IHBC NewsBlogs

A former grammar school in Wrexham has been granted listed building status by the Welsh Government, following a spot listing request to Cadw.

The Welsh Government writes:

A former Girls’ Grammar School in Wrexham, known locally as Grove Park School, has been awarded listed status for its special architectural interest on the grounds of its quality and character, Economy and Infrastructure Secretary, Ken Skates has announced today.

The decision to list the site was taken by the Cabinet Secretary after fresh and careful consideration of all submitted representations following a spot listing request made to Cadw earlier this year and a subsequent consultation with the owner, local planning authority and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales.

By law, under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, a listed building must be of special architectural or historic interest.

The legislation is supported by guidance (Wales Office Circulars 61/96 and 1/98) which explains the criteria against which candidate buildings will be assessed. The listing criteria explains the principal factors to be taken into account when considering a listing request. For example, a building might be considered for an Architectural interest listing if it is deemed as being nationally important for its architectural design, decoration, and craftsmanship.

Ken Skates considered the range of information submitted to Cadw by both supporters and challengers of the listing request. This included written and visual evidence and specialist advice, as well as the peer review and the advice that Wrexham County Borough Council commissioned.  In making his decision, the Cabinet Secretary acknowledged arguments on both sides but overall, considered there are sufficient grounds to approve the spot listing request for the former Grove Park School.

Ken Skates said: ‘On the balance of the evidence presented to me, considering the merits of listing the building against the published criteria and in light of all the representations and all of the advice that has been submitted, I have agreed to the listing for the building’s special architectural interest as a building of definite quality and character as a key example of an interwar girl’s grammar school in the neo-classical tradition (in a 1930s interpretation) surviving largely intact.’

The Cabinet Secretary added: ‘I believe the building is a key example of its type, with a number of features exhibiting stylistic flair. These include its handsome red brick exterior, the decoration between ground floor and first floor windows with herringbone brickwork and internal quality features such as an impressive elegant double sweep staircase being flooded with natural daylight by roof lanterns. There is also its parquet and terrazzo flooring, the sleek timber mouldings and the main hall being well proportioned and well lit.’

The decision to list the building has immediate effect and introduces a requirement for listed building consent to demolish the building or alter, or extend it in a way which affects it character as one of special architectural or historic interest.

View the press release

The Royal Society for Arts (RSA) is asking for help to update last year’s Heritage Index, including both thoughts on criteria (survey closing 7 September) and suggestions for new data.

The RSA writes:

In September 2015, we launched the first iteration of the RSA’s Heritage Index. This was an unprecedented data exercise, bringing together over 100 ways to measure the richness of heritage assets and activities across every local area in England, Scotland and Wales.

We are now in the midst of work to refine the previous index, and to expand on the range of data included. To make sure we don’t miss anything, we are asking you to consider submitting data, and to suggest improvements to the way in which we combine the many sources of data to produce a single Heritage Index score. We are also building a Northern Ireland index…

Now we’re looking to make the Heritage Index bigger and better for 2016.

If you think you have or can recommend data that could meet our criteria email jonathan.schifferes@rsa.org.uk

We’d also like you to tell us what you thought of the way in which we combined the many indicators of heritage. Have a look at how we balanced the indicators to produce a single Heritage Index score – for example, we ‘weighted’ UNESCO World Heritage Sites more heavily than Grade II listed buildings.

Fill out the survey now 

Links to Wales and Scotland are available through the survey.

Links to the Index 

Read more ….

See the call for more data

Civic Voice have stressed the need for all civic societies to respond to the parliamentary inquiry on parks (by 30 September), also highlighting the work of Reading Civic Society in lobbying on this area.

Civic Voice writes:

Reading Civic Society are particularly seized by the contents of an article found in The Times on 5th August, by Richard Morrison, which highlighted that, in the noise which followed the Brexit vote, a group of MPs have established a Parliamentary Inquiry to look at the future of parks; how they should be supported now and in the future including ‘alternative management and funding models’.

Reading Civic Society has started to lobby its own members, and those of other voluntary groups in Reading, to either complete the online survey or to make a written submission of their views. Civic Voice is encouraging all of its members to do the same.

Whilst it notes the intent to engage with schools ‘…through the 75 Schools Ambassadors’ Reading Civic Society feels this is an aspiration which is hardly transparent in its implementation, unless you are on the inside track, and that we should ask schools to engage independently of such intent.  Reading Civic Society also has concerns that the attempt to engage schools will be undertaken at a time when schools will be focusing on orientating students at the start of the new terms, so this will not instantly be at the top of their priority list, unless the huge risks are highlighted to them. The society has therefore asked those with contacts in local schools to request that they also take part. It next plans to approach the local media and the town MPs.

The society asks that all civic societies do what they can to ensure as many people across the UK are aware of this Inquiry and to encourage them to make a submission of their views. 

All views have to be received by 30 September 2016.

View the news release and more information

Wandsworth Council in London is potentially the most ‘pub friendly’ Local Authority, as it has introduced Article 4 Directions to restrict changes of use to public houses.

Wandsworth Council writes:

Wandsworth has cemented its reputation as the ‘most pub-friendly council’ in the country by removing permitted development rights from 120 of the boroughs best loved bars and taverns.  It means these valued local venues can no longer be converted into mini-supermarkets, estate agents, homes or shops without the need for planning permission.

Wandsworth is the first local authority in the country to publish ‘Article 4 Directions’ on this scale and the pioneering move could be copied up and down the country to help defend the nation’s vulnerable pub trade.

In recent years an alarming number of local inns and taverns, including many viable and thriving businesses, have been quietly converted into other uses. Councils have been powerless to stop them, as owners have ‘permitted development rights’ allowing them to make the change without the need for planning permission.

The fast spread of mini-supermarkets has exacerbated the problem, with the major chains competing all over the country to find new premises and often choosing to convert pubs rather than taking over existing retail units.   But following Wandsworth Council’s ground breaking move all 120 pub owners affected will have to seek approval from the town hall before changing the building use or knocking it down.

In preparation for the Article 4 Directions, the council has already approved new planning guidance which specifically recognises the historic, architectural and community value of Wandsworth’s pubs.

This new policy, which  prompted The Publican Morning Advertiser to ask if Wandsworth is officially ‘the country’s most pub-friendly council’, now gives councillors valid grounds to refuse applications to convert any of these 120 venues into another use.

Deputy council leader Jonathan Cook said: ‘Wandsworth’s pubs are now the best protected in the entire country and have a genuine defence against the relentless spread of mini-supermarkets and estate agents.  We know how much our residents love their locals and in many cases they really are the epicenter of community life. I’m proud and delighted we’ve found a way to protect them.  I very much hope that other councils will follow our lead by adopting pub-friendly planning policies and then stripping away permitted development rights from their local inns, bars and taverns. This could be a real turning point for our nation’s superb but vulnerable pub trade and Wandsworth is more than ready to share its approach with other authorities.’

Geoff Strawbridge, Greater London CAMRA Regional Director, said: ‘I would like to see every planning authority in the country follow Wandsworth’s exemplary initiative in protecting its pubs and bars by removing permitted development rights.’

The 120 bars and pubs were chosen due to their historic or architectural value or because they make a positive contribution to their community.

They include The Alma, The Ship and The Cat’s Back in Wandsworth, The Bricklayers Arms, Arab Boy and Railway in Putney, The Plough , Falcon and The Beehive in Battersea and The Selkirk, Trafalgar Arms and Wheatsheaf in Tooting and the Bedford, Regent and Prince of Wales in Balham.  Some pubs that are currently closed have also been given protection, including the White Lion in Putney High Street and The Brewery Tap in Wandsworth High Street. It’s hoped this will give an added incentive to the owners to bring them back into use.

The Article 4 Directions were published on 12 August 2016 and pub owners have all been notified. Following consultation the Directions will need to be confirmed by the council enabling them to come into force in August 2017.

View the press release

Read more at Local Gov UK

The Stone Specialist reports that conservation contractor William Anelay, which recently featured on the BBC2 Hairy Builders programme, has announced it is having cash-flow problems in its masonry company and is asking creditors to help bail it out by accepting just a proportion of their debts under a company voluntary arrangement.

The Stone Specialist writes:

William Anelay, headed by an eighth generation member of the Anelay family (Charles), has always laid claim to being the oldest, continuously trading stonemasonry business in the country, with a provenance dating back to 1747.

But its masonry company is now a separate legal entity from William Anelay, having become a limited liability partnership involving Jonathan Hunter of Traditional Masonry in Yorkshire and moved away from William Anelay’s York premises. It is now at a one-acre site in Crigglestone, West Yorkshire, where it trades as Anelay Traditional Masonry.

Charles Anelay says: ‘While only a few projects outside our usual sphere have been involved, the values were significant and this has harmed our business performance and cash flow. They are now finished, save one, where completion is imminent, and another, which has been brought under control. But unfortunately we are now unable to pay suppliers.’

‘We have a fresh approach, have returned to our core operations and have a strong order book for the next 12 months and beyond.’

‘We appreciate that the need for a CVA will be a great disappointment to sub contractors and suppliers who have supported us for many years but this is the best way to make a maximum and prompt return to creditors and we are totally committed to making it a success. Of course, it can work only if our customers are prepared to support the proposal as well.’

‘With our bank’s support and a successful completion of the proposed debt restructuring, we aim to continue in our current form and are committed to completing schemes under contract.’ 

Read more….

A castle in the Highlands of Scotland, believed to be the inspiration for ‘Castle Leoch’ in Outlander, is one of the recipients of the latest round of heritage repair grant funding from Historic Environment Scotland (HES).

HES writes:

Castle Leod in Strathpeffer, Easter Ross widely thought to be the inspiration/basis for the fictional ‘Castle Leoch’ in the successful Outlander novels, is one of seven recipients of building repair grants across Scotland. Other projects to benefit from the scheme include the creation of affordable housing in one of Glasgow’s most deprived areas, and the creation of a health and wellbeing centre in Paisley.

The projects share a total of £576,460 awarded through Historic Environment Scotland’s (HES) Building Repair Grant Scheme, with priority being given to those applicants who demonstrated that investment in their projects would result in community benefit.

Martin Fairley, Head of Grants at HES, said:  The purpose of Building Repair Grants is primarily to assist with the repair and reuse of important historic buildings and sites, but also to ensure that the end use is something which the wider community benefits from.  Amongst the beneficiaries of the latest round of funding there is a former school in North Glasgow, disused since 2013, which is going to be converted into affordable houses. We also have a former Sunday school in Paisley which will eventually become a health centre, helping people to stop smoking, offering health checks, as well as dietary, alcohol and drugs advice. And we are able to fund vital repairs to a community centre which has served the people of Aberfeldy for nearly 30 years.’

The Category B listed former Greenview School (originally Balmore Public School), in Parkhouse, North Glasgow is set to receive £109,250 funding to convert the building into 28 housing units to be set at affordable rents to those in housing need. This is part of a wider £3 million project from the North Glasgow Community Planning Partnership in the area which will create jobs and training opportunities.

The Category A Listed Castle Leod in Strathpeffer, Easter Ross is set to receive a grant of £13,680 as part of the third phase of a project to open up the 16th century building to the public. The castle is recognised as being of national and international importance due to its architectural quality and the survival of 16th and 17th century fabrics featured. The surrounding gardens and landscape are included on the national inventory for landscapes. The funding will be used to carry out essential repairs to parts of the castle, in order to facilitate the creation of a visitor centre, study room, and refurbished disabled toilet facility. The new visitor centre will allow the castle to increase its opening hours and days.

The Category C listed Memorial Hall in Paisley is located in an area recognised as one of Scotland’s most deprived. Built by successful local architect Thomas G. Abercrombie in 1900, it is a rare example of a building purpose-built as a Sunday school. Paisley Seventh Advent Church have been awarded a £104,280 grant to assist with the conversion of the building to a church and health centre.

The Category A Listed James Watt Library in Inverclyde, dates back to the early 19th century and has been one of Greenock’s most important civic buildings for a long time. Thanks to a grant of £297,000 it’s long term future will be secured, parts of the building which have been unable to be used for years will be reopened, and the buildings capacity to provide high quality library, exhibition, and archiving facilities will be significantly improved.

View the press release and full list of grant recipients

Find out more about Historic Environment Scotland’s Building Repair Grants Scheme

A project which started in Shropshire, led by the charity Caring for God’s Acre, is aiming to go nationwide through a crowdsourced heritage map of burial grounds, helping to improve understanding of the importance of the heritage and biodiversity of the spaces.

Shropshire-based charity Caring for God’s Acre has been awarded support for the Beautiful Burial Ground project, thanks to National Lottery players.

The project aims to put burial grounds literally on the heritage map by creating a database and interactive map where individual sites can be mapped and linked to records of its wildlife, architecture and stories.

Vanessa Harbar, Head of HLF West Midlands, said: ‘From nesting spots in ancient trees to hiding places in undisturbed walls, burial grounds are incredibly important for wildlife and biodiversity.’  Volunteers of all ages are vital to the project and will have the opportunity to build research and recording skills, thanks to workshops and a series of special events.’

Vanessa added: ‘Thanks to National Lottery players, this project will put citizen scientists at the heart of creating a lasting and accessible record of the natural, built and social heritage of some of the UK’s thousands of burial grounds.’

The charity has been awarded £17,700 to develop the plans and apply for a full grant of £586,700.

Sue Cooper, Caring for God’s Acre, said: ‘The Beautiful Burial Ground Project will enable us to literally put burial sites on the map, and it’s great to know that we are a big step closer to conserving these amazing sites for the generations to come.’

The four-year project is expected to begin next autumn.

View the press release

The Women and Equalities Committee have launched an inquiry into the accessibility of homes, buildings and public spaces.

The Women and Equalities Committee writes:

The accessibility of our homes, buildings and public spaces is an issue not just for those of us with a permanent physical disability. With an ageing population, it is likely that more and more of us will experience reduced mobility in our lifetime. There are also other needs to consider, such as mental health. In this inquiry we explore the extent to which those needs are considered and accommodated in our built environment, and ask whether more could be done to increase the accessibility and inclusivity of both new and existing properties and spaces.

Committee Chair Maria Miller said: ‘This area raises some interesting questions, and there is a great deal of scope for innovation. For example: how can building information modelling and modern methods of construction, contribute to making environments more accessible and inclusive? How can we deliver greater accessibility and inclusivity alongside more age-friendly towns and cities, including liaison with the NHS? To what extent do shared space schemes in roads and highways cause barriers for disabled people and how can these be resolved? We need to ensure that buildings and public spaces are as accessible and inclusive as possible, and that communities can fully engage with the process of decision making that shapes the accessibility of the built environment.’

View the news release and further details of the questions to be raised in the Disability and Built Environment Inquiry at Parliament UK

Derbyshire County Council is to launch a judicial review challenge over a consultation on proposals to put a Sheffield City Region Mayor in charge of some council services in Chesterfield, after claiming the largest town in the county would no longer have local control over key services like strategic planning. 

Read more at Local Government Lawyer

Historic England has called on the Communities Secretary to call-in proposals for a 25-storey residential tower at Somers Town near St Pancras Railway Station – a scheme already approved by Camden Council and the London mayor – which the heritage advisor claimed would blight views of Chester Terrace, a Grade 1 Listed row of neo-classical homes in nearby Regent’s Park. 

Read more….

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has suggested that the timescale for implementation of the new apprenticeship levy should be reconsidered.

The CBI writes:

Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI Director-General, said: ‘We welcome the Government’s focus on growing investment in apprenticeships, and business stands ready to step up and increase its own commitment. However, the Apprenticeship Levy in its current form risks turning the clock back on recent progress through poor design and rushed timescales.  Without a radical rethink it could damage not raise training quality. This really matters because of the crucial importance of closing the skills gap to improving the UK’s lagging productivity. The Government must take time to get this right, and listen properly to the concerns and ideas of the businesses who will be doing their best to make it work. 

‘The Government’s announcement provides business with much needed information which shows some progress, including support for smaller firms, but fundamental problems remain. The Levy is too narrowly defined. It covers only one type of training and employers can only reclaim off-the-job costs. As a result, valuable forms of training risk being cut back, with quantity put ahead of quality.  The April 2017 start date will not give firms sufficient time to prepare, so we urge the Government to delay implementation. Though business understands the fiscal challenges, it would be a great mistake to rush ahead before a viable scheme is ready.’

‘We urge the new Secretary of State to take a step back from the political timetable and consider what is best for building the skills of our young people, to enable the UK to become a high-skilled, high-productivity economy. Business stands ready to work with Government to build a system that delivers for the future and from the outset.’

View the press release

The latest recipients of Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) funding have been revealed, they include UK’s only surviving gas-lit cinema and Kelmscott Manor.

HLF writes:

The investment is set to secure a bright future for some much-loved heritage, boost tourism and create jobs and volunteering opportunities for people of all ages.

Opening days and visitor numbers will double at Kelmscott Manor, the inspiration of many of Morris’ works and his passion for conservation.  Two rooms in the manor and a number of historic buildings in the grounds will be restored and reopened. This will give visitors unprecedented access to the site’s heritage and ease pressure on existing facilities and the small village of Kelmscott.  Virtual visitors will also benefit from the £4.7m project. New digital interpretation will feature online tours of historic buildings dating back to the 16th century and people will be able to study objects up close from Kelmscott’s incredible collection of furniture, pictures and textiles – many created by Morris himself. 

Open for film lovers in Leeds for over a century, the UK’s only surviving gas-lit cinema will be saved for future generations to enjoy thanks to £2.4m made possible by National Lottery players.  Hyde Park Picture House, thought to be one of the oldest small picture houses, was opened just after the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. During the war, the cinema played a key role in broadcasting news bulletins, war footage and morale-boosting patriotic dramas. It took the advent of the ‘talkies’ in its stride and remains popular today – showing historic films and modern blockbusters.  The project will open up archive material including film programmes dating back to the cinema’s opening night, restore original features and ensure its future as a working historic cinema for another century to come.

Heritage Minister Tracey Crouch MP welcomed the news, saying: ‘Our heritage provides us with a sense of identity and helps boost tourism, local economies and people’s wellbeing.  These grants will have a huge impact on a range of projects across England. I am delighted that, thanks to National Lottery players, we are able to help preserve important parts of our heritage for the public to enjoy.’ 

Gardens and galleries, historic halls and hotels, and stories of Shackleton and saints: the sites receiving funding are:

• St Albans Cathedral – £3.9m
• Endeavour Galleries at the National Maritime Museum – £4.7m
• Plymouth History Centre – £14.8m
• St Mary Magdalene’s Church, Paddington – £3.6m
• Acquisition of Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I – £7.4m
• Hall for Cornwall – £2.8m
• Otterburn Hall, Northumberland – £2m
• RHS Garden Wisley – £4.8m
• St Marylebone Parish Church, Westminster – £3.6m
• The Beautiful Burial Ground project – £604,400

Read more….

The People’s Postcode Lottery has launched the 2017 round of its Dream Fund, with a closing date of September 15- heritage engagement is eligible for up to £1m funding

The People’s Postcode Lottery writes:

The Dream Fund gives organisations the chance to deliver the project they have always dreamed of, but never had the opportunity to bring to life. We are asking charitable organisations across Great Britain to think big, be ambitious and collaborate with other not-for-profit partners to deliver their dream project.

Dream Fund 2017 is now open for applications. Applications are to be submitted via an online form that is available to access below. The deadline for applications is September 15th at 5:30pm.

Dream Fund 2017 is offering a total award fund of over £2.5 million for charitable organisations to deliver their ‘dream’ project in Great Britain (Scotland, England or Wales) in 2017-2019.

Charities will be able to apply for funding to deliver their dream project. There will be two or three awards in total. Successful projects will be announced in January 2017. Please read the guidance notes thoroughly before applying:

Registered charities and community organisations in Scotland, England or Wales can join forces to apply for up to £1,000,000 to deliver a new and innovative project up to 24 months in length that meets one or more of the following funding themes:

• Early child development;
• Helping refugees in our community;
• Conserving our marine environment;
• Reconnecting with the natural world; and,
• Engaging people with arts’ culture and heritage.

View the press release

The thirtieth annual awards of Arts & Business Scotland are open for entries (closing date 30 September); Place, Placemaking and museums are included as categories, why not enter?

Arts & Business Scotland writes:

Arts & Business Scotland is inviting nominations for its 30th Annual Awards which  will be held in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Thursday 23rd March 2017. The annual event celebrates outstanding collaborations between the business and cultural sectors. Deadline for submitting nominations is midnight, Friday 30 September 2016.

The categories:

• People
• Placemaking
• Innovation
• Enterprise
• International
• Business Creativity
• Enterprising Museum

Read more….

A historic Welsh canal route is being revitalised with the help of an engineer who was originally involved in filling in the canal in the 1970’s.

The Canal and River Trust writes:

Volunteers working to restore lost sections of the Swansea Canal have enlisted an unusual ally – the engineer tasked with filling in the canal back in the 1970’s.

Swansea Canal Society, working with Gland?r Cymru – the Trust in Wales – made contact with John Evans as one of only three men alive who knows how the historic canal was buried in 1973, having been the engineer appointed by Glamorgan County Council to take on the project.  He’s now on board to help the restoration effort, and has been advising volunteers on how best to bring Lock 7, now the site of an old highways depot, back to life.

Martin Davies, a trustee of the Swansea Canal Society, said: ‘John has shed new light on what happened on the day the lock was buried. He had to reduce the height of the lock chamber sides by five feet and remove a quarter of its length to level out the ground surface for a new council depot, but so sure was he that one day the lock would re-emerge that he repointed all the surviving stone work. It was then buried together with one hundred yards of piped canal. We hope that the Society and the Canal & River Trust can restore both lock and canal and reward John’s act of faith.’

The Swansea Canal originally stretched the sixteen miles between Abercraf and Swansea, and like many of the UK’s inland waterways fell out of use, closing to commercial traffic in 1931. The following fifty years saw much of the waterway filled in, leaving only six miles and six – out of an original thirty six – locks in water. 

The restoration effort has been boosted by the huge commitment of local volunteers, who have clocked up over twenty five thousand hours’ work on the waterway in the past three years alone. The Swansea Canal Society has also recently been awarded a ‘Green Flag’ to recognise the canal’s environmental value to the local community.

Nick Worthington, waterway manager at Gland?r Cymru, said: ‘Swansea Canal Society have made huge progress in the restoration of the canal, and we’re really grateful for the massive amount of work they put in. Getting one of the original engineers on board is a big step towards bringing lost parts of the waterway back into use, and the recent Green Flag award shows how much the canal already brings to the community.’

View the press release

Three historic shipwrecks in South West England have been given protection by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on the advice of Historic England. 

Historic England writes:

Shipwrecks have been a source of inspiration to English writers, artists and scholars for centuries – from Shakespeare to Enid Blyton, whose Famous Five spent a whole summer exploring a fictional Cornish wreck. This summer, these wrecks have been given special protection, and they include two that are often publicly accessible from the Devon sands.

Shifting sands and weather patterns can allow the public to see sights that are usually the preserve of divers. When the conditions are right, visitors to Devon can see this important historic coastal fabric, which has now been identified and given state protection, from dry land. Dating from the late Medieval period to the late 18th century, all three wrecks are rare survivals of wooden sailing vessels found in English waters and are protected for their potential to shed new light on key periods of England’s maritime history.

The earliest wreck, known as the Axe Boat, lies in a mud bank on the west side of the Axe River in south Devon. Before appearing out of the mud in 2001 following changes in the flow of the River Axe, the wreck was unrecorded, suggesting it has remained buried in the riverbed within living memory. It’s a rare example of vessels of the late medieval period and dating of extracted samples of wood indicates that it was built between 1400 and 1640. The hull retains characteristic features of medieval ships such as the ‘crook’d floor’ – a Y-shaped framing timber at the bottom of the vessel.

The Axe Boat is likely to have been used in coastal trade or fishing and such vessels were once prolific as England’s mercantile trade developed. Axmouth was ranked as a major port by the mid-14th century and accounted for 15% of the country’s shipping trade.

The other two wrecks lie a few hundred metres apart on the sands at Northam Burrows Country Park in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Devon. They date to the late 18th century and have been exposed by the elements a number of times over the past few decades, most recently following the winter storms of 2014.

The larger wreck at Westward Ho! (23metres long x 7 metres wide) is nationally important because it still retains its key identifying features despite the effects of erosion, with the ship’s construction and orientation clearly visible. It is believed to be the remains of the ‘Sally’, which ran aground on the sands in 1769, while bound from Oporto in Portugal to Bristol with a cargo of port wine.

The smaller boat was probably a Severn Trow, a small merchant ship working locally in the Bristol Channel coastline around 200 years ago. It is lying at such an angle that it appears to have been driven ashore in a storm. 11,000 vessels are known to have been wrecked in England waters in the late 18th century and few from this period have been discovered other than naval ships or important trading vessels such as East India Company ships. Together, the two wrecks are significant because they represent England’s commercial ambitions of the time.

All three wrecks lie in sand or in mud in the inter-tidal zone so are freely accessible to visit on public land at the points when they are uncovered. No diving licence is required, though attention must be given to local tidal conditions.

View the news release

Deep budget cuts and continual changes in planning policy have stripped public sector planners of the powers and resources to perform leadership and coordinating roles, according to report…

Strategic leadership from local authority planners to spur public sector-led development is urgently needed when private developers are vulnerable from post-Brexit uncertainty, yet 73% % of planners in England feel changes to the planning system have reduced their ability to deliver, the RTPI has said in a new report ‘Delivering the value of planning’.

The RTPI writes:

A survey of planners working in England, published in a new report, reveals

• 53 % of respondents think that planning reforms have hindered planners in ensuring more housing is built;
• nearly 70% think they are less able to deliver the benefits of planning compared to 10 years ago.

The report from the RTPI – the voice of professional planning – warns that deep budget cuts and continual changes in planning policy over the last 30 years have stripped public sector planners of the powers and resources to perform leadership and coordinating roles.

It says in England it has resulted in a system that is more complicated and more uncertain, with a reduced ability to ensure that development is well-planned and connected to transport and facilities, and a narrower range and number of affordable housing to rent or buy. 

Phil Williams, RTPI President, said: ‘For too long planning has been relegated to a reactive, bureaucratic function, instead of being able to plan strategically to drive development, jobs and growth. We are hearing from our members a clear sense that deep budget cuts and constant changes have hindered their ability to operate strategically and perform a leadership role.  Public sector planners’ ability to be proactive is especially important in these uncertain times. It is absolutely crucial we resource councils’ planning teams properly, so that planners can operate strategically.  We want to see closer integration of planning activities with councils’ economic development and devolved areas of responsibilities to guide private sector investment and keep up the momentum for building.  It is also vital that local authorities work more closely with each other and the private sector to address land supply issues and provide the certainty the market needs.’

The report calls for:

• stronger public sector-led management of land supply
• a stronger private sector role in development partnerships (drawing on the lessons from Urban Regeneration Companies, Urban Development Corporations, and Enterprise Zones)
• better resourced planning departments and more stable planning system that provides greater certainty for developers and communities
• better integration of planning activity with all kinds of infrastructure provision 

Read the report and the press release

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark has highlighted the role of local growth and the importance of ‘place’ in developing and delivering the government’s industrial strategy, during a visit to Northern Ireland (NI).

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, writes:

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark has underlined the vital role of local growth and the importance of ‘place’ in developing and delivering the government’s comprehensive industrial strategy during a visit to Belfast.

For the first time, all ministers in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will act as local growth champions across the United Kingdom and will be tasked with building relationships with a number of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).

Ministers will also engage with businesses and local leaders in the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and will act as a first point of contact for respective LEPs in England within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said: ‘Government has helped transform the business landscape by putting power back into the hands of local communities and businesses to drive economic growth. To make sure every corner of the UK benefits, I am giving ministers in my team geographic areas of responsibility so they can build on existing relationships to better connect government policy with the businesses and industries we’re working with.  This is part of our plan to build an economy that works for all. An effective industrial strategy has to recognise and take advantage of the differences and unique strengths that exist across the country, and I will be encouraging all my ministers to get out there and meet the people who know their area best.’

The announcement was made as the Business and Energy Secretary visited Belfast with Industry and Energy Minister Jesse Norman, who has been appointed the lead for Northern Ireland. During the visit, the Business and Energy Secretary hosted a roundtable with leading local firms from the maritime, energy and engineering sectors.

Industry and Energy Minister Jesse Norman said: ‘A key part of the government’s industrial strategy will be to try to ensure that industries in Northern Ireland have the support and infrastructure they need to thrive.  That is why it’s important we’re in Belfast today, listening to businesses that support the local economy. I look forward to working with them and others in future.’

Read more….