and added to the National Heritage List for England.

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CIOB Blog on ‘Construction must maintain focus on mental health support despite pushback’: 7000 suicides in sector over 10 years

Elvin Box suggests that construction must maintain focus on mental health support, despite pushback as the need for sector-wide action remains pressing and relevant.

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Campaign for National Parks’ ‘Rivers at Risk’ launch: 57% of NP rivers fail to meet ‘good’ ecological status

image for illustration: Peter Badcock The Rivers at Risk report from the Campaign for National Parks and the Rivers Trust, lists changes needed to policy, legislation etc., as it confirms that 57% of rivers in NPs fail to meet ‘good’ … Continue reading

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Three new Commissioners appointed to the Historic England Board

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has appointed Ulrike Knox, Jamie Ritblat and Philip Shepherd as Commissioners to the Historic England board.

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Benefact Trust launches national heritage skills programme in partnership with Cathedrals’ Workshop Fellowship

image for illustration: Gloucester Cathedral by Joanna Theobald The Benefact Trust Scholars Programme – funded by a £2.1m grant from Benefact Trust – will support 36 heritage students at 14 cathedrals, over the next four years.

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UK and Ireland architectural institutes unite for fire and life safety design guidance

The architectural professional institutes of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland have formed a coordinated body – the Belfast Group – to ensure that architects across the UK and the Republic of Ireland have standardised guidance … Continue reading

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ACE: Private Investment in Culture Survey 2025 report

As the national development agency for creativity and culture, The Arts Council England’s (ACE) vision in its ‘Let’s Create strategy’ is ‘by 2030 for England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and … Continue reading

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Higher Risk Buildings Building Control Approval Applications

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has published a suite of updated guidance concerning the building control approval application process for new higher risk buildings (HRBs).

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£25.5m Energy Efficiency Scheme (EES) evaluation highlights many buildings required structural works before energy efficiency measures could be introduced

An evaluation of the government’s £25.5m Energy Efficiency Scheme (EES) concluded that many applicants’ buildings required structural works before energy efficiency measures could be introduced.

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New report calls for long-term placemaking to create vibrant communities

The ‘Place Building – Developing Homes & Communities’ report advocates a shift from short-term housing targets to long-term placemaking, as aligning policy incentives with on-the-ground innovation and community insight lets the built environment sector transition towards a true place-building approach.

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THA’s Heritage and Placemaking Survey and Call for Case Studies – they want to hear from you… by 17 October

The Heritage Alliance (THA) is planning to publish a report exploring how the heritage sector is helping to create vibrant, creative, thriving, and sustainable places for people to live, work, and enjoy, to feed into their upcoming Heritage Debate 2025.

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RICS calls for expressions of interest for pilot programmes of new professional pathways

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is calling for expressions of interest from professionals and employers for two new planned pathways to RICS membership

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RIBA: Boring facades can seriously damage your health

What do psychology and neuroscience tell us about what architects should promote or avoid in facade design, asks the RIBA, as Eleanor Young speaks to two experts.

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University of Greenwich and the University of Kent announce ‘trailblazing’ collaboration: New ‘super-university’

The University of Greenwich and the University of Kent have today, 10 September 2025, announced our intention to formally collaborate.

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37 local heritage sites to benefit from £15M boost to breathe new life into communities across England

image for illustration: Hot rooms of the Turkish Baths, Swindon by Ishpoloni, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Heritage buildings are set to benefit from £15 million of funding as part of the government’s ongoing commitment to ensure our heritage is fit … Continue reading

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40,000 people to get skills in new Technical Excellence Colleges, using ‘hub and spoke’ model

Tens of thousands of future construction workers to be trained up in high-demand construction skills by 2029, delivering growth and helping build new homes, Government UK has announced, operating on a ‘hub and spoke’ model.

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Parliament’s Elizabeth Tower makes history with RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist

image of ‘Big Ben’ © User:Colin / Wikimedia Commons Parliament’s Elizabeth Tower has been shortlisted for the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize – the first time in the award’s history that a conservation project has been nominated.

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Join The Heritage Network’s new Expert Panel

The Heritage Network has announced the launch of our Heritage Network Expert Panel, a new initiative designed to bring together knowledgeable, dedicated professionals who want to give back to the community heritage sector while developing their own skills and reputation.

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Government: Environmental reforms to break planning system gridlock

Government UK says that Britain’s broken planning and development system is to be rewired to accelerate infrastructure delivery and homebuilding while safeguarding the environment.

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Jersey’s new Heritage Law ‘to protect… objects’ out for consultation, closing 08/09

A new consultation seeks views on the draft Heritage (Jersey) Law 202- (the ‘Draft Law’), to protect archaeological objects and associated information, to 08 September.

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IHBC’s online Council ‘Save the Date’ notice: Wednesday 8th October, 4.30pm, features ‘Heritage skills…’ with Nicola Duncan-Finn – all members invited (booking details to come)

IHBC’s next online Council, exclusive to all IHBC members, will take place on 8 October, chaired by IHBC President Rebecca Thompson and featuring CPD ‘Heritage skills and the CITB’s response’, by Nicola Duncan-Finn.

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IHBC warmly welcomes PCO approval to Petition for Charter

The Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) has warmly welcomed the approval from the Privy Council Office (PCO) for the submission of a Petition for Charter following its review of our Memorandum.

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IHBC launches FREE ‘Events Calendar’ submission form – with potential for inclusion in our celebrated monthly CPD Circular

The IHBC has issued a new form to help ensure sector events with IHBC CPD values can be considered for inclusion in our free IHBC ‘Events Calendar’, with submissions required at least 2 weeks before the end any month to … Continue reading

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IHBC’s 2025 Gus Astley Student Award for heritage work on UK courses: Closing date extended to 30/09 – Win £500 + free place at #IHBCNewcastle2026

The IHBC’s celebrated annual Gus Astley Student Award will now close on 3o September 2025, so if you have relevant coursework from ANY UK taught course – under-graduate or post-graduate, completed by 30 September 2024 OR 30 September 2025 – … Continue reading

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