Monthly Archives: November 2015

On Wednesday 11 November the House of Lords Select Committee on National Policy for the Built Environment held two evidence sessions, with the first focusing on the historic built environment and the second on community engagement and participation. Witnesses included … Continue reading →

The Planner is running a one hour online webinar on the subject of the Localism Act, on 17 November from 1pm. The Planner writes: Are communities now able to influence local development in their area, just as the Localism Act … Continue reading →

Routledge is offering the following titles completely free-to-view until the 30th November! These titles offer a selection of the content we publish to address professional needs across a large number of areas. Simply select the book you’d like to review, … Continue reading →

A Joint European Master Programme on the conservation of architectural heritage structures has been launched, with five Universities partnering to deliver the course and participants being potentially eligible for an Erasmus Mundus scholarship or for a Consortium scholarship. The organisers … Continue reading →

The Birmingham Central Library designed by John Madin is currently the subject of an online petition trying to halt its demolition, and the BBC have published an article on ten concrete buildings which have been the subject of public debate. … Continue reading →

The new design for the UK was launched this week with the theme of ‘Creative United Kingdom’ and features many historic buildings and elements of industrial heritage as well as architects Elisabeth Scott and Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. HM Passport … Continue reading →

The Think Tank ‘Centre for Cities’ has published research which reveals information on why people choose to live in particular places, showing that young professionals tend to prefer city life (recommendations are also made on how to improve urban environments … Continue reading →

The Welsh Religious Buildings Trust working with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW) has published a new website that provides a virtual museum telling the story of Welsh chapels in terms of religion, architecture, … Continue reading →

The demand for industrial heritage office space in Leeds is increasing sharply according to leading global property consultancy Knight Frank. Leeds Chamber of Commerce writes: The example of the pioneering Round Foundry, which transformed a historic, but derelict area of … Continue reading →

The Heritage Alliance (THA) have made a recording of their latest debate available online, along with slides from speakers exploring connotations of the word ‘heritage’, together with research from ComRes exploring what heritage means to the general public.  The Heritage … Continue reading →

The District Councils’ Network (DCN) has made a submission to the government Local Plan expert group which suggests incentivising the production of plans and simplifying the system. The District Councils’ Network (DCN) writes: District councils have outlined a series of … Continue reading →

The Local Government Association (LGA) has assessed that covering the cost of planning applications has cost local communities £450 million in the last three years, and calls for Local Authorities (LAs) to be able to have the right to set … Continue reading →

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has hailed the success of neighbourhood plans in contributing to housebuilding, noting that ‘plans for housebuilding are more than 10% higher in the first areas with a neighbourhood plan as opposed to … Continue reading →

A new offshore wind farm development has been approved by the Scottish Government, and will be the UK’s first such structure, and the world’s largest. The Scottish Government writes: The world’s largest floating offshore wind development will be installed off … Continue reading →

The Welsh Government has welcomed the publishing of an independent review into the designation of natural landscapes, which recommends the creation of a National Landscape Committee, but no changes to the legal status of National Parks or AONBs. The Welsh … Continue reading →

The case of the Surrey farmer who constructed a four-bedroom home behind hay bales has been heard at the High Court in London this week, with several media reports on the proceedings. BBC News– ‘Council ‘wants to destroy’ hidden castle … Continue reading →

The RTPI have given evidence at the House of Lords regarding the need for proper resourcing of planning departments, as part of the inquiry into National Policy for the Built Environment The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) writes: Richard Blyth, … Continue reading →

The full membership of the National Infrastructure Commission has now been announced, with commissioners named and a government commitment to £100 billion of spend on infrastructure in this parliament made. HM Treasury writes: Chancellor George Osborne will today insist better … Continue reading →

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is planning some changes to their current grant schemes to allow for greater flexibility, and also plan a new programme to support heritage skills among young people. The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) writes: HLF’s Chair … Continue reading →

The second reading of the Housing and Planning Bill was given in Parliament on 2 November, and attracted much debate with over 55 MP’s wishing to contribute, and which passed the second reading with a majority of 91.  The issues … Continue reading →

The ICON Award winners for 2015 have been announced, with conservation achievements across the UK being recognised and celebrated including The Icon Award for Conservation in the Community, which went to ‘Resurrecting the Coffin Works: Sharing Skills, Building a Legacy’, … Continue reading →