The IHBC has been advised that Sir Neil Cossons, the present Chair of the Heritage Advisory Group of the Canal & River Trust, will be retiring this year and that the Trust is now looking for a new voluntary Chair to lead the group.
Nigel Crowe, National Heritage Manager, Canal & River Trust, said: ‘At the Canal & River Trust we care for a unique historic environment that is rich in heritage and spreads across England and Wales. Over many years we have established a good track record for managing and conserving historic structures and we are working with Historic England to develop a National Listed Building Consent Order.’
‘The Trust employs a team of regional heritage advisers and we are supported by a voluntary Heritage Advisory Group of expert practitioners, chaired by Sir Neil Cossons. In 2017 Neil is standing down from this role and we want to recruit a new chair to head the group.’
‘This is a great opportunity for an enthusiastic IHBC member with the right qualifications to join us at a time when we are forging ahead as a major charity and pioneering new ways of heritage management with others in the heritage sector’.
The Canal & River Trust writes:
Our National Advisory Groups provide the Trust’s management with specialist advice and guidance.
Can you help us meet our heritage challenges?
The Heritage Advisory Group is one of several national advisory groups that provide the Canal & River Trust management with specialist advice and guidance. These groups help to shape policy and plans and guide the Trust’s decisions in the areas of their specialism.
The focus of the Heritage Advisory Group is on strategic and technical issues relating to the challenges of managing 2,000 miles of historic navigable waterways for a wide range of public benefits. 50% of the population of England & Wales lives within 5 miles of one of our waterways and we host over 10 million people every year who make 250 million individual visits on foot, bike and boat. Our work includes the management and conservation of heritage assets, including 2,700 listed buildings, 49 scheduled monuments and 317 conservation areas. We also review and comment on planning applications and developments affecting the historic environment of the waterways and we seek to identify sites and projects that could attract heritage funding. From time to time we support non-Trust waterway bodies with technical advice and guidance.
The Chair and Members of the group are appointed by the Chief Executive and serve for terms of up to 3 years which are renewable. Generally, members would serve no more than 2 terms.
Sir Neil Cossons, who is the present Chair of our Heritage Advisory Group, will be retiring this year and the Trust is now looking for a new Chair to lead the group.
The group meets 3 times a year. Matters to be considered are jointly agreed by the group members and the Trust’s National Heritage Manager and the group reports regularly to the Trust’s Chief Executive with its advice and recommendations.
We are looking for a Chair who has recognised expertise in one or more of the main areas of heritage interest for the Trust:
- Heritage management – especially the management of designated heritage assets
- Heritage conservation repairs and innovations
- Architecture and planning in the historic environment
- Industrial archaeology
- A wide experience of legislation, public engagement or policy-making in the historic environment is also desirable, as is experience of
- Fundraising and volunteering
- Community engagement
- Wider partnership working in areas such as natural environment, community development, sustainable transport, leisure, arts, sport
Candidates must be team players who can work effectively with the rest of the group and management team and we ask all members of the group to act in the best interests of the waterways rather than to represent any particular interests/causes or their employer.
The roles are voluntary with agreed expenses reimbursed.
The Canal & River Trust actively encourages diversity in all areas of the organisation to fully reflect the diversity of the communities around the waterways and to achieve a balance of genders. Applications from candidates who can help the Trust achieve this objective will be welcome.
How to apply:
If you would like to apply to be the Chair of the Heritage Advisory Group, please contact Nigel Crowe, National Heritage Manager on 07710 175026.
