IHBC NewsBlogs

Bawdsey Radar station has received HLF and HE funding to assist with conservation works at the world’s first operational radar station.

Bawdsey Radar writes:
Bawdsey Radar has been awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £1.4m as part of a £1.8m project to conserve the Transmitter Block building on Bawdsey Manor Estate in Suffolk. The Transmitter Block was built in 1938 and was a key building at RAF Bawdsey, the world’s first operational radar station.  The major site construction work will start in September 2016 and an exciting new exhibition will open in September 2017 allowing all visitors to explore and find out about this pioneering radar site.

The building has become a focal point for the local community on the Deben Peninsula. Christine Block, Bawdsey Radar Trustee and a Member at Suffolk Coastal District Council has commented,

‘We’re delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has given us this funding. The Transmitter Block has always been really well supported by local people. It represents such a key moment in our recent history that the community is really excited to feel that the building is going to survive and tell its’ unique story.’

As well as plans for conserving the fabric of the building, Bawdsey Radar will be working to develop ways, physical and virtual, in which more people can visit the site and understand the importance of the radar heritage that the Transmitter Block represents.  New displays within the Transmitter Block will tell the story of radar and its significance in WW2.  Radar helped win the war by playing a vital part in the Battle of Britain in 1940 and it is estimated the technology helped shorten the war by two years.  An important part of the project will be providing opportunities for learning about radar’s fascinating social and scientific history, and about how the early work at Bawdsey laid the foundation for our current age of electronics leading to inventions such as GPS, accurate weather forecasting, speed safety cameras and even the microwave oven!.

Mary Wain, Chair of Bawdsey Radar Trust is excited about the award  ‘This is wonderful news.  Now Bawdsey Radar can really concentrate on telling the story of radar and Bawdsey’s role in it.   The condition of the Transmitter Block had been reaching the point where it would no longer have been possible to open it to the public but now with the HLF and Historic England awards , its full steam ahead’

Robyn Llewellyn, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund East of England, said: ‘The East of England played a vital role during the Second World War, particularly in the field of aviation. Thanks to National Lottery players, the Heritage Lottery Fund has been able to invest in this transformational project that will ensure many more people in the region and beyond are able to explore this pivotal story from one of our nation’s most important periods in its history.’

In addition Bawdsey Radar is fortunate to have been offered a grant of £196,320 by Historic England to help with the repair of this building at risk, as described by John Etté Principal Adviser, Heritage at Risk. East of England.  ‘Grade II* Bawdsey Transmitter Block played a vital part in the development of radar technology during the Second World War, which also had a huge impact on post-war electronics and defence systems. Our grant will help conserve and restore this very important building by removing it from Historic England’s ‘at risk’ register.  We have provided specialist support to help with the plans for a technically challenging conservation and restoration project.’

View the press release

A new report into property condition and ownership in town centres by Bond Dickinson has been launched which suggests a Town Centre Investment Management approach, pooling property to help make it more attractive to investors and help in proper management.

Bond Dickinson writes:
A hard-hitting report has proposed a radical new model to get investment back into Britain’s high streets.

The Town Centre Investment Zones report, launched today by a group of property industry experts, demonstrates that asset management of the high street could unlock much-needed investment for local authorities and communities to transform their areas.

The report, carried out by Peter Brett Associates with Bond Dickinson and Citi Centric, suggests that Town Centre Investment Management (TCIM), which involves the pooling of a critical mass of property assets into an investment vehicle, will allow the assets to be managed and curated, rejuvenating the high street.

View the press release

View the full report

New research has concluded that increased internet shopping is definitely not the only factor affecting the life of High Streets, with a first of its kind study revealing 201 factors seen to be influencing their continued vitality and viability. 

The ESRC writes:
Seasonal high street footfall figures fell yet again in 2015. But it’s not the internet that is killing the high street; instead, blame poor local decision-making by councils, retailers and the retail property industry, say researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University.  In the first research of its kind to attempt to identify and analyse all influences upon high street performance in one study, the High Street UK2020 project identified 201 individual factors that affect high street performance. The top five were:

• Retailer representation – which retailers are represented on the high street, eg a mix of shop fronts and store sizes
• Accessibility – can the centre be reached by a variety of transport modes, eg by bus, car, bike etc.?
• Out-of-town development – are there nearby out-of-town retail parks or poorly linked edge-of-town developments?
• Convenience – can people shop in the town centre without much effort?
• Leadership – is there a clear and realistic plan for the centre?

‘About 38 per cent of a town’s performance can be explained by factors that it can influence locally,’ says researcher Simon Quin. ‘The problem is that in many locations retailers and the local authority are not collaborating and working together effectively to increase footfall, and this includes ignoring how important other town centre attractions are to people, such as events like carol services or Christmas markets.’

Despite the Black Friday hype, this year’s UK high street footfall fell nearly ten per cent from 2014, according to retail intelligence agency Springboard. On the other hand, retail park footfall rose by three per cent on Black Friday 2015, compared to 2014.  Retail parks are direct competitors to the high street, unlike internet retailing which is more of a complementary channel,’ says Professor Cathy Parker, the lead investigator for the High Street UK2020 research.  Much has been made of the ‘restorative power’ of innovations such as click-and-collect, but in general we find that retailing continues to shift online and out-of-town,’ Professor Parker continues. But her two-year study reveals that some of this shift is far from inevitable.

‘We identified a definitive list of the causes of town centre decline as well as concrete local actions that town councils, retailers and stakeholders could take to reverse high street decline,’ she explains.  Opening hours is top of the list of factors open to local influence. The High Street UK2020 project reveals that many medium and smaller sized towns are not adjusting to the changing needs of their local catchment area. People want their local centre to be convenient and open when they are likely to visit. But retailers and other stakeholders have not adapted, say researchers.  Libraries, shops and other services shut at 5.30pm, just before thousands of commuters may be arriving by rail, tram and bus services. ‘Obviously town centres can’t be open 24/7, but each locality should establish its own optimum opening times, based on analysis of its local catchment’, suggests Professor Parker. ‘This doesn’t automatically mean late-night opening or longer trading hours. In locations with a high percentage of retired residents, earlier opening times may drive more trade.’

The second key factor that stakeholders can influence is a town centre’s visual appearance and cleanliness, say researchers. ‘Again, local stakeholders can do a lot to present the high street in the most attractive way. This factor is the easiest one to influence locally, as anyone can collect litter and weed flower beds,’ Quin points out. Historically, this has been the role of the local authority, but with austerity cuts these basic interventions can be stripped right back. ‘Our research shows people’s attitudes to places are significantly affected by litter,’ says Professor Parker. ‘Towns can’t afford to look dirty, and this is why many locations have formed Business Improvement Districts to fund these operational imperatives,’ she adds.

Which retailers are represented and what they offer to consumers ranked third in the list of factors open to local improvement.  Many retailers are simply not making location decisions based upon a good understanding of the local catchment, say researchers. ‘We think too many national retail chains are abandoning locations just because other retailers are withdrawing from that particular high street,’ Quin points out. ‘And they won’t invest in locations that do not already have significant multiple-retailer-occupied floorspace.’  Morley, one of the project towns, had found it impossible to attract a national coffee shop retailer, despite having evidence of unfulfilled demand for such an operator.

‘Of course retailing is location, location, location, and retailers want to be where the major footfall is, in regional city centres and out-of-town retail parks. But we don’t believe this strategy will give the majority of retailers a resilient store portfolio,’ says Professor Parker. ‘They need to get better at fitting in and contributing to a strong and coherent overall town offer, recognising that people visit physical locations for a variety of reasons, including a good customer experience,’ she adds. That might mean in some more historic locations retailers should ensure their shop fronts complement the heritage, rather than undermine it with their standard (sometimes garish) use of signs and branding. For example, New River Retailer, another partner in the High Street UK2020 project, has commissioned designer Wayne Hemingway to undertake an art deco makeover of the Arndale shopping centre in Morecambe, to reflect the town’s seaside status.

In many cases, town centre decline can be halted, researchers conclude. ‘Effective local leadership, collaboration and clear visions and strategies work,’ Quin insists. ‘The towns that took part in the project demonstrated that if the right people work together on the right actions it can bring people back to the high street.’

View the press release

View a full list of the 201 factors

Members with an interest in specification will need to know about new labelling procedures for chemical products used in the EU; three new levels of labelling information have been introduced to ensure greater transparency in the use of chemicals.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) writes:
There is now a new, easier way to find out about the chemicals we use on a daily basis. The information is available in three layers of complexity: the simple infocard, the more detailed brief profile and the full source data.

The infocard gives a summary of the key information on a chemical substance in plain English. Users can read about the chemicals they are exposed to, where they are commonly used, whether they are hazardous and the precautions that they might need to take.

The brief profile goes deeper into the environmental, human health and physico-chemical properties of the chemical. It provides a user-friendly overview of the information collected for each substance under the different chemical regulations. This will be most useful for employers, workers, academics and regulators.

The third level, source data, includes the raw data submitted by companies to ECHA in REACH registration dossiers and notifications to the classification and labelling inventory.

ECHA’s Executive Director Geert Dancet says: ‘ECHA is moving from collecting information to making much better use of it for the general public as well as for regulators throughout the world. This launch is an important step towards safer chemicals by 2020 and a great contribution from the EU to the goals of the United Nations’ World Summit on Sustainable Development set in 2002.’

This three-level approach improves the transparency and traceability of data on chemicals. ECHA is not reducing the amount of information, adding or approving the collected data but making it much more accessible.  ECHA maintains one of the world’s largest regulatory databases on chemicals. It combines the information from REACH registration dossiers and classification and labelling notifications from industry with the information gathered by the EU Member States and regulators through substance evaluation and regulatory risk management (such as harmonised classification and labelling, authorisation and restriction).

The database offers, for example, information on

• The classification and labelling of 120 000 chemicals;
• The hazards and safe use of 14 000 chemicals registered under the REACH Regulation;
• 2 million study summaries on properties and effects of chemicals;
• 168 chemicals listed as being of very high concern; and
• 64 chemicals for which their use has been restricted in the EU.

For biocides, ECHA publishes information on active substances, biocidal products as well as a list of active substance and product suppliers. Statistics on the export and import of hazardous substances that are regulated under the Prior Informed Consent Regulation (PIC) are also available on ECHA’s website.

View the press release 

Example label

More than 475,000 homes with planning permission are still waiting to be built, according to a study commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA), which also notes that ‘Skills are the greatest barrier to building, not planning’.

The LGA writes:
The study, commissioned by the Local Government Association and carried out by industry experts Glenigan, shows this bumper backlog has grown at a rapid pace over the past few years.

In 2012/13, the total of unimplemented planning permissions was 381,390 and in 2013/14 it was 443,265.

The LGA said that the figures underline the need for councils to be able to invest in building more homes and also for the skills shortage affecting the construction industry to be addressed.

Council leaders also want powers to charge developers full council tax for every unbuilt development from the point that the original planning permission expires.

The LGA, which represents more than 370 councils in England and Wales, also said:

• developers are taking longer to complete work on site. It now takes 32 months, on average, from sites receiving planning permission to building work being completed – 12 months longer than in 2007/8
• the number of planning applications being granted planning permission in 2014/15 was 212,468 – this is up from 187,605 in 2007/08 and is higher than all previous years
• councils still approve nine in every 10 applications
• while the construction industry’s forecasted annual recruitment need is up 54 per cent from 2013, there are 10,000 fewer construction qualifications being awarded by colleges, apprenticeships and universities
• there were 58 per cent fewer completed construction apprenticeships last year than in 2009.

Cllr Peter Box, LGA Housing spokesman, said: “These figures conclusively prove that the planning system is not a barrier to house building. In fact the opposite is true, councils are approving almost half a million more houses than are being built, and this gap is increasing.  While private developers have a key role in solving our chronic housing shortage, they cannot build the 230,000 needed each year on their own. To tackle the new homes backlog and to get Britain building again, councils must have the power to invest in building new homes and to force developers to build homes more quickly.’

‘Skills are the greatest barrier to building, not planning.

‘If we are to see the homes desperately needed across the country built and jobs and apprenticeships created, councils must be given a leading role to tackle our growing construction skills shortage, which the industry says is one of the greatest barriers to building.

“Devolving careers advice, post-16 and adult skills budgets and powers to local areas would allow councils, schools, colleges and employers to work together to help unemployed residents and young people develop the vital skills to build.  New homes are badly-needed and councils want to get on with the job of building them. If we are to see a genuine end to our housing crisis we have to be given the powers to get on with it.”

The LGA commissioned Glenigan to undertake an analysis of the extent and scope of unimplemented residential planning permissions in England and Wales in financial years 2013/14 and 2014/15. The analysis undertaken updated work published by the LGA in 2013, and the findings have been combined to examine unimplemented planning permissions over the last eight financial years (2007/08 – 2014/15). The analysis uses data taken from Glenigan’s database of construction projects. This data is also used by other government departments, such as the Department for Communities and Local Government, to monitor planning permissions.

UK Local Gov article & press release

See IHBC NewsBlogs on skills’ shortage

41 sculptures across England have been listed today, including the first by Antony Gormley, and others by Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Elisabeth Frink. 

English Heritage writes:
From an Antony Gormley masterpiece, his first to be listed, to three Barbara Hepworth sculptures, a Henry Moore outside the Houses of Parliament and pieces depicting a range of themes from the power of electricity to the women’s peace movement in Northern Ireland, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has today listed 41 post-war public sculptures across the country on the advice of Historic England.

These sculptures, most listed at Grade II and some Grade II*, were designed to bring our public spaces back to life after the Second World War as England began to repair its shattered towns and cities. This art was created for everyone, to humanise and enrich our streets, housing estates, work places, shopping centres, expanding universities and schools.

Among the new listings is Antony Gormley’s Untitled [Listening] in Camden, London. The first of his pieces to be listed, this was one of his first public sculpture commissions and marked the beginning of a career dedicated to creating monumental pieces of art for the public.

Three works by Barbara Hepworth have been listed. Listed at Grade II* is her Winged Figure – a landmark of London’s Oxford Street on the side of John Lewis – was designed, in her words, to make people feel ‘airborne in rain and sunlight’ and Single Form (Memorial) in London’s Battersea Park was her personal response to the death of a friend. Rosewall (Curved Reclining Form) in Chesterfield, Derbyshire named after a hill in Cornwall is now listed at Grade II.  Elsewhere, four of the newly listed works are in Harlow, known as The Sculpture Town. These include Wild Boar by Elisabeth Frink and a play sculpture of a bronze donkey by Willi Soukop, now worn to a shine from years of use, designed so that children could interact with and experience art.

Through national exhibitions such as the 1951 Festival of Britain, created to celebrate the best of what Britain had to offer, public sculpture became an emblem of renewal, optimism and progress. London County Council and ‘new towns’ such as Harlow in Hertfordshire led the way in patronage of public sculpture, commissioning works from some of Europe’s leading artists.  The 41 newly listed pieces capture the mood of post-war public feeling, depicting a range of themes from the celebration of industry in northern England such as mining and wool, to the importance of family, play and even a commemoration to children killed by the Blitz.  Some were unpopular at the time, being seen as too unsettling or too avant-garde and only now are they starting to get the appreciation they deserve. These sculptures form part of our irreplaceable national collection of public art now being recognised and protected by Historic England.

Heritage Minister, Tracey Crouch said: ‘It is only right that these fantastic pieces are listed. Not only are they magnificent sculptures but they are also an important part of our history, capturing the mood of Britain after WWII.’

Roger Bowdler, Director of Listing at Historic England said: ‘These sculptures were commissioned and created for everybody and have become a precious national collection of art which we can all share. They enrich our lives, bring art to everyone and deserve celebration. We have worked with the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association, Tate, and the Twentieth Century Society throughout this project to ensure our most special public art is protected and continues to enhance our public spaces.’

Sadly, our artistic heritage is in danger of being taken for granted. Historic England has recently warned that some fine works of public art have been destroyed, sold, lost or stolen.  Their stories, and those of these newly listed sculptures, will be explored in Historic England’s forthcoming exhibition at Somerset House, ‘Out There: Our Post-War Public Art’ from 3 February to 10 April 2016. This exhibition will help people learn about this national collection and the stories behind it, so they will recognise the importance of these works.

View the press release

See IHBC NewsBlog below to find out how you can help track down England’s lost post-war public art

SAVE has been unsuccessful in their recent judicial review regarding Liverpool Lime Street redevelopment plans. 

SAVE writes:
Judge rules against SAVE’s Judicial Review in Manchester High Court regarding demolition plans for Liverpool’s Lime Street. SAVE considers going to Court of Appeal.

In a rolled up expedited hearing that took place on 18^th December 2015, Mrs Justice Patterson heard SAVE’s claims put forward by Richard Harwood QC of 39 Essex Street Chambers, regarding the proposed demolition of over 10 Georgian and Victorian buildings on Lime Street, including the 1912 Futurist Cinema, and their replacement with an eleven-storey student accommodation block and shopping mall, all in the city’s World Heritage Site (WHS) Buffer zone.

We challenged Liverpool City Council’s decision on the grounds that it was clear that they had failed to inform the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) (who would then decide whether to notify the World Heritage Committee) about the application, before permission was granted, even though the development may have impacted upon the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site. In turn, DCMS only informed the World Heritage Committee about the plans after they had been approved. This meant proper consultation could not take place.

Liverpool’s WHS has been on the WHS At Risk list since 2012, having been inscribed in 2004. The only other European site to be on the At Risk list is Kosovo’s medieval monuments, following the war in 1998. As Richard Harwood said in his closing statement ‘World Heritage Sites are usually placed on the At Risk list following war or natural disaster. Liverpool is on the list due to a series of bad planning decisions.’

Unfortunately, in their letter of response to the application last year, Historic England did not comment on the impact of the proposed development on the Outstanding Universal Value of the WHS (this is the standard by which value of significance is judged). From SAVE’s point of view this is an oversight: the present system of consultation is unsatisfactory and leaves the nation’s most significant heritage vulnerable.

During the hearing, Justice Patterson took the highly unusual step of allowing the cross-examination of a witness – Liverpool’s Urban Design and Heritage Director Rob Burns. This was requested by SAVE because there was no contemporaneous evidence that any assessment of the impact that the development would have on the Outstanding Universal Value of the WHS had been undertaken. In particular, there was no reference to OUV at all in Mr Burns’ consultation response on the application. We wished to establish whether any assessment had been undertaken and if so, when. In addition, Mr Burns’ consultation response regarding this matter was not disclosed until shortly before the hearing, even though the matter of potential impact on the Outstanding Universal Value had been an issue from the start of the proceedings. This all needed clarification.

Despite these inconsistencies, Mrs Justice Patterson did not find in our favour. We consider that her justifications are not sufficient and are in discussions with our lawyers about challenging the development in the Court of Appeal. We consider that we have strong grounds of appeal.

Liverpool City Council and the developer of the site, Neptune Developments, demanded an expedited hearing arguing that they would lose their investor for the student accommodation development if it was not guaranteed to be completed by the autumn. Subsequently it became clear that they can deliver the following year and that the perceived pressure was illusory. This contributes to the sense that the proceedings have been hurried through and the correct design solution has not been sought, rather just a way of turning a profit, without exploring options, whatever the sacrifice.

SAVE Director Clem Cecil says: ‘SAVE does not agree with the decision and is looking into appealing against it. This is Liverpool’s gateway street. It is imperative that proper consultation takes place in order to secure the best possible design solution for the site. In this case it has not taken place. SAVE has been campaigning for historic buildings in Liverpool for 40 years and knows how important it is to take the long term view. The suggested replacement proposals are poor and, crucially, unnecessary. They replace a coherent streetscape that has evolved over centuries, with a monolithic student block and bland shopping centre. The fact that the street is in poor repair is not an excuse to tear it down. SAVE is staggered that John Whittingdale MP, Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, is happy for this kind of crude destruction to take place in a UK WHS that is already on the At Risk list. This development may lead to it being deleted. Does he want this on his watch? We need to wake up before it’s too late.’

View the press release

A new study by the Adam Smith Institute, ‘A Garden of One’s Own’ looks into the ways in which housing demand in London and the South East of England can be met, concluding that at least one million new homes are needed and observing that ‘Building on 20,000 acres of the Metropolitan Green Belt (roughly 3.7%) would create room for the 1m new homes needed, estimating 50 houses per acre’, and also end the ‘corrupt subsidy to the middle class that hurts ordinary Londoners’.

The Adam Smith Institute writes:

London and surrounding counties need at least one million new homes in the next ten years to meet housing demand, and to stop rents and house prices from soaring higher.  Many of these new homes will have to come on greenfield or Green Belt sites because not enough suitable brownfield land exists; we estimate that this will require roughly 20,000 hectares of green belt space.  Almost the full amount of space (20,000ha) can be found within a 10 minute walk – 800m – of existing commuter train stations.

The paper, ‘A Garden of One’s Own: Suggestions for development in the Metropolitan Green Belt’, identifies specific areas where tens of thousands of dwellings can be built, and points out how providing the housing Londoners need does not require ‘concreting over’ the countryside, destroying amenity, or overcrowding.  The author of the paper, Tom Papworth, considers the five main justifications given for the green belt: to check sprawl; to prevent towns merging; to safeguard the countryside; to preserve historic towns; and to force land recycling; and notes that many pieces of land currently designated that way do not meet any of these.  For example, there is an area of land between Hainault, Barkingside, Chadwell Heath and Colliers Row, totalling about 1,200 ha—or 60,000 dwellings at standard densities outside of London—where none of these purposes apply. It is already swallowed by Redbridge, it would have no impact on merging with London, there are no historic towns, and land recycling is irrelevant.

This paper explores some of the best areas to build on low quality Green Belt around London. Locations include: East of Theydon Bois station, around Redbridge, Pinner Park Farm in Harrow, and some of the hundreds of Green Belt golf courses.  London must build on low quality Green Belt spaces around existing commuter infrastructure to solve its housing crisis, according to a new paper from the Adam Smith Institute which identifies many of those areas.  Building on 20,000 acres of the Metropolitan Green Belt (roughly 3.7%) would create room for the 1m new homes needed, estimating 50 houses per acre; nearly all of which could be built within 10 minutes walk of a station.

The author of the report, Tom Papworth, said:  ‘London and the surrounding counties need 1 million new homes over the next 10 years, but there is only enough ‘brownfield’ land for a third of that. ‘Greenfield’ development is no longer a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’.  Green Belts are unsustainable. Green Belt policy pushes up the cost of living, reduces people’s quality of life and actually harms the environment. Yet it has become an article of faith among politicians and is staunchly defended by the (generally wealthier) citizens who live near the Green Belt, and those who value the notion but ignore the harm it does to others.’

‘We have to choose whether to protect valuable inner-city green space or sacrifice our parks for the sake of low-grade farmland, golf courses and already-developed sites that happen to have once been classified as Green Belt. With London’s mayoral election due in a few months, it is time to put housing at the top of the political agenda.’

Executive Director of the Adam Smith Institute, Sam Bowman, added: ‘London’s Green Belt is a corrupt subsidy to the middle class that hurts ordinary Londoners. It doesn’t provide amenity to most Londoners, who rarely even see it, and it drives up land prices which makes houses and inner-city green spaces unaffordable for everybody but the rich. To solve the housing crisis, we need to build more homes. To build more homes, we need to free up some of London’s green belt. It’s as simple as that.  This doesn’t have to mean less green space. More green belt land available for development means cheaper land, cheaper gardens, and bigger public parks and sports fields. Those are green spaces that Londoners actually use. Right now London is being strangled by the Green Belt, and freeing up more of that land for development of houses, gardens and parks would give all of us more room to breathe.’

View the press release

View the report

View a blog post summarising the paper

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has announced details of the newly available funding for skills training, with the next closing date being 16 February.

CITB writes:
Applications for the next round of Flexible and Structured Funds open on 19 January 2016 and close on 16 February 2016.

CITB’s Flexible and Structured funding is for construction skills and training projects not supported by other CITB funding (eg the Grants Scheme).  The Funds focus on the skills and training areas identified as priorities for the construction industry through consultation with construction employers in 2015. The aim is to help build a well-skilled workforce to boost the industry in the long-term.

Funding options:

• Flexible Fund- Flexible funding is for short projects, lasting up to 18 months. Click the links below for information about each funding option and how to apply.

• Skills and training funding– Supports micro and some small employers’ skills and training initiatives.
• Innovation, pilots and prototypes funding– Supports innovative skills and training projects, pilots and prototype inititiaves.
• Enhanced incentives funding – Supports initiatives that encourage staff to complete training and courses.
• Funding options – Structured Fund -Structured funding is for longer projects, lasting from 18 months to five years. Click the links below for information about each funding option and how to apply.
• Enhanced incentives funding– Supports longer term initiatives that encourage staff to complete training and courses.
• Infrastructure support funding– Funds projects that provide resources for construction training establishments.
• Educational engagement – commissioned funding – Funds educational initiatives that engage with career changers, students and schools to help address skills shortages in the construction industry. 

The Funds are available to one or more of the following groups, depending on your chosen funding option:

• Construction employers registered with CITB (individuals and groups)
• Construction industry federations
• Trade unions associated with construction occupations
• CITB-approved training groups.

A total of £20 million is available across the Flexible and Structured Funds in 2016.  Different amounts are available under each funding option – check the funding option pages shown above for details.

IHBC NewsBlogs on funding

View the press release

Historic England (HE) is seeking the help of the public in identifying the location and condition of post war public art. 

Historic England writes:
England’s post-war public art, created by some of the most important artists of the 20th century, is ‘disappearing before the public’s eyes’. We have discovered that a growing number of sculptures, architectural friezes and murals – made between the Second World War and the mid-1980s – have been destroyed, sold, lost or stolen.

Through our own research, and information from the Twentieth Century Society, the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association, from historians and some of the artists themselves, we are building up a picture of just how much art has disappeared.

We know that England has lost a worrying amount of artwork from the streets, housing estates, work places, shopping centres and schools for which the pieces were designed. Although many of the works have been destroyed completely, some could still be out there.  We are asking the public to come forward with information, evidence and photographs to help us to track them down and inform a major exhibition at Somerset House in London as part of its Utopia Season.

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said: ‘Part of England’s national collection of public artworks is disappearing before our eyes. Historic England’s research is only the tip of the iceberg as it’s almost impossible to trace what has happened to every piece of public art since 1945. What we do know is that this art work was commissioned and created for everyone to enjoy, and it should remain accessible to all. We’re making efforts to protect the best examples of post-war public art that still exist, and make sure that it continues to enhance the public realm. But we also want to raise awareness of just how vulnerable these works can be and we want the public to help us track down lost pieces.’

From a bronze Henry Moore sculpture stolen to order for its scrap value, to an abstract steel sculpture by Barry Flanagan in Cambridge that was vandalised beyond repair, or the seven metre long steel structure by Bryan Kneale that was sold at auction last year, these public artworks are vulnerable and need protecting.

In 2012 Wakefield Council went as far as to remove its Henry Moore from public display and put it in secure storage because of the spate of thefts. Often, the artists themselves don’t know their works are in danger until it’s too late and the public isn’t consulted on what should happen next.

Since they were installed from the early 1950s onwards, works have been vandalised, destroyed, sold and stolen. The price of scrap metal, the need for many public bodies to fill funding gaps, pressure from redevelopment, and vandalism are all reasons why this national collection of public art is being eroded.

Historic England (previously known as English Heritage) is currently identifying the post-war public art that could be protected through listing. We are also running an exhibition at Somerset House, ’Out There: Our Post-War Public Art’ from 3 February to 10 April 2016, to help people to learn about this national collection and the stories behind it, so they will recognise the importance of these works. We want to strengthen the public’s sense of ownership of its own collection, to make it harder for it be stolen or destroyed.

View the press release

The 2015 Lord Chief Justice report was laid before Parliament on 13 January, and included a summary of the work of the Planning Court, a intended as a ‘reform… to remove unmeritorious statutory challenges to planning decisions as early as possible’, which has ‘greatly increased the speed in which planning cases were dealt with’.

The report states:
The establishment of the Planning Court, as reported last year, resulted in new procedures which greatly increased the speed in which planning cases were dealt with.

At the end of October 2015 the time from lodging to substantive hearing had reduced to 27.3 weeks, down from 46.9 weeks in February 2014. The number of live planning cases (both ‘significant’ and non-’significant’) at the end of October 2015 stood at 222. This represents a significant reduction in the number of live cases, which, at the end of 2013, stood at 314. Additionally, the Criminal Courts and Justice Act 2015 introduced a permission stage in applications for statutory review and the Civil Procedure Rules have been amended to set out the procedure for statutory challenges, largely reflecting the procedure for judicial review.

The main purpose of this reform was to remove unmeritorious statutory challenges to planning decisions as early as possible, and thus to avoid the delays and the pressure on the resources of the Planning Court entailed in such proceedings.

View the full report

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and the Co-operative Group have developed guidelines for convenience retailing on former pub sites. 

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) writes:
The Co-op has become the first major retailer to commit to protecting Britain’s valued community locals by joining with the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) to develop a set of development principles for convenience stores on pub sites.

The Co-op and CAMRA have jointly developed the guidelines, which highlight the importance to communities of retaining successful community pubs but also recognise that some locals close because of poor trading and cannot be retained in pub use.

The principles do not relate to those pub sites where The Co-operative Group has existing legal arrangements but will cover any new contracts with developers and property owners that are entered into after 1 January 2016*. The Co-op has stated that it will:

• Only develop pub sites using the planning permission process rather than relying on permitted development rights.
• Seek to encourage developers to use the planning permission process rather than relying on permitted development rights to convert pubs into alternative uses.
• Continue to individually assess each trading pub that it is offered as a lease or development opportunity to assess the pubs social value prior to an agreement to convert a site into a convenience store.
• Give further investigation to pubs with an Asset of Community Value (ACV) listing ahead of any decision to proceed with a lease or redevelopment.
• Make information public as soon as is possible about sites in which it is the developer (not lease holder), and it will encourage developers to do the same.
• Listen to the views of the local community – individuals, groups, including CAMRA branches, and local elected representatives and be willing to meet appropriate local representatives to discuss concerns.
• Not stand in the way of a any group seeking to acquire and run a community pub.
• Develop land adjacent to an existing pub in a way that enhances the viability of both the new convenience store and the existing pub.
• Talk to CAMRA when exceptional circumstances mean it may not be possible to fully adhere to these principles.

CAMRA’s Chief Executive Tim Page, said: ‘We’re delighted that such a well-known retailer like the Co-op has demonstrated its commitment to communities and become the first to develop a set of principles to guide its store development with the needs and wishes of local people in mind.

‘The Co-op clearly recognises the value that pubs add to the communities they serve and also the fact that supermarket developments can not only co-exist alongside pubs, but that both benefit each other.  We’d urge all retailers to be as forward thinking and community minded as the Co-op when it comes to planned developments which might have an impact on valued community locals.’

Steve Murrells, Retail Chief Executive, The Co-op, said: ‘Pub closures are not on our agenda. Our new commitments for future store developments serve to highlight the importance we place on working with communities.  We already assess the social value of a pub before entering into agreements to ensure we develop on sites where owners decide to close because of poor trading or which have ceased trading. Many of our new convenience stores have also been successfully developed in spaces adjacent to pub sites for the mutual success of both businesses. These principles strengthen our existing practices to give communities more of a say.’  He added: ‘The Co-op is a major supporter of real ale, selling scores of local beers in our stores and we will seek to build on this in the future.’

View the press release

IHBC NewsBlogs on ACV’s

Prime Minister (PM) David Cameron has unveiled an initiative to target the country’s 100 worst housing estates and redevelop them, which could involve complete demolition and rebuilding in some cases, with £140 million.

The PM’s Office writes:
As part of a comprehensive package of measures to end poverty and improve the life chances of the most disadvantaged, the government will work with 100 housing estates across the country to either radically transform them or, in the worst cases, knock them down and replace them with high-quality homes.

The PM writes:
… Today I am announcing that we will work with 100 housing estates in Britain, aiming to transform them. A new Advisory Panel will help galvanise our efforts and their first job will be to build a list of post-war estates across the country that are ripe for re-development, and work with up to 100,000 residents to put together regeneration plans. For some, this will simply mean knocking them down and starting again. For others, it might mean changes to layout, upgrading facilities and improving local road and transport links.

The panel will also establish a set of binding guarantees for tenants and homeowners so that they are protected.

To finance this, we’ll establish a new £140 million fund that will pump-prime the planning process, temporary rehousing and early construction costs. And we’ll publish an Estates Regeneration Strategy that will sweep away the planning blockages and take new steps to reduce political and reputational risk for projects’ key decision-makers and investors. …

Read more on Planning Portal

UK Gov news and read the PM’s article

The RTPI, the UK’s largest professional body for planners, is streamlining the ways that professionals can achieve Chartered Membership.

The RTPI writes:
From January 2017 onwards, the requirements to become a Chartered Member – MRTPI – for those who do not follow the accredited Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) route (used by graduates of RTPI-accredited planning schools), will be changing to competency-based routes. 

A competency-based approach
The current routes for planning professionals who did not obtain a degree from an RTPI accredited planning school will be replaced with the new Experienced Practitioner APC (EP-APC) route and the Associate APC (A-APC) route. These two routes will be competency based and will be modelled on the existing accredited APC route which has been rigorously developed to ensure the highest professional standards.

Janet Askew, President of the RTPI, said: ‘The planning profession is changing and diversifying. Careers are no longer built along a classic route or in one sector, and there are many possibilities of entering the profession from different backgrounds. Apprenticeships or work experience schemes are also opening up new routes into a career in planning.  By streamlining the routes to Chartered Membership and introducing a clearer structure we are reflecting the changes in the profession to ensure as many interested, eligible and talented people are attracted to join us and develop their careers as Chartered Members.’

‘At the same time, we are introducing a competency-based approach across the board to enable practitioners from different academic backgrounds and experience to demonstrate the high standards required.’

Chartered Membership is the most highly valued professional status for planners. It demonstrates to clients, peers, the public and employers around the world that Chartered Members work to the highest professional and ethical standards. 

Changes to Technical and Affiliate classes
The RTPI is also re-designing its membership structure to ensure existing Technical Members have a clear route to achieve Chartered status.

The Affiliate class will also be broadened to welcome more members, including those working in planning who are waiting to gather the experience they need to progress to another class. 

Important dates to note
Full details of the new Routes to Membership will be launched on 28th June 2016 at the RTPI Planning Convention and the switch over to the new membership routes will be from January 2017.  Until then individuals are still able to join RTPI through the current routes.

Applications through the existing Reciprocal Arrangements and EU Pathway routes will close on 10 June 2016 and the Special Entry route will close on 26 October 2016.

For details on the changes please see the website

RTPI press release

The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) seeks view from people and organisatons ‘with a direct interest in the area of cultural heritage protection, expertise in the field or both’ on the new Cultural Protection Fund to be established in the first part of 2016 to help address recovery from acts of cultural destruction overseas, with workshops in advance of a closing date of 19 February.

DCMS writes:
The Government announced at the end of 2015 that a new Cultural Protection Fund would be established in the first part of 2016 to help address recovery from acts of cultural destruction overseas. We would like to invite you to contribute to a consultation on the new Fund which runs from 14 January to 19 February 2016.

Government Proposals to Protect Cultural Heritage Overseas sets out our vision on how the Fund will operate and the areas it will support. We welcome your views on our approach as well as more technical matters concerning scope. Your views will help inform the government’s design and delivery of the Fund.

This consultation is aimed at individuals and organisations with a direct interest in the area of cultural heritage protection, expertise in the field or both. Should you know of someone else who you believe would also like to take part in the consultation, please pass on their details to us and we will get in touch with them so they can respond to the consultation should they wish to.

We will be running a series of stakeholder workshops in late January and into February as we are keen to hear views on and informally discuss some of the questions raised in the consultation document.

Workshops
If you would be interested in attending a workshop please email Carla Piper atculturalprotectionfund@culture.gov.uk as soon as possible and we will contact you with further details. It would also be helpful to know what your particular area of interest in the consultation is and where your expertise lies so we can tailor the events to those wishing to attend.

To respond
To read and respond to this consultation as pdf (please contact DCMS) or and online form (recommended)…

(Enter the password: culturalprotectionfund2016 and fill in your details. At the bottom of the form it says “never submit passwords”, this refers to personal passwords, not the password for this form which is safe to enter. While you are working on the form, you can navigate forwards and backwards through it without losing any details. However, if you close your window without submitting it, any responses may be lost. You can print out the form page by page. The form will adapt to any media device you use, including smartphones and tablets)

DCMS website

The owner property of the property in a Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC) Conservation Area (CA) who painted red and white stripes on her mews house has received an order to comply with a section 215 notice issued by her local authority and repaint her home.

The owner argued that a S.215 notice could only be used to remedy the state of repair and not to control the colour or manner that the property is painted; and that there were other properties in the borough’s conservation area that were brightly covered.

District Judge Susan Bayne rejected the appeal saying service of the notice was appropriate and now the property must be repainted white within 28 days, but a requirement in the original notice that windows at the property be repaired and replaced was removed.

Judge Bayne said: ‘Visual integrity is fundamental to the Kensington Square Conservation Area. It is the visual integrity of the area as a whole that gives it its unique character. Painting a property with red and white stripes, where other properties use a limited palette of muted colours, results in an adverse effect on the amenity of the area.’

Read more in The Independent

The High Court has dismissed a legal challenge by Sainsbury’s to an inspector’s dismissal of their appeal over Calderdale Council’s refusal of permission for a new store, three flats and five town houses on the site of the old Hebden Bridge fire station.

For background see IHBC NewsBlog 10148 and 10782

Read the High Court decision

The Construction Industry Council (CIC) is carrying out a Strategic Review to define its priorities for the next five years and welcomes views from individuals with an interest in CIC, with a closing date of 5 February.

The CIC writes:
The Construction Industry Council (CIC) is the UK’s representative forum for the professional bodies, research organisations and specialist business associations in the construction industry. Established in 1988, CIC now occupies a key role within the UK construction industry providing a single authoritative voice on the diverse issues connected with construction for professionals in all sectors of the built environment, through its collective membership of 500,000 individual professionals and more than 25,000 firms of construction consultants.

The current mission of CIC is:

1.    To serve society by promoting quality and sustainability in the built environment.

2.    To give leadership to the construction industry, encouraging unity of purpose, collaboration, continuous improvement and career development.

3.    To add value and emphasis to the work of members.

CIC is now developing its strategic plan for 2016-2020 and we would like to know your organisation’s views, to help shape and focus the priorities and main activities of CIC over the next 5 years. How can we best promote and support your organisation and the professionals working in the UK’s Construction Industry to achieve our mission???Your views are extremely important to us. Please spare 10 minutes to complete this questionnaire, as we would like to gather as many informed views as possible to help shape and decide the future strategy of CIC. ??Please respond by 5 February 2016.

To respond to the survey please go to https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/WiderCIC  and be sure to respond by 5 February 2016.

For the CIC see http://cic.org.uk

The Commons debate on 5 January considered the issue of alternative providers dealing with processing planning permissions, as Planning minister Brandon Lewis says ‘The democratic determination of planning applications by local planning authorities is a fundamental pillar of the planning system.’ 

Planning minister Brandon Lewis said:
‘Let me be clear: this is about competition for the processing of applications, not their determination. The democratic determination of planning applications by local planning authorities is a fundamental pillar of the planning system, and that will remain the case during any pilot schemes that the Secretary of State brings forward. Let me also be clear that new clause 43 would require that any pilot schemes brought forward by the Secretary of State will be for a limited period specified in regulations’ (Hansard 5 Jan 2016: Column 218) 

View the full text of the debate

View a Planning Portal summary of the debate

A high court judge in Manchester has ruled that Cornwall Council should have insisted on an environmental impact assessment before granting planning permission to Shire Oak Quarries, which wants to mine rock from Dean Quarry, St Keverne, Cornwall.

BBC News item