Two four-storey town houses worth millions of pounds have collapsed in west London while being redeveloped.-
Search the archive
-
IHBC’S NewsBlogs usually only summarise third party reports. Links to other sites may not be active so you may need to contact the host site for the original text.
Unless made explicit, IHBC NewsBlogs are not IHBC endorsements.
Categories
Monthly archive
Links
-
Recent posts
- IHBC updates members on Charter progress… IHBC Council review of draft texts due in coming weeks, details TBC 13/11/2026
- IHBC is planning for growth, with CP30 and more, so grow with us on Board, Committee, Branches, Panels or Groups and more as suits – just let us know! 13/11/2026
- IHBC Marsh Awards NOW OPEN: Nominate your ‘Successful learner’ (in Heritage Skills) or ‘Retired member’ (Community Contributions), to close 15 December 2026 13/11/2026
- IHBC Bursaries now open for IHBC Annual School 2027: Accessible, certified CPD on Climate Change & Significance 13/11/2026
- IHBC’s ‘Research’ CPD signpost: Home insulation schemes could be underestimating heat loss, new research finds 13/11/2026
- IHBC Director’s top pick from HESPR’s £68M+ works: BID seeks multidisciplinary team to study local retail areas, to 20/11 and £40K 13/11/2026
- IHBC features ‘Heritage from the (maritime) doorstep’: Heritage Group explores cultural heritage and the historic environment within estuarine and coastal habitat restoration activities 13/11/2026
- IHBC features ‘Heritage from the doorstep’: Grand Designs showcases London’s extraordinary Cloud House 13/11/2026
- ‘True scale of heritage’s role in Welsh jobs, economy and communities’ – 18000 Jobs + £738Mn 13/11/2026
- Historic England Reveals its Heritage at Risk Register 2026 13/11/2026
- The Reuse Policy Playbook: A Retrofit-First Guide for Local Authorities 13/11/2026
- HBC features ‘Heritage from the Global doorstep’: The roles of heritage when the world changes, from ICOMOS GA2026, Malaysia 13/11/2026
- IHBC takes key step forward in Parliamentary ‘5 Commitments’ delivery, joining National Federation of Builders’ National Heritage Skills Forum 10/11/2026
- IHBC Marsh Awards OPEN: Nominate your ‘Successful learner’ (in Heritage Skills) or ‘Retired member’ (Community Contributions), to close 15 December 2026 10/11/2026
- Save the Date for #IHBCBristolBath2027 – Accessible, Certified CPD on ‘Climate Change & Significance’, June 10-12 2027: IHBC’s Annual School, with online options, free pre-conference webinars & more… 10/11/2026
- Bursaries now open for IHBC Annual School 2027: Accessible, certified CPD on Climate Change & Significance 10/11/2026
- IHBC’s ‘Research’ CPD signpost: Deregulated housing conversions linked to poor health and wellbeing, from UCL 10/11/2026
- IHBC HESPR’s ‘News from the Sector’: The Guardian on Clifton Suspension Bridge… ‘A big responsibility’ 10/11/2026
- IHBC features ‘Heritage from the doorstep’: Back on track as Leas Lift carriages return home 10/11/2026
- IHBC features ‘Heritage from the doorstep’: New Visitor Levy fund to help futureproof Edinburgh’s cultural and heritage buildings 10/11/2026
- IHBC features ‘Heritage from the doorstep’: National Railway Museum celebrates start of construction on… the Porterbrook gallery 10/11/2026
- Nominate a building for the 20th edition of the Victorian Society’s Top Ten Endangered Buildings list, before 4 January 10/11/2026
- National Trust: ‘Landmark act of generosity secures home of London’s oldest restaurant for the future’ 10/11/2026
- IHBC features ‘Heritage from the Global doorstep’: ‘Preserving Legacies Climate Heritage Cohort Program’, open to 8 January, ‘…work with a place that is culturally significant to your community’ 10/11/2026
- IHBC offers advice and support in roll out of ‘Historic Environment Policy for Northern Ireland’ 06/11/2026
Two Georgian four-storey Chelsea town houses collapse under redevelopment
Posted in Sector NewsBlog
Comments Off on Two Georgian four-storey Chelsea town houses collapse under redevelopment
HES unveils latest COVID impact results
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has published the latest results of a follow up survey scoping the impacts of COVID-19 on the country’s historic environment sector.
Posted in Sector NewsBlog
Comments Off on HES unveils latest COVID impact results
IHBC’s IMHO, from ICE in NI: A step closer to an Infrastructure Advisory Body for Northern Ireland
Jenny Green, Director for Northern Ireland at The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), has explored a new report by the Ministerial Advisory Panel on Infrastructure, on which she sits.
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog
Comments Off on IHBC’s IMHO, from ICE in NI: A step closer to an Infrastructure Advisory Body for Northern Ireland
Parliamentary Committee: Public survey on England’s planning system: Closing 11/11
The House of Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has asked the public to take part in a survey on the planning system in England and the government’s proposed reforms to it, which is open until midnight Wednesday 11 November, and should take roughly 10 minutes to complete.
image: for illustration purposes only – Open Government Licence v3.0
Posted in Sector NewsBlog
Comments Off on Parliamentary Committee: Public survey on England’s planning system: Closing 11/11
Don’t forget: Culture x Climate 2020: ‘heritage-based climate action’ this November
Culture x Climate 2020 is a virtual global forum for arts, culture and heritage-based climate action running to the end of November 2020.
Posted in Sector NewsBlog
Comments Off on Don’t forget: Culture x Climate 2020: ‘heritage-based climate action’ this November
West Dean College: Open call for maker-in-residence, closing 29/11
West Dean College of Arts & Conservation is looking for an artist-maker to be its Maker-in-Residence for 2021, with artists with any skills considered, including stone working, carving and lettercutting, and with a closing date of 29 November.
image: West Dean website
Posted in Sector NewsBlog
Comments Off on West Dean College: Open call for maker-in-residence, closing 29/11
One of Britain’s last AA telephone boxes saved
There is nothing John Bell likes more than a drive in the countryside, especially on the rural roads of Wales and it is there he came across AA Box 161 – a reminder of decades past when mobile phones and the internet were science fiction.
Posted in Sector NewsBlog
Comments Off on One of Britain’s last AA telephone boxes saved
IHBC 2020 Student Awards judge announced: SPAB Director Matthew Slocombe to select Gus Astley Award winner for £500 (& Brighton 2021)!
Matthew Slocombe, director of the SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Building) will serve as the guest judge of the submissions to the 2020 IHBC Gus Astley Student Award, with winners receiving certificates and cash prizes (up to £500) as well as a free place at the IHBC’s Brighton 2021 School in June.
image: The SPAB
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog
Comments Off on IHBC 2020 Student Awards judge announced: SPAB Director Matthew Slocombe to select Gus Astley Award winner for £500 (& Brighton 2021)!
IHBC NI Branch’s church care guidance commended by Church of Ireland as the ‘go-to guide’!
The Church of Ireland Gazette has featured the IHBC’s Northern Ireland (NI) Branch initiative to create what the Gazette has called the ‘new ‘go-to’ guide for property care’: Care for your Church and Church Property, co-authored by IHBC NI Branch Chair Des Cairns and IHBC Treasurer Jill Kerry.
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog
Comments Off on IHBC NI Branch’s church care guidance commended by Church of Ireland as the ‘go-to guide’!
FINAL REMINDER: IHBC supports CIOB’s ‘Future Skills for Traditional Buildings’: 05 November, online
The IHBC is co-sponsoring the ‘Future Skills for Traditional Buildings’ virtual conference from the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) on 5 November, with speakers to include IHBC members Rory Cullen and John Edwards, and with IHBC officers hosting a digital booth for delegate engagement.
image: for illustration purposes only Continue reading
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog
Comments Off on FINAL REMINDER: IHBC supports CIOB’s ‘Future Skills for Traditional Buildings’: 05 November, online
IHBC’s HESPR ‘Special Interest Sector News’ pick of the week: LI’s international ideas competition, for after COVID-19
The 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’, with notices from across the development sector’s publications, and this week features the Landscape Institute’s (LI) international ideas competition on streets, squares and greenspaces in response to COVID-19: Transforming the urban landscape.
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog
Comments Off on IHBC’s HESPR ‘Special Interest Sector News’ pick of the week: LI’s international ideas competition, for after COVID-19
IHBC features ‘Heritage from the doorstep’: Shirehall will be sold for more money due to non-listed status, argues council leader
Shirehall’s non-listed building status will mean it will be worth more money when the site is sold, Shropshire Council’s leader has said.
By Mike White, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13951995
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog
Comments Off on IHBC features ‘Heritage from the doorstep’: Shirehall will be sold for more money due to non-listed status, argues council leader
BRE Trust publishes report ‘100 Years of Council Housing’ to mark the 100 anniversary of the 1919 housing and Town Planning Act
BRE has published ‘100 Years of Council Housing’ to celebrate the centenary of the 1919 Housing and Town Planning Act, which introduced the concept of ‘council housing’ and also led to the creation of the Building Research Station (now BRE) to ensure that new housebuilding was undertaken in the most effective and efficient way.
Posted in Sector NewsBlog
Comments Off on BRE Trust publishes report ‘100 Years of Council Housing’ to mark the 100 anniversary of the 1919 housing and Town Planning Act
England’s new Chief Planner Joanna Averley says: ‘Keep up the planning…’
Joanna Averley, England’s new Chief Planner, has written to local authorities strongly encouraging them to ‘continue in the preparation and adoption of local plans – (including neighbourhood plans – as policy development and legislation evolve in response to the national planning reforms.
image: for illustration purposes only – Open Goverment Licence v3.0
Posted in Sector NewsBlog
Comments Off on England’s new Chief Planner Joanna Averley says: ‘Keep up the planning…’
Heritage Compass business support: Growing resilience in England’s heritage sector with the NLHF – closing 6/11 AND 16/12
‘Heritage Compass’ is a brand-new Business Support Programme funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) designed to ‘grow resilience and invigorate the heritage sector across England’ has been launched by Cause4 and its consortium partners, with options for application ending 6 November and 16 December.
Posted in Sector NewsBlog
Comments Off on Heritage Compass business support: Growing resilience in England’s heritage sector with the NLHF – closing 6/11 AND 16/12
APPG on Building Communities publishes ‘Productive Placemaking Report’
The All-Party Parliamentary Group(APPG) on Building Communities published the ‘Productive Placemaking Report ‘on the 22 September.
Posted in Sector NewsBlog
Comments Off on APPG on Building Communities publishes ‘Productive Placemaking Report’
CIOB’s Art of Building competition celebrating creativity in construction now open for entries: Closing 15/11
The Art of Building photography competition is an international showcase for the very best digital photography of the built environment, led by The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and open to both professional and amateur photographers, and closes on 15 November.
Posted in Sector NewsBlog
Comments Off on CIOB’s Art of Building competition celebrating creativity in construction now open for entries: Closing 15/11
IHBC signpost, from the SPAB archive: Rational Builders and William Weir
The SPAB look back on the work of Scottish architect William Weir (1865-1950), one of our most respected caseworkers, and was part of a group of dedicated experts active in the first 50 years of the SPAB.
image: The SPAB website
Posted in Sector NewsBlog
Comments Off on IHBC signpost, from the SPAB archive: Rational Builders and William Weir
IHBC’s LA conservation capacity research informs England’s Planning White Paper Briefing to MPs & Peers from new ‘CPP APPG’: 48.7% drop since 2009; 6% of LPAS with no advice!
The IHBC has published the results of its own 2020 research into specialist conservation provision in Local Authorities (LAs) in England –revealing a 48.7% fall since 2009 and 6% currently with no access to advice – which will inform the Briefing Note on the England’s Planning White Paper from the new ‘Conservation Places and People’ All-Party Parliamentary Group (CPP APPG) on 4 November.
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog
Comments Off on IHBC’s LA conservation capacity research informs England’s Planning White Paper Briefing to MPs & Peers from new ‘CPP APPG’: 48.7% drop since 2009; 6% of LPAS with no advice!
IHBC submits comments on BSI’s PAS 2038 – Retrofitting non-domestic properties…: ‘Must stress need for repairs before retrofit’
The IHBC has submitted its response to BSI’s evolving PAS (Publicly Available Specification) 2038 – Retrofitting non-domestic properties for improved energy efficiency – noting that it fails to emphasise the need to carry out appropriate repairs as the vital precursor to installing retrofit measures.
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog
Comments Off on IHBC submits comments on BSI’s PAS 2038 – Retrofitting non-domestic properties…: ‘Must stress need for repairs before retrofit’
IHBC supports CIOB’s ‘Future Skills for Traditional Buildings’: 05 November, online
The IHBC is co-sponsoring the ‘Future Skills for Traditional Buildings’ virtual conference from the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) on 5 November, with speakers to include IHBC members Rory Cullen and John Edwards, and with IHBC officers hosting a digital booth for delegate engagement.
image: for illustration purposes only Continue reading
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog
Comments Off on IHBC supports CIOB’s ‘Future Skills for Traditional Buildings’: 05 November, online
IHBC’s HESPR pick this week from £19.2M+ costed works: BC seeks consultancy services, closing 17/11, valued £25-50K
The IHBC’s heritage business register HESPR – our Historic Environment Service Providers Recognition quality assurance scheme for heritage services working to the IHBC’s standards – emails its members weekly ‘News and Tender Alerts’, and the IHBC Director’s top pick this week features a Borough Council’s (BC) call for Heritage Consultancy Services, closing 17/11/2020 and valued at £25-50k.
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog
Comments Off on IHBC’s HESPR pick this week from £19.2M+ costed works: BC seeks consultancy services, closing 17/11, valued £25-50K
IHBC’s ‘Out of Context’ CPD boost: Checking on moisture in porous building materials
Technical conservation issues are the subject of Issue 164 of Context, more specifically damp, with Soki Rhee-Duverne explaining that, despite the plethora of techniques for assessing moisture in traditional porous building materials, none is completely effective, offering a rare opportunity to address practitioners’ base-line CPD needs in this critical and fast changing area.
image: Context 164 p12 – Soki Rhee-Duverne
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog
Comments Off on IHBC’s ‘Out of Context’ CPD boost: Checking on moisture in porous building materials
Edinburgh’s Old Royal High School hotel proposals dismissed by Scottish Ministers
In a significant win for the heritage lobby the Scottish Government dismissed appeals into the proposed redevelopment as a hotel of Thomas Hamilton’s Category A listed 1825 Royal High School on Calton Hill, Edinburgh, with the main report dismissing any tourism or economic value as marginal.
image: copyright The Cockburn Association
Posted in Sector NewsBlog
Comments Off on Edinburgh’s Old Royal High School hotel proposals dismissed by Scottish Ministers
Changes to planning rules to help unlock development potential in Wales
Changes to the planning policy to allow Welsh councils to compulsory purchase empty houses and vacant land have been announced by the Minister for Housing and Local Government.
Posted in Sector NewsBlog
Comments Off on Changes to planning rules to help unlock development potential in Wales