Monthly Archives: March 2015

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, has delivered his last Budget of this parliament offering little hope for the infrastructure of heritage management or its role in sustainable development, though outlining some relevant changes, with headline changes that include: allowing … Continue reading →

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has changed his stance and approved planning permission for Lark Energy’s proposed 24 megawatt solar farm on Ellough Airfield in Suffolk originally refused by Waveney District Council and initially blocked by him. The scheme, originally a … Continue reading →

The National Association of Local Councils, CPRE and Civic Voice have teamed up to call for political parties to include the community right of appeal within their manifestos. The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) writes: A new powerful alliance … Continue reading →

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has published its responses to recent consultations on the use of planning conditions, the consent process for nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) and changes to statutory consultee arrangements. Planning Portal writes: As … Continue reading →

The 20th Century society has launched a new database of churches, with photographs and historical information in a project grant aided by Historic England. View information on the project 

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) think tank have responded to recent Government announcements regarding housebuilding by calling for further changes to planning legislation The IEA writes: Mark Littlewood, Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said ‘Constraining housebuilding … Continue reading →

The Heritage Alliance reports that its successful ‘Giving to heritage’ programme has trained over 350 organisations to date, and 18 new events are now available to book. The Heritage Alliance writes: A total of 36 workshops on 10 different fundraising … Continue reading →

World Monuments Fund (WMF) Britain has announced the appointment of John Darlington as Executive Director. John Darlington joins from the National Trust where he was Regional Director, North West of England. In this position John championed a diverse portfolio of … Continue reading →

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has said that, according to a new report, ‘Digital High Street Report 2020’ High Streets could make billions of pounds in additional revenue and increase footfall by making more of the latest … Continue reading →

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has dismissed an appeal by Gladman Developments over a 94—home scheme proposed for a field in community use in open countryside on the edge of Faringdon in Oxfordshire refused by the Vale of the White Horse … Continue reading →

English Heritage directly publishes a diverse range of paid and free publications used by heritage professionals, academics and interested members of the public. These include Heritage Counts, Conservation Bulletin, Designation Yearbook, Heritage at Risk Register and guides to EH properties. … Continue reading →

Ordnance Survey (OS) has launched a National Map Cover Photo competition, offering the chance to put your photo on their local area maps. Ordnance Survey is looking to update the covers on more than 600 different OS maps, which are … Continue reading →

The Planning Inspectorate has issued a replacement advice note 2 which sets out ‘the role of local authorities in the development consent process’. The PINs note discourages local authorities carrying out their own consultation on forthcoming applications, so as not … Continue reading →

Think-tank the Policy Exchange has published an economics manifesto for the forthcoming general election which has urged the introduction of a so-called ‘Presumption Against Interference’ so people would be free to do as they will with their property ‘except where … Continue reading →

Arts Council England have released a new report which describes the economic impact of museums, featuring case studies from throughout England including Beamish (Living Museum of the North), Chatham historic dockyard (Kent, which includes Britain’s oldest intact naval building) and … Continue reading →

Planning minister Brandon Lewis has proposed new measures to speed up section 106 agreements including the creation of a dispute resolution service involving an external body or a ‘suitably qualified individual’. The minister is consulting on plans to speed up … Continue reading →

Placemaking and built environment policy are to be explored in a House of Lords select committee after the general election as a bid for the new, cross-party select committee was submitted by Baroness Janet Whittaker, the vice-chair of the All-Party … Continue reading →

Crucial repairs to safeguard the future of one of England’s busiest junctions have been extended. The Highways Agency writes: The Highways Agency is currently replacing vital waterproofing at The Gravelly Hill Interchange in Birmingham, known the world over as Spaghetti … Continue reading →

Garden cities are not the answer to the country’s housing shortage and existing cities should be developed more densely, the think-tank The Future Spaces Foundation has suggested as it estimates that an additional 67 garden cities would need to be … Continue reading →

Three-quarters of construction employers think the industry is still perceived as sexist, according to a new, large-scale poll published on International Women’s Day by CITB. The survey of 1500 employers from across the country revealed that 73% believe perceptions of … Continue reading →

Protesters have won a High Court battle to stop a wind turbine being erected in a Northamptonshire village as Deputy Judge John Howell QC ruled the project earmarked for Poplars Farm in Wappenham should be blocked because the contribution it … Continue reading →