Monthly Archives: February 2013

Thieves stripped a Caldicot, Monmouthshire, church roof of its lead, a month after an attempted break-in which broke a stained glass window. The suspected £15,000 damage at St Mary’s Church comes just two years after £100,000 was spent on a … Continue reading →

Entries for the only regular listing of the biggest regeneration projects in the UK are now invited. Search Planning Resource: LINK

Jane Duncan, RIBA Vice President Practice & Profession, has been appointed RIBA Equality and Diversity Champion. RIBA writes: This new role has been established to give senior support to the proactive work already delivered through Architects for Change, the RIBA’s … Continue reading →

Reports that a new Treasury spending review is likely to see the Department for Communities and Local Government’s (DCLG) budget cut by 30 per cent by the next general election feature in ‘Planning’s’ newspaper round-up. Search Planning Resource: LINK

People can now compare the location of the green belts in England with a range of other datasets including National Park, Local Authority boundaries and the proposed route of the High Speed 2 rail network, and continues to encourage businesses … Continue reading →

An invaluable publication offering owners, developers and local authorities a toolkit of good practice for the use of historic buildings in regeneration. English Heritage writes: Heritage Works is an updated publication from the 2006 first edition that takes into account … Continue reading →

Businesses across all sectors and of all sizes can now apply for a share of up to £240 million to create tailored training programmes that address their specific skills needs. BIS writes: The Employer Ownership Pilot (EOP) has already committed … Continue reading →

The Castle Studies Trust is a new UK-based charity aimed at increasing knowledge of castles in the UK and abroad. The Trust writes: The trust will award grants of initially up to £5,000 to fund or co-fund, with other organisations, … Continue reading →

Historic Scotland (HS) is searching for 18 apprentices across the country to ensure the ongoing demand for traditional and essential skills across the historic environment is met. Historic Scotland writes: The agency is seeking 15 apprentice stonemasons, two electricians and … Continue reading →

Arches is a new open source software application that is being developed for the immovable cultural heritage field by the Getty Conservation Institute and World Monuments Fund (WMF), and is available for assessment by IT specialists. The Getty and WMF … Continue reading →

The Institute of Historical Research (IHR) is in the process of digitising all the inventory volumes published by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME), to be made accessible on the British History Online website, is seeking … Continue reading →

Communities secretary told to change course on consequential improvements or face legal action. Building Co UK News: LINK

A new, independent public body will hold in trust the nation’s publicly-owned forests for future generations, England’s Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has announced. Defra writes: Alongside the continuing work of the Forestry Commission, this new body will own, maintain and … Continue reading →

The internationally-renowned Burrell Collection in Glasgow has been awarded A-listed status by Historic Scotland in recognition of its position as one of the country’s finest examples of 1970s architectural design. Historic Scotland writes: The building – which this year marks … Continue reading →

The Construction Industry Council (CIC) is co-ordinating an application in the UKCES EOS Pilot and is seeking further employer partners. CIC writes: The Construction Industry Council is co-ordinating a funding application in round 2 of the UKCES Employer Ownerships of … Continue reading →

Membership of the IHBC’s Linkedin group, the primary social networking platform for IHBC members, colleagues and other conservation interests, has passed 2500. Dave Chetwyn, IHBC past chair and lead Linkedin Group Manager, said: ‘The membership of the IHBC Linkedin Group … Continue reading →

Planning admin has just gone live on the Red Tape Challenge website, England’s public discourse website ‘designed to promote open discussion of how the aims of existing regulation can be fulfilled in the least burdensome way possible’, with views sought … Continue reading →

The Green Deal initiative has been formally launched this week, as key conservation interests, such as the IHBC, maintain concerns over key parts of the programme. BBC News: LINK BBC News Wales: LINK See Green Deal Quick Guides at: LINK … Continue reading →

Historic town and city centres across Scotland are to benefit from over £10 million worth of funding from the Scottish Government. The funding, which is distributed through Historic Scotland’s Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) will see 12 council areas allocated … Continue reading →

A new agreement with Office of Public Works (OPW) Heritage Ireland, allows English Heritage members free access to a host of fascinating historic sites across the Ireland. English Heritage News: LINK

Birmingham City planning chiefs have been accused of a ‘war on conservation’ by excluding eminent history groups from commenting on all decisions and replacing them with architects. The Birmingham Post writes Birmingham City Council’s official watchdog committee on historic architecture … Continue reading →

Demolishing high rise social housing blocks and replacing them with developments at street level made up of low rise flats and terraced housing would improve the lives of thousands of people currently living in multi-storey housing, according to a report … Continue reading →

Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire has been voted the UK’s best UNESCO world heritage site by the TripAdvisor traveller community. The birthplace of the Industrial Revolution 300 years ago, Ironbridge Gorge came top of the list ahead of the Heart of … Continue reading →

Plans to build student accommodation in Liverpool’s Georgian quarter have been approved by the city council. The developments – one on the corner of Hope Street and Myrtle Street, the other on Caledonia Street – were given the go-ahead following … Continue reading →

English Heritage and Wiltshire Police are concerned about a spate of illegal metal detecting at a nationally important archaeological site in the Warminster area. English Heritage writes: The archaeology of the Warminster and Westbury area is exceptional and includes many … Continue reading →