Monthly Archives: November 2025

IHBC’s 2025 Parliamentary Briefing launches research-led ‘5 Commitments to Help Heritage Skills in Conservation’… From Crafts in Crisis to Rubbish in Retrofit

Image Credits: S O’Reilly IHBC & F Newton IHBC On 18 November the IHBC hosted the 2025 Westminster launch of its new ‘5 Commitments to Help Heritage Skills in Conservation’, informed by cross-cutting research into challenges across the full landscape … Continue reading

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IHBC welcomes new joint CEOs at Historic England to post

Claudia Kenyatta CBE and Emma Squire CBE have taken up the role of Co-Chief Executives of Historic England, following the retirement of Duncan Wilson on 31 October 2025.

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IHBC’s ‘Research’ Signpost from the NT: Public First report on ‘Local history, local heritage and local pride, in Coventry and across the UK’

image for illustration: Coventry Cathedral by DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons The National Trust has issued a new Public First report: ‘There’s a lot of history here’: Local history, local heritage and local pride, in Coventry and … Continue reading

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IHBC features ‘Heritage from the doorstep’: Plans to turn three local villages into town to ‘help protect green belt’ backed by residents

A plan to merge three leafy local villages into a single town has been backed by residents in a bid to save swathes of countryside, reports Kenilworth Nub News.

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Parliamentary Committee: Nature not a ‘blocker’ to housing; needed for ‘resilient towns & neighbourhoods’, and calls for housebuilding target changes and reduced VAT (for retrofitting)

Nature is not a ‘blocker’ to delivering new housing, but rather a necessity for building resilient towns and neighbourhoods, MPs argue in a House of Commons committee report on ‘Environmental sustainability and housing growth’, with responses from government due in … Continue reading

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Housebuilding around train stations will be given default ‘yes’, including in Green Belt, as: ‘Builders Speechless’

Government says that housebuilding near well-connected train stations will receive a default ‘yes’ in future if they meet certain rules, ensuring more homes are built.

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RTPI’s State of the Profession 2025 reports across UK: One in five planners expected to leave the profession within three years, with no clear plan to replace them

New findings from a survey of more than 2,500 planners by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) reveal that 20% of respondents in the United Kingdom expect to leave the profession within the next three years – with no clear … Continue reading

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TCPA Blog: Review of Homes England’s Healthy Homes Standard: Our homes are not islands

New Government design requirements and guidance for the Healthy Homes Standard (HHS), to be used by Homes England etc. on under the Affordable Housing Programme, is the subject of a Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) blog.

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Public Practice: Recruitment & Skills Report 2025

Public practice: This is our fourth annual survey and the first time we are including results from across the UK.

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NCT’s National Churches Survey – giving every church a voice

The National Churches Trust ‘National Churches Survey: giving every church a voice’ report shows both the scale of what is at stake and the hope that continues to shine through.

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New APPG for National Parks and National Landscapes launched

On Tuesday 21st October Barry Gardiner was nominated as Chair of the APPG for National Parks and National Landscapes, a new All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) championing access to and protection of National Parks and National Landscapes, which cover 25% … Continue reading

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Heritage Alliance awarded National Lottery Heritage Fund grant for Resilience Project

The Heritage Alliance has secured a significant grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to drive its aim of making the Heritage Sector stronger and more resilient.

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IHBC features ‘Heritage from the Global doorstep’: WMF welcomes Belfast City Council’s decision to purchase Assembly Rooms

image for illustration: #IHBCBelfast2018 World Monuments Fund (WMF) welcomes Belfast City Council’s decision to purchase the Assembly Rooms, one of the city’s oldest and most significant civic landmarks.

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IHBC’s new Context, No185, ‘lifts the lid on roofing’, from craft to carbon, with essential, accessible CPD for Conservation Professionals & colleagues

IHBC’s new edition of its members’ journal Context is out – No. 185 –  to ‘lift the lid on roofing’, from mill re-slating and pitching pitched roofs a Garden Suburb’s roofscape.

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IHBC warmly welcomes PCO approval to Petition for Charter

The Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) has warmly welcomed the approval from the Privy Council Office (PCO) for the submission of a Petition for Charter following its review of our Memorandum.

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IHBC’s Annual School ‘Save the Date’ notice & Home Page launch: IHBC’s 2026 Newcastle School, 18-20 June, on ‘Adaptive Reuse’ & up to 20 hours CPD – accessible, interdisciplinary, cost-effective

The IHBC is delighted to announce the launch of the Home Page of the 2026 Annual School, to take place in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 18-20 June, on ‘Adaptive Reuse’ and across up to 20 hours CPD.

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Need a MATE? Act soon & reserve your free online IHBC Accreditation guidance and update session soon (November closed; January still open)

As part of the IHBC’s evolving Membership Accreditation Training Events (MATE ) programme, we’re continuing to offer free webinars for applicants with CPD-certified advice on applying for IHBC accreditation (Full & Associate).

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IHBC’s ‘Professional’ Parliamentary Signpost: Lords completes examination of Planning and Infrastructure Bill

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill had its third reading, ‘a chance for members to make sure the eventual law is effective, workable and without loopholes’, on Monday 10 November.

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IHBC HESPR’s ‘News from the Sector’: Building Design (Tanvir Hasan) on Losing ‘historic craftmanship’

IHBC’s heritage business register HESPR – our Historic Environment Service Providers Recognition quality assurance scheme for heritage services – emails members weekly ‘News and Tender Alerts’, and this week features Building Design with Tanvir Hasan on ‘Losing ‘historic craftmanship’.

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IHBC features ‘Heritage from the (development) doorstep’: Ightham Mote’s new visitor & landscape works for the National Trust

image for illustration: Ightham Mote by Poliphilo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Reed Watts worked with Landscape Architects Colvin & Moggridge to design a new visitor reception, retail shop and associated landscape works for the National Trust’s Ightham Mote in Kent, … Continue reading

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Historic England Reveals its Heritage at Risk Register 2025

Historic England has issued its Heritage at Risk Register 2025, which gives an annual snapshot of the health of England’s valued historic buildings and places, ‘helping ensure they can be protected and continue to be enjoyed…’.

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St Paul’s Crowned Best Cultural Experience at Toast the City Awards

St Paul’s Cathedral has won Best Cultural Experience in the City of London at City AM’s Toast the City Awards 2025.

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CIC announces approval of new British Standard on Sustainability Competence, with Call for Expertise

The Construction Industry Council (CIC) is has announced the proposal to use The Edge and CIC’s ‘Competence Framework for Sustainability in the Built Environment’ as the foundation for a new British Standard on sustainability competence, with new Call for Expertise.

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RICS: Optimism high for AI in construction but skills shortages and integration challenges adoption

The construction industry stands on the brink of a digital transformation driven by artificial intelligence (AI), according to a new global report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS): ‘The AI in Construction 2025’ report.

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British Woodworking Federation (BWF) leads coalition across construction to protect future of apprenticeships

The British Woodworking Federation (BWF) leads a coalition of organisations across the construction sector to protect the future of apprenticeships.

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