Monthly Archives: October 2010

A major new report, published on 22 September 2010, has shown that the historic environment adds about £840 million in value to the Welsh economy and helps support the equivalent of more than 30,000 full-time jobs. The research, Valuing the … Continue reading →

Planning‘s annual survey of the UK planning consultancy market closes on Friday 15 November. Responses are invited from all consultancies with a permanent UK base. The survey is carried out on behalf of Planning by communications consultancy Camargue Group Ltd … Continue reading →

A list of the top ten Victorian and Edwardian buildings most at risk in England and Wales has been published by the Victorian Society. The list includes a boarded-up former orphanage in Liverpool designed by the celebrated Victorian architect, Alfred … Continue reading →

You can download the 2010 Scotland’s Historic Environment Audit (SHEA) Report (full report or summary) from the dedicated SHEA website. SHEA 2010 provides an analysis of key trends in the historic environment sector.  It shows that Scotland’s historic environment is … Continue reading →

Tino Hernandez, RTPI Head of Communications, reports on RTPI’s involvement in a busy conference season and explains why its crucial to keep on making the RTPI’s case to ministers. RTPI reports as follows: Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham were the city … Continue reading →

Philip Davies of English Heritage has just highlighted the urgent need for local authorities to protect conservation office posts to secure the benefits of heritage for communities and the government’s own localism agenda. During the London celebrations marking the publication … Continue reading →

Edward Poots, Northern Ireland’s environment minister, is facing contempt of court proceedings following comments he made in the media about a John Lewis planning application for an out-of-town 500,000 sq ft department store at Sprucefield, near Lisburn, in County Antrim. … Continue reading →

Proposals to merge planning departments have been met with enthusiasm by consultants but with scepticism by officers. Speaking at the Conservative Party conference this week, communities secretary Eric Pickles told delegates that councils should share services and work across boundaries … Continue reading →

The government’s potential slashing of quangos could have an impact on services for a “public good”, planners have warned. A leaked document confirms that the Infrastructure Planning Commission, the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit, the eight regional development agencies … Continue reading →

The Scottish Government has launched a major consultation on proposals which would mean householders would no longer need planning permission for major home improvements and large extensions. Proposed changes to existing Householder Permitted Development Rights have been designed to simplify … Continue reading →

Launched on 6 October, Phase One of the Victorian Terrace retrofit project is the result of a BRE, Government and industry partnership aimed at generating best practice knowledge of the most effective ways of upgrading existing solid wall dwellings so … Continue reading →

The scope of the Listed Places of Worship (LPoW) grant scheme is to be amended in line with Government efficiency savings, Tourism and Heritage Minister John Penrose announced on 7 October 2010. At the moment listed places of worship, of … Continue reading →

The programme for the IHBC Yorkshire Branch event ‘Restoration Yorkshire’, on 5 November in York, has been launched. Download the programme HERE and the booking form HERE

Pat Ritchie has been appointed to the post of chief executive of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), the Agency’s chairman Robert Napier announced. Currently the HCA’s director for the North East, Pat will now lead the Agency through a … Continue reading →

Key sector sponsors for the joint conference on heritage funding, ‘Investing in the past’, to take place in Glasgow on 18-20 November, have been welcomed by the organisers, as IHBC Director Sean O’Reilly, representing one of the partners organising the … Continue reading →

The IHBC has announced its endorsement of the 2010 AJ Historic Buildings Conference, to take place in London on 1 December 2010, as IHBC Director Seán O’Reilly and IHBC past-chair Dave Chetwyn will play key roles across the event and … Continue reading →

English Heritage (EH) has announced that the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has agreed to support the conservation and digitisation of one of the earliest and most significant collections of oblique aerial photography of the United Kingdom with a grant of … Continue reading →

The results of the pre-consultation survey on the National Heritage Protection Plan (NHPP) are now available at LINK English Heritage will be publishing an interim version of the NHPP in November which will answer many of the points made in … Continue reading →

Presenting  architecture as ‘the prettiest bauble you ever saw’, Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill, has opened to the public. The press statement says: ‘The first phase of the £8.9 million restoration of the structure and major show rooms of Strawberry Hill … Continue reading →

Despite initial nervousness about the impact of the recession, the National Trust (NT) has experienced its best ever financial performance, according to the 2009/10 annual report. The press release states as follows: ‘ A drop in income from investments was … Continue reading →

CABE has announced details of its education grants for 2011/12, with 5 November as the deadline for applications. The CABE education grants are awarded to schools to promote educational projects that explore the design and use of buildings and public … Continue reading →

The UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) has announced its new Board of Trustees, following their election by members at its AGM. The Trustees are: Patrick Bellew, Principle, Atelier Ten Rab Bennetts, Director, Bennetts Associates and CABE Commissioner James Cameron, Vice … Continue reading →