IHBC NewsBlogs

The RTPI Trust will fund four undergraduate bursaries for the 2016-17 academic year to help high-achieving students from diverse backgrounds or living with a disability to study planning and gain Chartered membership.

Read more…. and see the press release

The owner of an historic London pub in Stepney, Tower Hamlets, the George Tavern, has won a Court of Appeal challenge after a planning appeal allowed a three-storey building on the site of a former nightclub next door, with the consent now quashed.

Read more at Local Government Lawyer

Culture Secretary, John Whittingdale, has appointed Loyd Grossman CBE, also Heritage Alliance Chair and the keynote speaker at the IHBC’s recent Annual School in Worcester, as the Chairman of The Royal Parks. 

Read the press release

The Commons Library has published a briefing paper on the ‘Revocation of planning permission‘, which covers the rarely-used procedure that occasionally allows planning permission to be revoked after it has been granted.

The Commons Library writes:

This briefing paper describes the circumstances in which local authorities, the Secretary of State and devolved Government Ministers can revoke planning permission. Sections 1-4 apply to England and Wales. Section 5 sets out the law in Scotland and section 6 covers Northern Ireland. Section 7 provides examples of revocation across the UK countries.

See the press release and download the report

The Museum of London has today revealed the design concepts from six architectural teams shortlisted in the international design competition for the new museum at West Smithfield set to open in 2021

Each of the designs illustrate what the new museum could look like and embrace a wide range of interpretations, all of which demonstrate ‘high quality, creative ideas and innovation for this exciting project’. The 25,000 sq m site includes Smithfield General Market, the Fish Market, the Red House and the Engine House and has a £130-150m construction budget.

The winning architects will work with the museum to refine their ideas to ensure they sensitively balance the history of the site with the museum’s ambition and that the look and feel of the new museum embodies London.

The shortlisted entries will be judged by a panel of well-known figures from the worlds of the arts, media, property, architecture and business, chaired by television and radio presenter, Evan Davis and has recently welcomed a new member, journalist, author and broadcaster, Sir Simon Jenkins. The winning team is expected to be announced later this summer.

The museum intends to submit a planning application for the West Smithfield site to the City of London Corporation in 2017 and to deliver the new museum by 2021.

The designs will now go on display at an exhibition at the Museum of London, from 10 June to 5 August, 10am – 6pm daily, to give the public an opportunity to view the designs and learn more about the museum’s plans to move to West Smithfield.

http://advisor.museumsandheritage.com/six-designs-shortlisted-new-museum-london-smithfield-general-market/

Planning Portal writes: ‘Lawyers and ecologists say that EU directives and European-derived regulations that relate to wildlife protection and air quality limits are likely to remain in place despite the referendum outcome…’

Read more… and at BDB, read the blog post from Angus Walker and news article from Thomson Ecology.

Forest of Dean District Council unlawfully took account of payments promised by an applicant when it granted planning permission (PP) for a wind turbine, the High Court has ruled, and has quashed the consent.

The judge concluded that though the donations were to have been administered through a community benefit society they did not meet the criteria for materiality in case law as they were not designed to ameliorate any adverse impact of the development, and could be used for any purpose considered locally beneficial.

‘Simply being a contribution for community benefit related to a local strategy for health, social or cultural wellbeing does not make that contribution in and of itself material to a planning determination,” the judge noted, adding that he was “unable to accept that the fact that the proposal is community-led precludes or renders unnecessary an examination of the contributions associated with it to see whether or not they satisfy the legal requirements of being a material consideration in the planning decision”.

The judge continued: “I am satisfied…that the defendant was not entitled to take into account as a material consideration in their planning decision the offer of the local community donation made by the interested party as part of their proposal. As a consequence the decision which they reached was unlawful.”

Read more at Local Government Lawyer

The British Council has announced the opening of the £30m Cultural Protection Fund to protect heritage overseas, as organisations are invited to apply for grants between £5k and £500K, while specialist assessors are still sought, until 15 July.

The British Council writes:

In partnership with the Department for Culture Media and Sport, the British Council are delighted to announce that the Cultural Protection Fund is now open for its initial round of funding. The new £30 million fund is designed to help create opportunities for economic and social development through the fostering, safeguarding and promotion of cultural heritage in conflict-affected regions overseas.

Organisations, working with local partners in one or more of the Fund’s target countries within the Middle East and North Africa region, are invited to apply for grants between £5k and £500K.

Applicants for this initial round of funding will be required to have existing partners in one or more of the target countries. The next fund round will be launched on 1 September 2016, and all applicants, including those who are still developing partnerships in target countries, will be able to apply.

Full details of the application process (including timelines and eligibility)

See more background information, details on Specialist Assessors and the application process

Phil Williams, President of the RTPI, speaking at its annual planning convention, has urged politicians to value the role of planners and planning, stating that years of reform have ‘undermined the ability of planners’ and failed to deliver better growth.

Mr Williams said:

‘The issues that many people expressed during the EU debate relating to migration and population growth, unaffordable housing, the pressure on health and educational services, the need for economic growth….require planned solutions.  In addition, the referendum results highlight the great divisions between the different nations of the UK and the regions of England in terms of their needs and unfulfilled aspirations.’

‘It is time for us to say – as an Institute, and as a profession – in a stronger voice than we have before, that successive governments have been taking us in the wrong direction.’

‘That 30 or so years of planning reform, especially in England, have undermined the ability of planners to deliver [the economic and social benefits the country needs].’

‘That endless reform has not produced better places, better growth, better housing, better communities and more reform along the old familiar lines will not change this.’

‘That we need a fundamentally different approach that recognises, supports and invests in the benefits that planning can deliver.’

‘That it’s time to value planning – after all, there is no better solution.’

Read the press release

Ecclesiastical, the church insurer, has opened its ’Churches Helping Communities Competition’ for 2016 with the winner set to receive £10,000 with a further five runners-up prizes of £2,000 available.

Ecclesiastical writes

We know that churches provide a unique and valuable focus for local communities, and are often at the heart of finding solutions for the challenges faced by their communities. This year, we would like to find those churches who work tirelessly every day to bring communities around them together.

To enter, all you need to do is let us know about your church community activity – what is it you are doing? We will be judging the competition based on:

• Creative – What is new, different or imaginative about the way you help your community?
• Effective – How has your community been supported?
• Inspirational – Will your idea inspire other churches? 

Find out more and to enter complete the online form

Bristol Old Vic is the oldest working theatre in the English speaking world and this year it is celebrating its 250th anniversary with a major project that will create a new heritage visitor attraction by utilising records and archives based in the city and transform its facilities to create a heritage business.

Museums and Heritage writes:

The latest project is a two-year build with the planning and outreach commencing in 2018, with heritage engagement becoming a major part of the permanent work of Bristol Old Vic and the theatre’s story will become an inspiration for a wide range of activities. The project will also allow the theatre team to decode and explain the theatre’s architectural story over time from its Georgian origins to 20th century interventions and of course the latest developments.

Read more….

Isleworth Crown Court has upheld The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) Council’s decision to issue a ‘section 215’ notice requiring that red and white stripes are removed from a house in the Kensington Square Conservation Area, requiring as the house to be repainted white within 28 days.

RBKC writes:

The Council’s decision to issue a notice requiring that red and white stripes be removed from a house in the Kensington Square Conservation Area was yesterday (Wednesday 22 June) upheld at Isleworth Crown Court.

The court heard two days of evidence before His Honour Judge Johnson dismissed the appeal by Zipporah Lisle-Mainwaring, against an earlier decision of District Judge S. Bayne to uphold a section 215 notice, served by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. This notice had ordered the property at 19 South End, W8 to be repainted white. The judge also made an order that the appellant must pay the Council’s costs of £17,390.20.

The full written judgment is still to be issued but the judge confirmed the appellant lost on all points and that the section 215 notice will take effect from the date of the written judgement, after which the appellant will have to repaint the house white within 28 days.

Read more at IHBC NewsBlogs and see the press release

The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) is consulting with unions on axing more than a quarter of its full-time staff under a multi-million pound cost-cutting drive, as reports from mainstream press and civil sectors highlight potential threats to core heritage objectives.

The NTS writes:

Scotland’s largest conservation charity, the 350,000-member National Trust for Scotland, has begun formal consultation on significant changes to its structure as well as proposals to invest tens of millions of pounds in its iconic heritage properties, its systems and people.

The changes are part of the Trust’s strategy to widen its appeal, encourage more people to visit and enjoy the heritage in its care, increase membership and generate more income for investment in conservation. more….

The Scotsman writes:

More than half of the 250-strong workforce at the National Trust for Scotland’s headquarters in Edinburgh have been told their jobs are under threat.

Almost 50 staff have been told that they will lose their jobs unless they are prepared to relocate as part of the restructuring, ordered by new chief executive Simon Skinner, who was appointed a year ago.

NTS, which has 540 full-time equivalent staff, said the bulk of the 142 ‘at risk’ posts are based at its Hermiston Quay headquarters. The charity only relocated there six years ago after selling off its historic New Town home under a previous savings programme.

The cuts are being made in a bid to reduce NTS’s running costs by 10 per cent and instead plough £4 million worth of savings into a £17m overhaul of parts of its portfolio….

However union leaders described the cuts by the 85-year-old trust, as a ‘devastating blow’ for Scotland’s heritage sector. They raised concerns over the impact on ‘significantly stretched’ staff and claimed replacing full-time staff with contractors would have a long-term ‘damaging’ effect on its work.

However Mr Skinner, previously chief executive of finance giant Aegon Ireland, described NTS’s overhaul as ‘a visionary transformation’. He insisted it had no plans to close down attractions.

He added: ‘Efficiencies will enable us to continue to invest in properties and create a virtuous circle which will result in us earning more income from increasing numbers of visitors and members. This will allow us to address the conservation backlog that has been a long-standing barrier to our ambitions. more…

Civil Society writes

The National Trust for Scotland could reduce its workforce by up to a quarter as part of a drive to generate an extra £8m a year of income and savings.

…. Prospect, the union representing staff, has said it is ‘a devastating blow to Scotland’s heritage sector’ which risk damaging the charity in the long term.

‘We are concerned that the trust’s proposals rely heavily on replacing full-time staff with contractors. Although a move like this can show short-term cost reductions, they risk damaging the trust in the long-term.’ more….

Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) is funding a scholarship for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) candidates accepted onto the UCL MRes in Science and Engineering in Art, Heritage and Archaeology (SEAHA).

HRP writes:

HRP particularly welcome BAME applicants as a currently under-represented group both in heritage science and within their organisation: they believe that there should be better representation of diversity in this sector.

Over the two-year period of the scholarship, this opportunity will involve spending time studying towards the MRes SEAHA at UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage and with the HRP Conservation and Collection Care department at Hampton Court Palace, developing skills in the area of heritage science.

The deadline for applications is 15 July 2016.

Visit UCL ISH for more on the scholarship and read the news article 

Vital work to ensure drivers continue to have safe journeys over Spaghetti Junction in Birmingham is set to restart on repairs of what Highways England has described as work ‘to protect one of Britain’s most iconic road structures’.

Highways England writes:

The ageing structure is in need of repair and the work is unavoidable.

Work will begin on Monday 27 June, and is expected to last until Christmas. However, Highways England has stressed engineers cannot tell the scale of concrete damage until the carriageway is closed and the road surface removed.

Highways England project manager, Jess Kenny, said: ‘The road was built a considerable number of years ago and has reached the end of its life. We need to work now to ensure this part of Spaghetti Junction is protected for years to come.

If we don’t act now, water will cause more and more damage in the structure; corroding the steel reinforcement bars and causing damage to the concrete itself. Leaving it alone is not really an option and would mean bigger and more disruptive roadworks in future.’

Read more….

The National Heritage Training Group (NHTG) bursary scheme is still offering opportunities in carpentry and brick (London area) as part of its HLF funded training programmes, with current closing dates of 8 July. 

For more details see below or contact Graham Lee, National Project Manager, Tel: 07971 655692 Email: graham.lee@thebcc.ac.uk

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC) is facing a judicial review over its decision to approve a former pallet works as the site for a new school.

The Save Diggle Action Group (SDAG) has applied for the judicial review as spokesman Keith Lucas told a local newspaper: ‘It’s a final chance to prevent the Diggle valley being bulldozed and levelled and the prospect of a car park, weld-mesh fences, astro-turf and floodlights on our greenbelt, ruining forever this popular canal-side setting and tourist destination.’

A further dispute concerns the status of some of the site’s former industrial buildings as SDAG cited a letter from Historic England stating: ‘The site contains the majority of what was once the Dobcross Loom Works. On the basis of the information provided, many of the structures on site appear to date back to the 19th and earlier half of the 20th century, lending context and understanding to the Grade II listed Dobcross Works office building.’ 

Read more at Local Government Lawyer

South Norfolk Council members have gone against officer recommendation and given retrospective planning permission for a child’s tree house in a garden at Harleston, built three years ago.

The BBC writes:

Chris Mack built the den at his parents’ home in Harleston, Norfolk, three years ago.  South Norfolk Council discovered it in December and said it infringed the privacy of neighbouring properties. The authority’s planning committee said the concerns were not “sufficient” enough to warrant removing it.

Read more…