Monthly Archives: August 2011

A new website that lets you petition the government online has gone live.   The press release states: e-petitions are a way for you to influence government policy in the UK. You can create an e-petition about anything that the … Continue reading →

Ministers have announced proposals for a planning ‘guarantee’ designed to ensure no  application for planning permission in England takes longer than 12 months to be determined, including any appeal.     Planning Minister Greg Clark has written to local authorities … Continue reading →

HMRC has withdrawn proposals to charge VAT on design and build composite changes, a change which the Charity Tax Group (CTG) claims would have cost some charities hundreds of thousands of pounds.   HMRC accepted the opinion CTG had sought … Continue reading →

Greg Clark will take on the role of Minister for Cities in addition to his existing responsibilities   The press release states: Cities are key to ensuring economic growth across the country, so it is vital to capitalise on opportunities … Continue reading →

Plans to reform the registration system for town and village greens have been announced by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.   Ministers have acknowledged that village greens play an important part in community life and England’s heritage … Continue reading →

  The Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC), the UK’s leading professional body for building and historic environment conservation specialists, is among the key conservation interests that have warned England’s Energy Secretary Chris Huhne that the Green Deal, the Government’s … Continue reading →

The Linkedin Group of The Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) has now passed 500 members.   Dave Chetwyn, IHBC’s past chair, who established the group on the popular social networking site, said: ‘This is a great success for the … Continue reading →

Action by the Government has restored the flow of regeneration funding from the European Union after a period of interruption caused by irregularities in projects, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has announced. The European Commission has confirmed it is lifting an … Continue reading →

The deadline for English Heritage’s ‘Heritage Angel Awards’ is 12 August.   On the initiative see the IHBC NewsBlog: LINK

  The Planning Inspectorate’s website is scheduled to close by the end of September 2011.   The press notice states:   This is part of the Government’s web rationalisation programme which is looking to reduce the number of Government websites. … Continue reading →

Scotland’s Buildings at Risk register (BARR), compiled by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) currently has 2,395 properties on it, and in the past six months a further 143 buildings have been added to … Continue reading →

  The Planning Inspectorate (PI) has advised inspectors that the draft National Planning Policy Framework is ‘capable of being a material consideration’ in a new guidance note. Search Planning Portal: LINK   For the PI’s guidance on the materiality of … Continue reading →

Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) are seeking a Trustee for Wales with a closing date of 15 August 2011   The notice states: The Trustee for Wales is an important member of the UK-wide Board, … Continue reading →

The vision for a Big Society came much closer on 29 June as the Big Society Bank – now officially named Big Society Capital – became a reality with the establishment of two expert boards. In addition the first investment … Continue reading →

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) will be holding four planning reform events during September – in London on 7 September, in Leeds on 8 September, in Birmingham on 13 September, and in Bristol on 15 September.   … Continue reading →

Coastal communities across the United Kingdom will receive a multi-million pound boost each year from a new Coastal Communities Fund, the Chancellor and Chief Secretary to the Treasury, announced.   This new fund will be financed by the Government through the allocation … Continue reading →

A new guide, Making the most of CLP: a best practice guide for local authorities, examines the practical ways that local authorities have already sought to empower communities to take action locally by making the most of Community Led Planning (CLP). … Continue reading →

Following anecdotal evidence that traditional crafts were not recognised at local government level – slipping between heritage (buildings) and the arts – the Heritage Crafts Association (HCA) conducted a survey into the support local councils (at city, district and county … Continue reading →

See the most comprehensive organisational charts of the UK Civil Service ever released online… another step towards the Government’s goal of being the most transparent government in the world and opening up the structure of the Civil Service to public … Continue reading →

Following the recent issue of Context on healthy environments, new resources are available to show what local areas in England are doing to support spatial planning in creating healthy environments and reducing health inequalities. Local Government (idea.gov) Article: LINK

Oxford Circus and Covent Garden are among 16 Underground stations given Grade II listed status today by Heritage Minister John Penrose, on the advice of English Heritage.   They include several of the tube stations designed by Leslie Green whose ‘ox-blood’ red … Continue reading →