Monthly Archives: February 2016

New funding has been provided by Historic England to help The Heritage Alliance (THA) support the ‘Heritage 2020’ project.  THA writes: Historic England has confirmed new funding to enable The Heritage Alliance to continue providing a dedicated secretariat for the Historic … Continue reading →

A Statement by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the final local government finance settlement for 2016 to 2017 has announced a consultation which may allow well performing planning authorities to increase their fees. The Secretary … Continue reading →

The Scotsman has reported on the news of UNESCO investigating the impact of proposed developments on the status of the World Heritage Site (WHS).  View the article ‘Unesco to investigate impact of new developments on Edinburgh’ IHBC newsblogs on WHS … Continue reading →

Communities Secretary Greg Clark has dismissed an appeal over a proposed cross-subsidy residential development of 18 dwellings earmarked for land in the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).  Find out more….

Issues with the sourcing and supply of bricks are now resolved, with brick production at its highest level for eight years and reports that the construction industry is no longer facing shortages in brick supply.  CITB writes: Forecasters have predicted … Continue reading →

The Listed Places of Worship (LPOW): Roof Repair Fund is open for a second round with a deadline for applications of Friday 26 February  The programme was set up in 2014 with the Chancellor of the Exchequer committing £15m of … Continue reading →

A new poll by the National Churches Trust shows that 60 % of British adults back the Government providing financial support for churches, chapels and meeting houses in order to protect their heritage and history for future generations.  Key findings include: … Continue reading →

A consultation has been launched by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) into the future of their headquarters.  The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) writes: The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has launched an open consultation on … Continue reading →

The Cabinet Office announced on 6 February a new clause to be inserted into central government grant agreements after 1 May this year that will exclude organisations receiving government grants from using these taxpayer funds to lobby government and Parliament, … Continue reading →

Both Tracy Emin and Damien Hurst are currently in the news for submitting development proposals involving the demolition of a listed building and the excavation of a basement to form a swimming pool. View the ‘Artlyst’ article  Tracey Emin Fights … Continue reading →

Three Victorian towns are among the coastal communities have been granted a share of £4.7million from the Heritage Lottery Fund under the Townscape Heritage Initiative Scheme (THI), with £14m in total being shared among applicant towns in the UK. The … Continue reading →

The re-appointment of five existing members of the Historic Buildings Council has been announced by Northern Ireland Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan. DoENI writes: Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan, today announced the re-appointment of five existing members of the Historic … Continue reading →

Proposals for works to Liverpool Lime Street area within the World Heritage Site Buffer Zone are being challenged by SAVE in the Court Of Appeal, while an appeal has been set up to help fund the costs.  SAVE writes: SAVE … Continue reading →

Hays Recruitment have issued a report into salaries and working trends in the construction and property professions over 2015, revealing an upturn towards pre-recession levels. Hays Recruitment writes: The construction recruitment market is now operating close to pre-recession levels, with … Continue reading →

The Intercultural Cities network has published new guidance and revised its website, offering opportunities relating to cultural diversity in cities throughout Europe.  The Council of Europe writes: The Intercultural Cities programme is launching its new website. The website has been entirely … Continue reading →

New best practice guidelines have been released for the ‘Considerate Constructor’ scheme, which come into force in May, including provisions on addressing skills shortages, and checking the training of staff CITB writes: An updated set of best-practice criteria has been … Continue reading →

Following the recent devastation in flood and storm affected areas, it has been announced that the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee is to launch an inquiry into future flood prevention in England.  The Commons Select Committee writes: The Environment, … Continue reading →

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has commented on new research into procurement by the Electrical Contractors’ Association, claiming that ‘over two thirds of councils’ may be causing smaller contractors to miss out on work.  The Federation of Master Builders … Continue reading →

The Environment Agency has been using laser mapping technology to help find ‘lost’ Roman Roads in England.  The Environment Agency writes: Archaeologists are using Environment Agency laser mapping data to rediscover hundreds of kilometres of ‘lost’ Roman roads.  Since 1998 … Continue reading →