Daily Archives: 18/09/2009

Whitehall and local authorities have been urged to expand the number of public allotments by building on brownfield sites and encouraging landowners to donate unused holdings to their local community. That call came in a report from think-tank the New … Continue reading →

Communities and Local Government has announced funding for up to 12 pilot schemes which would involve local authorities using Planning Performance Agreements (PPAs) to facilitate renewable and low-carbon energy applications. A PPA allows both the developer and the Local Planning … Continue reading →

New foundation courses in sustainable communities are part of HCA’s drive to train people to develop and deliver sustainable communities. Delivered part time over three years, they give the skills and knowledge to pursue a rewarding career in planning, housing … Continue reading →

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has today given it’s backing to New Homes Week and reaffirmed its commitment to helping maintain house builder activity as a route to wider economic recovery. New Homes Week (12-20 September) is run by … Continue reading →

A new paper from the Audit Commission finds that councils feel pressured into focusing on building brand new housing. ‘Building better lives – Getting the best from strategic housing’, says 94 per cent of councils have prioritised new and/or affordable … Continue reading →

For 2009–10 the Sargant Fellowship at the British School in Rome is open exclusively to architects. It will provide a unique opportunity for an established, mid-career practitioner/academic to undertake a three-month studio residency in Rome, April–June 2010. Deadline for applications: … Continue reading →

Architecture minister Barbara Follett is to review English Heritage’s decision to list Coventry’s 1950s market building amid claims the listing threatens US firm Jerde Partnership’s £1 billion city centre masterplan. The circular 1957 building, designed by the city architecture department, … Continue reading →

The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has appointed David Mackay, Professor of Natural Philosophy at the Department of Physics, as its Chief Scientific Advisor. The Chief Scientific Advisor’s role is to ensure that the Department’s policies and … Continue reading →

IHBC director Seán O’Reilly welcomed CABE’s news that people know that better places make for better lives. He said: “These findings confirm again that quality places really do make people’s lives better, and we all know well managed historic areas … Continue reading →