Monthly Archives: October 2010

Construction Industry Council (CIC) has been leading a project to revise the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Town Planning, Conservation and Building Control, and are now consulting on the recently revised Town Planning, Conservation and Building Control Technical Support NOS, … Continue reading →

The Institute for Archaeologists’ (IfA) organisational structure has been reviewed to ensure that IfA is in the best possible shape to deliver the strategic plan and to address disappointing financial performance. Those proposed reforms relating to governance and constitutional matters … Continue reading →

The new consolidated Building Regulations 2010 came into force on 1 October and incorporate all the amendments made since 2000. Search Planning Portal: LINK

This year’s Heritage Counts report prepared by English Heritage on behalf of the heritage sector, shows that investing in heritage doesn’t just make us feel better, it makes sound economic sense, especially at the local level. The report reveals that: … Continue reading →

Scottish Enterprise has launched a low carbon built environment (LCBE) expert service to support individuals and organisations with products that will help Scotland deliver on its low and zero carbon agenda. Using the BBC Dragons’ Den model, Scottish companies will … Continue reading →

The Pier Head, a 2.5 hectare park on Liverpool’s historic docks, seamlessly integrates with the new Leeds and Liverpool canal link, the first major urban canal extension in a generation, and the result is an elegant public space and an … Continue reading →

The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) has launched its briefing for Members of Parliament and local government politicians for the party conference season. The document, entitled ‘THE INLAND WATERWAYS: How a Conservancy Would Get the Best For Your Community’ outlines how … Continue reading →

The National Trust has published an extensive online bibliography, listing for the first time references of over 4,000 books and articles that have been published about its properties, people and collections – in some instances before the founding of the … Continue reading →

Icon, the Anna Plowden Trust, and the Digital Preservation Coalition are pleased to announce the short-listed candidates for the 2010 Conservation Awards – ‘Valuing Excellence’. The Conservation Awards celebrate excellent standards of conservation skills, innovation and research, collections care and … Continue reading →

Dr Noël James will take over the role of Director at the Historic Towns Forum (HTF) on 1 November. Noël comes from a research background, and joins HTF with several years’ experience in the heritage sector. She has a particular … Continue reading →

Key cuts announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) include a severe cut of 32% to the budget of English Heritage (more than twice the cuts to museums etc), and the decision to cease funding to CABE, by DCMS; substantial … Continue reading →

Housing Minister Grant Shapps has today pledged to put the full weight of the new Coalition Government behind cutting red tape and making it easier for developers to get projects started and the homes the country needs built. He highlighted … Continue reading →

Councils should look to amend their existing planning policies to make it easier for disused farm buildings to be converted into affordable homes, said Communities Minister, Andrew Stunell. The average house price in rural England has more than doubled over … Continue reading →

English Heritage is reforming the way in which the current separate designation systems of Listing, Scheduling, Protected Wrecks and the two Registers of Parks and Gardens and Battlefields are created, managed and stored. A new database is being created called … Continue reading →

The 7.1 magnitude earthquake that hit the Canterbury Region, South Island, NZ, on Saturday 4 September (and subsequent aftershocks) has had a major impact on the historic heritage of the region. Thankfully and amazingly, no human lives have been lost. … Continue reading →

Major new research into home ventilation and health identifies need for definitive safe minimum level of ventilation; no comprehensive study on how home ventilation ensures health; insufficient knowledge of ventilation rates in UK homes, impacts of ventilation systems and occupant … Continue reading →

Ruth Reed met minister to argue for registration board’s abolition. The RIBA has been actively lobbying the government to scrap Arb since the formation of the Tory and Lib Dem coalition government on May 12, BD has learned. A Freedom … Continue reading →

A strategy to support charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises was unveiled by Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society on 14 October, which includes giving public sector staff the right to spin-out and form a  co-ops or mutual supported by … Continue reading →

The reform of National Lottery good causes means that arts, sport and heritage will again get the share of total proceeds originally intended, amounting to an extra £50 million each every year, Minister for Tourism and Heritage John Penrose announced … Continue reading →

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced today that 19 of its 55 public bodies are being abolished or reformed, while the Government has decided not to proceed with a merger of heritage and architecture bodies in this … Continue reading →

Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, today summarised plans to substantially reform a large number of public bodies and also announced further proposals including: British Waterways will move from being a Public Corporation to a charitable body within civil … Continue reading →

The National Refurbishment Centre (NRC) is asking people how easy it is to find reliable information about sustainable refurbishment in the UK and what the National Refurbishment Centre priorities should be, with surveys to be submitted by 5 November, 2010. … Continue reading →

Sir David Chipperfield CBE, recently celebrated for his restrained restoration of F.A Steuler’s bomb-blasted Neues Museum (1841-59), in collaboration with Julian Harrap architects, is to receive the Royal Gold Medal, following a citation celebrating an architecture that is ‘often in … Continue reading →

Hastings pier, a Grade ll listed structure, has been largely destroyed by fire 24 hours after a competition to redesign it started. The Victorian pier had been closed since 2006 and was compulsory purchased by the council and handed to … Continue reading →

The Prince of Wales has spoken publicly for the first time why he intervened to block the Chelsea Barracks planning application. In a magazine interview Charles said he wanted to make a stand to prevent London’s built environment being ‘mucked … Continue reading →