IHBC NewsBlogs

Following a decision by the construction sector training body, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), to withdraw core funding for The National Heritage Training Group (NHTG) from 2016, the NHTG board seeks sector endorsements to continue its work and help avoid heritage skills becoming just another sub-category under ‘Repair and Maintenance’.

The NHTG writes:
To date, CITB have provided core funding for the NHTG to promote and support heritage craft skills training and qualifications in addition to providing a voice for the heritage craft skills sector. However, the CITB have now decided to cease their financial support for NHTG from the end of this year, as they believe heritage training is better served by funding construction industry federations and training groups which have a heritage theme.

The NHTG Board strongly disagree with this decision and believe that there remains a vital individual and collective coordination, promotion, lobbying and supporting role to be played by an independent UK wide organisation.

Ray Robertson, Chairman of the NHTG said ‘More than ever, the heritage skills and traditional building crafts sector needs its own strong and influential voice if it is to continue its battle for recognition and support. As the construction industry continues to recover from recession, the alarming skills gaps in the heritage sector previously identified by NHTG have become obvious to all’.

Ray went on to say: ‘The decision to cease funding for NHTG has been taken at this time of greatest need, when our national architectural inheritance is being put at critical risk, not only by a lack of skills but by a lack of awareness as to why a building designed in 1895 must be treated differently to that designed in 1985’.

Cathie Clarke, General Manager of the NHTG said: ‘The role of the NHTG is to encourage and assist heritage craft skills development at all levels across the industry. Over the last twelve months, the NHTG has demonstrated its ability to respond to the needs of the sector and has increased its effectiveness and influence.  It has provided a wide range of products and services, including some still in their early stages’.

As part of its day-to-day services the NHTG runs a Helpdesk and a comprehensive online Traditional Building Crafts Training Directory and Information Centre. This unique service promotes heritage craft skills training, events and careers to everyone including young people who are particularly important to the future sustainability of our built heritage. Where else can you go to find this type of specialist training information?

The NHTG has therefore reconsidered its financial position and is confident that despite the withdrawal of CITB funds, the organisation can continue to maintain a presence in the sector, for a further three years utilising existing resources.

Ray Robertson stated: ‘We now have the opportunity of a radical reassessment of practicalities and priorities in establishing the most effective role and most productive activities that are best undertaken by the NHTG to support the industry. For the first time we will be a truly independent organisation. We have the exciting opportunity to change the title of the organisation so that it better reflects our priorities and objectives’.

Ray goes on to say: ‘It is our belief that the industry and in particular the individual federations, heritage agencies and other organisations directly involved, wish to continue to have a coordinated voice on heritage and traditional building skills and that the NHTG is best-placed to fulfil this role’.

The NHTG wishes to continue to work and act on behalf of the UK heritage craft skills sector, and welcomes support and input from any individual or organisation that is interested in developing a positive and pro-active strategy for the sustainability of these skills. It is important that the views of all stakeholders on how traditional building crafts can best be supported in future are understood and explored and therefore the NHTG is keen to receive support from any interested parties.

Please send all correspondence to info@the-nhtg.org.uk

For more on the NHTG see www.the-nhtg.org.uk and NHTG News

The Local Government Association (LGA) has set out a broad range of proposals for the Government to consider as part of the Spending Review, including setting planning fees by council.

The LGA says that locally-set planning fees would ‘ensure effective, responsive and fully funded council planning services, removing the burden from taxpayers who currently subsidise 30 per cent of total costs’. 

The LGA writes:
All [are] aimed at streamlining public services, generating investment, and protecting social care and health – all while saving the public purse almost £2 billion a year by the end of the Parliament.

This report is the LGA’s offer to work with the government to deliver new, transformed and high-quality local services while at the same time reducing costs to the public sector. The LGA believes the Spending Review should:

• Enable wider integration of social care and health services to deliver savings and improve outcomes.
• Promote growth and productivity by accepting the case for further devolution of powers and funding.
• Help councils adequately resource and deliver high quality public services by transforming the business rate mechanism and providing a four year local government finance settlement. 

Planning Portal blog

UK Local Gov article

The ‘Walkie Talkie’ in the City Of London’s Fenchurch Street has won the 2015 Carbuncle Cup organised by Building Design magazine to find the UK’s worst building. 

BD online

The owners of Warwick Castle are appealing after a council rejected plans for a permanent ‘glamping’ site in its grounds.

Merlin Entertainments Group (MEG), which runs the attraction, submitted an application last year to build 20 permanent lodges and provide space for some 41 ‘glamping’ tents.

The district council refused the plans after claims the company was turning the attraction into a ‘theme park’. The planning authority had previously allowed ‘medieval glamorous camping’ at the castle on a temporary basis.

View details of the original application

View details of the ongoing appeal 

Planning Portal blog

Winter brings a new series of practical building conservation training sessions offered by Historic Scotland (HS), some of which have subsidised options, tied to the Traditional Building Health Check Scheme.

Historic Scotland writes:
Historic Scotland is offering a series of subsidised demonstration workshops and building conservation seminars over the winter of 2015-16. Topics range from the repair of earth structures, roof leadwork and chimney heads to energy efficiency measures for old buildings.

Places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis so please book online or call 0131 668 8840 as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Book online

See the brochure

See more on training

Traditional Building Health Check Scheme

Civic Voice (CV) has outlined the importance of having a civic outlook on life, and is urging those in the West Country to help form new societies.

Civic Voice writes:
The phrase ‘civic society’ might seem outdated – something the Victorians may have dreamed up to keep the horrors of the Industrial Revolution at bay – but new oxygen is being breathed upon the concept in the past few years and now a nation-wide movement is looking to strengthen its ties with the Westcountry. 

For decades local preservation and conservation groups were overseen by an organisation called the Civic Trust, which was eventually disbanded six years ago – after which it has been superseded by a new body that is now looking to attract interest from Devon, Somerset and Cornwall.  There are currently around a dozen regions being taking part at the national level of the new Civic Voice organisation, but as yet the Westcountry remains unrepresented.

Now, with confirmation that national chairman, Freddie Gick, will soon be visiting Devon to meet with the Torbay Civic Society, it is hoped that a meeting of interested local activists will come together in South Devon later in the autumn.

Torbay Civic Society chairman, Ian Handford, told the WMN: ‘With the amazing growth of Civic Voice in the last five years – and its successes in lobbying the Government on behalf of its heritage and planning role – I believe that there is enormous potential for community groups throughout the Westcountry to achieve influence at a national level by joining Civic Voice.  If a regional body is set up, then my hope is that conservationists and preservationists from every walk of life will bring their local group into the fold,’ he added.

In a special interview with the Western Morning News, Civic Voice director, Ian Harvey, explained what his organisation was all about… ‘We’re trying to encourage communities and individuals to play greater role in their towns and villages and their future.  ‘We work with local groups across the country, but it’s a bit more fragmented than we’d like it to be,’ admitted Mr Harvey. ‘At the moment there are 300 groups and 150,000 members – so we’ve had a fantastic start. We’ve also got MPs on board and we’ve had both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, as well as various ministers, at our events.  But going forward over the next five years there’s going to be a lot going on. The Government is talking about a lot more house building and localism. Okay – but the houses are going to have to be built somewhere. So there’s a real opportunity for people to shape their future over next 30, 40, 50 years…’

Mr Harvey added: ‘The government is trying to create a space where people can embrace these powers – so let’s get involved. Why not join a local civic society? And if your area hasn’t got one – we will help set one up.’

Asked if such duties weren’t simply replicating the work done by bodies such as town and parish councils, Mr Harvey replied: ‘I support local councils 100 % – we work with them – they’re are closest partner. We work to support them, but if you don’t have either a good local council or a civic society, what drives us is our wish for more people to play a role.  For example, the Convent Garden site in London would not exist in the way it does today if wasn’t for civic society – there was a proposal to put a road through,’ he said. ‘Every day of every week our members are involved with supporting things like local libraries and so on.

‘Often you only notice a lot of our work if you go to a town that doesn’t have a civic society. It’s what we call the ‘broken window effect’. One window gets broken, then the same happens next door – and before you know it you’ve got thousands of white UPV windows replacing the old ones.

‘We have 9000 conservation areas across this country that came about because of civic societies,’ said Mr Harvey. ‘Every area and region is different – but basically what we want is for more people to say: ‘Let’s get involved’.’

In a bid to enhance this work since its inauguration, the new institution has been creating a regional structure of committees which involve locally based civic societies and other similar local groups. These develop grass-root ideas and opinions which are then passed through the regional to a national forum.

Civic Voice currently offers its members advice and access to technical support across a wide number of issues including planning law, housing and new developments etc, but – unlike its predecessor – relies totally on subscriptions for its core funding.

Members of the Torbay Civic Society recently attended their first national forum in London to assess the new organisation and afterwards contacted community activists in their area to see if a Devon Regional Forum of Civic Voice might be viable.

‘Should anyone representing a local society or group involved with conservation, preservation, the environment or the built heritage be interested in joining us at the first informal meeting, we should be very pleased to hear from them,’ said Mr Handford.  To register interest email: civicvoicedevonforum@gmail.com

View the press release

IHBC South West branch

The Llanelli Star reports that five youths have been arrested following a fire at a historic Llanelli church on 13 August.

View the article

View updates on the Mid and West Wales Fire & Rescue Service news release page

Hollywood A-lister George Clooney has been given permission to install 18 CCTV cameras at his £10m listed country home as South Oxfordshire District Council said planning permission could be granted as the CCTV system will not be detrimental to the special architectural and historical interest of the property. 

The film star and his lawyer wife Amal want to erect the cameras on poles up to 5 metres high in the grounds of their manor house in Sonning Eye, on the Oxfordshire-Berkshire border. The local parish council initially raised concerns over privacy and the CCTV system’s visual impact.

Planning Portal blog

Newport City Council is the first Welsh Council to use Local Development Orders (LDO), it will apply to Newport City Centre 

Newport City Council writes:
Newport City Council has become the first in Wales to introduce a planning initiative which will reduce the red tape for certain types of development in the city centre.

A Local Development Order (LDO) is now in force following a public consultation earlier this year and the approval of the Welsh Government.  It streamlines the planning system by granting blanket planning permission for non-contentious forms of development in a defined area.

A range of specified uses are allowed on the lower, ground and upper floors of buildings. In order to protect the retail and café functions of the city centre, the LDO is more restrictive and permits only certain changes of use in the ground-floor units of these areas.

Councillor John Richards, Newport City Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Investment, said: ‘We believe this will have considerable benefits for the city centre by increasing occupancy levels and commercial activity.  We are working hard to support and stimulate appropriate development to help boost the city centre’s vibrancy while protecting its character and traditional architecture. I am grateful to all those who took part in the consultation which helped shape the final scheme.

‘These are exciting times for Newport and the city centre with Friars Walk on the brink of completion after the council took a number of bold steps to ensure it was able to progress, and the Vibrant and Viable Places programme transforming some key buildings.  However, we know there is still more to be achieved and, as a council, we will continue to look for ways to further regenerate the city centre and other parts of Newport.’

Full details of the Local Development Order

View the press release

IHBC NewsBlogs on LDOs

The latest structures to be granted listed building status are a series of public houses constructed between 1918 and 1939, known as part of the ‘improved pub’ movement; this follows the high profile case of the Carlton Tavern demolition. 

Historic England writes:
From the Daylight Inn in Kent, named for a local resident who campaigned for daylight saving, to a Landlady’s labour of love in Scunthorpe, Historic England’s research has led to the best examples of inter-war pubs being listed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.  This follows Historic England’s project to understand and protect some of England’s best pubs built between 1918 and 1939.

The pubs, most listed at Grade II and one upgraded to II*, are much loved local landmarks. Their design was shaped by the ‘improved pub’ movement that followed the First World War.  Between 1918 and 1939 breweries across the country rebuilt thousands of pubs. They needed to expand their appeal beyond their usual male clientele and leave behind the image of drunkenness associated with Victorian and Edwardian pubs.  Breweries created bigger, better pubs with restaurants, gardens and community meeting spaces. These would attract more respectable customers and appeal to families and particularly women.  The pubs listed are the best surviving examples of this fascinating time in the history of a building type which is stitched into the fabric of English culture.

Among the new listings is The Berkeley Hotel in Scunthorpe which, unusually, was commissioned, decorated and run by pub landlady, Edith Kennedy.

Further afield in Birmingham is The Black Horse. Dubbed by architect Basil Oliver as ‘one of the most sumptuous inns in the district, if not England’, we have upgraded its listing to Grade II*.  Also listed is the Royal Oak, on the doorstep of the famous Columbia Road Flower market in Hoxton and called an ‘early pub’ because it serves market traders from 9am on Sundays.

It is also a sought-after filming location. Often the backdrop in BBC TV series ‘Goodnight Sweetheart’, it also played a starring role in British gangster film ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’.

Around 3,000 pubs were built during the inter-war years. They are now a sadly overlooked and threatened building type, with very few surviving today.  One of the pubs earmarked for listing through this project was the Carlton Tavern in Kilburn, recently demolished without warning before it could be protected.  These buildings are important social spaces which have stood at the hearts of communities for decades. Listing offers them protection. It also acknowledges that they are an essential part of our common identity and help to tell our country’s story.

Heritage Minister Tracey Crouch said: ‘These inter-war pubs are more than a slice of living history, they play an intrinsic role in English culture and our local communities.  I’m delighted that these pubs and their fascinating history have been protected for generations to enjoy for years to come.’

Emily Gee, Head of Listing at Historic England said: ‘This national project, the first of its kind, has surveyed the increasingly threatened and much loved inter-war public house, allowing us to identify, understand and protect the most special examples.  And what better way to champion the best of our locals than by raising a pint glass to these architectural beacons of English community life now celebrated on the National Heritage List.’

Some of the newly listed pubs:

• The Black Horse, Birmingham, built 1929-30, upgraded to Grade II*
• The Berkeley Hotel, Scunthorpe, built late 1930s
• The Daylight Inn, Petts Wood, built 1935
• The Duke William, Stoke on Trent, built 1929?The Wheatsheaf, Merseyside, built in 1938
• The Gatehouse, Norwich, built 1934
• The Brookhill Tavern, Birmingham, built 1927-28
• The White Hart, Grays, Essex, built 1938
• Biggin Hall Hotel, Coventry, built 1923
• The Angel, Hayes, Middlesex, built 1926

Several of the newly listed pubs were built by Truman’s Brewery, based in East London and founded in 1666. Truman’s were especially enthusiastic in building ‘improved’ pubs during the inter-war years, with 151 projects across England:

• The Royal Oak, Columbia Road, London, built 1923 by Truman’s
• The Rose and Crown, Stoke Newington, built 1930-32 by Truman’s
• Golden Heart, Spitalfields, London, built 1936 by Truman’s
• The Stag’s Head, Hoxton, London, built 1935-6 by Truman’s?The Duke of Edinburgh, Brixton, built 1936-7 by Truman’s
• The Station, Surrey, built 1934-5 by Truman’s

View the HE press release and photos

IHBC NewsBlogs on the Carlton Tavern case 

View a Guardian article on the new designations, including photos

In their latest newsletter the NHTG has highlighted the opportunities presented by the new ‘Trailblazer Apprenticeships’ encouraging employers to get involved to help create an apprenticeship that truly reflects needs.

View more information about Trailblazer Apprenticeships

View the August 2015 newsletter and editorial

View NHTG website and news updates 

IHBC NewsBlogs on construction

A new set of listed buildings has been revealed in Belfast, with 19 new listings being designated in the city.

The Department of the Environment Northern Ireland (DoENI) writes:
The Northern Ireland War Memorial Building on Waring Street and the modernist Danske Bank on Donegal Square West have been listed.

The Belfast Synagogue, the design of which influenced modern synagogues across the UK, has also been listed.

Further listings include, the Belfast Telegraph Offices in Royal Avenue, the Shankill Mission Hall, a working man’s club on Danube Street (the first working man’s club in Ulster) and the West Belfast Orange Hall.

Speaking specifically about Kelly’s Cellars, which along with the portico of the Ulster Bank on Donegall Sq East were among structures being considered for delisting and will now remain listed, Environment Minister Mark H Durkan said: ‘I have listened to the views of consultees on initial proposals for delisted buildings. After careful consideration of all the available information I have decided to retain listing for a number of these buildings, including Kelly’s Cellars. Despite the fact that Kelly’s Cellars has been altered over the years I have concluded it is still of significant historic interest. Sufficient historic material survives to reflect this.

‘There were proposals for listing of a number of buildings owned by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. I am conscious of pressures on our Health and Social Care budget at this time and am therefore planning to meet with representatives if the Trust to find out what the possible impact of listing might be on their future development plans.’

Turning to the nineteen new listed buildings, the Minister continued: ‘The listing of these buildings is a welcome boost for this city. It recognises the rich and important cultural, historical and architectural tapestry of Belfast’s buildings. Some of the buildings now listed are familiar architectural gems in Belfast’s skyline. Others are much less prominent in our streetscape, but are very important because of their historical significance. There are though six structures which no longer merit listing due to significant structural change. These include Imperial House on Donegal Square East which was rebuilt in 2002 following serious problems with its previous tiled façade, two buildings that have been totally rebuilt on Royal Avenue as well as the building currently housing ‘New Look’ which was subject to a facade retention scheme in the early 2000s. All of these buildings lie within a Conservation Area and their external form will continue to be protected.

Mark H Durkan concluded: ‘Our built heritage remains a precious and a finite resource. It is important that we work together to ensure that it is valued and enjoyed into the future and that its potential to contribute to our economic and social wellbeing and regeneration is fully realised.’

NI Gov press release

The first ever Scottish Heritage Angel Awards shortlist has been revealed, with awards to be announced on 28 September

The Scottish Heritage Angels Awards writes:
Ancient sea caves, a paddle steamer, a listed railway building and a Victorian garden cemetery are amongst 12 heritage projects that will see the ‘Angels’ behind them celebrated as they go up for an award in the inaugural Scottish Heritage Angel Awards.

The shortlist for the first ever Scottish Heritage Angel Awards has been announced today (24 August). The 12-strong shortlist, which spans the length and breadth of the country, from Orkney to Dumfries and Galloway, includes volunteers behind Scotland’s firefighting heritage, a project capturing the history and culture of the Outer Hebrides and a unique biographical project charting the timeline of the 107 houses and their owners, past and present, in the village of Cairndow in Argyll.

The awards, which welcomed well over 80 nominations for ‘Heritage Angels’ highlighting a diverse range of voluntary activities and projects from across the country, will celebrate the contribution volunteers make to Scotland’s historic environment at an awards ceremony to be held in Edinburgh in September.

Funded by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, and delivered via a partnership between several of Scotland’s heritage organisations, this nation-wide initiative, will acknowledge the benefit that volunteers and groups  such as those shortlisted have in helping to better understand, appreciate and protect Scotland’s heritage and history for current and future generations.  This awards initiative, which recognises the positive impact that volunteers have on Scotland’s heritage, aligns well with the key underlying principles of Our Place in Time, the first Historic Environment Strategy for Scotland, which places a strong focus on supporting and enabling participation across the historic environment.

John Pelan, Director of the Scottish Civic Trust, added: ‘The response to the first ever Scottish Heritage Angel Awards has been phenomenal. Choosing a shortlist from over 80 nominations was very difficult.  Each ‘Heritage Angel’ was a strong contender and demonstrate the extraordinary commitment and passion for local heritage across the whole of Scotland.  Acknowledging people’s commitment as champions of their historic environment is incredibly important and each of the applicants are to be congratulated on their achievements to date.’

Shortlisted entrants have been invited to attend the first Scottish Heritage Angel Awards ceremony, hosted by Sally Magnusson, to be held at the Royal Lyceum Theatre on Monday 28 September, where the overall winner of each category will be announced.

View the press release and full shortlist

Latest monitoring statistics for Coastal Community Fund projects have revealed successes in employment opportunities, business support and tourism attractions in historic coastal areas. 

DCLG writes:
Job prospects are brightening for Britain’s seaside communities as the number of jobs, apprenticeships and training places has passed the 10,000 milestone thanks to the Coastal Communities Fund, Coastal Communities Minister Mark Francois announces today (22 August 2015).

New figures show over 10,000 working opportunities have been delivered as local people drive forward their plans for seaside regeneration supported by the government’s Coastal Communities Fund.

The latest figures show there have been almost 3,000 jobs created, 860 sustained and 6,800 new training places and apprenticeships across the UK.Over the past 3 years, the government has invested some £120 million in projects across the UK to help seaside communities unlock their economic potential, create business opportunities and ensure their long-term future. The projects are also expected to attract more than £213 million in private sector investment.

Mr Francois this week saw how the Coastal Communities Fund has transformed the seaside town of Bognor Regis when he opened the reinvigorated town centre which has already boosted visitor numbers and the local economy. This is the first part of a wider regeneration for the area which has a new dedicated Coastal Community Team to develop a long term strategy.

The minister said: Few things beat a day at the seaside which is why our Coastal Communities Fund is investing millions in regenerating cherished seaside towns so they can be year-round success stories.  Our One Nation government is determined to kick-start local economic growth, build infrastructure and create the business opportunities so seaside towns can thrive.  We are now seeing coastal towns pick up pace; create thousands of jobs, apprentices and training places which is great news for the community and economy.

Statistics from VisitEngland show a rise in the numbers of holiday trips being taken in the UK for the first quarter of the year – the highest number in almost a decade. Visits were up 18% on 2014 in England. The Coastal Communities Fund gives residents, councils and local businesses the chance to bid for funding to take forward their vision for improving their seaside town.   The Budget announced the fund will be extended for another 5 years with a pot of £90 million which will give communities another chance to bid for funding.  The government also recently announced the creation of 116 coastal community teams which encourages local businesses, local leaders and volunteers to create a long-term strategy for their area.

Applications are also open for communities to bid for a new £3 million Coastal Revival Fund to support or restore local heritage and facilities which benefits the wider community and surrounding economy.

View the press release

IHBC NewsBlogs on coastal issues

Wychavon District Council has successfully prosecuted the owner of a grade II listed property who demolished glasshouses without permission.

Wychavon District Council writes:
A man who demolished a 19^th century glasshouse that was within the grounds of a Grade II listed walled garden has been ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £5,520.

Duccio Latino Senese Baldi (51) of Cummins Farm Cottages, Worcester, pleaded guilty to carrying out the works when he appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court on 6 August 2015.

On 3 September 2014, Wychavon District Council was alerted by a member of the public that one of two glasshouses at the property the Walled Garden, Westwood House, Westwood Park, Droitwich Spa – a Grade II listed property – was being demolished.

Council officers went to the site and found that one of the glasshouses had been almost completely demolished and that the glazed timber frames and broken glass from the glasshouse had been thrown into a skip.

The walled garden property, which Baldi jointly owns, is part of the Westwood House estate and includes Westwood House – a Grade I listed building, registered historic park and one of the most important historic listed buildings in the area.

The glasshouses in the walled garden were built in the late 19^th century, were restored in 2005, and were fine examples of their type.

Their restoration had been part of a listed building planning permission that enabled the owner at the time to restore the glasshouses and to build an architect designed house against the kitchen wall.  The planning permission was exceptional and was subject to a legal agreement requiring the owner at the time to carry out repair and restoration works to the glasshouses, the kitchen garden and the 18^th century garden wall. 

Sue Marsh, Planning Solicitor at Wychavon District Council, said: ‘We are pleased with the outcome of this prosecution as it helps us to highlight the need to protect historical, listed properties in the district and the need for owners of such properties to be aware of their responsibilities when it comes to preservation.’

The fines and costs have to be paid within 28 days and the glasshouse will have to be rebuilt.

View the press release

Historic England (HE) is to survey residential listed building owners as part of the 2015 Heritage Counts initiative, looking at the profile and attitudes of owners, as well as any issues faced in maintenance and awareness of listed building issues, with the survey programme jointly led by the architectural practice of IHBC Northern Ireland Branch member Alistair Coey.

Historic England writes:
As part of Heritage Counts 2015, Historic England has commissioned a survey of listed residential property owners on behalf of the Historic Environment Forum. Following a competitive tendering process in January/ February 2015, Alastair Coey Architects and ECORYS (previously Ecotec) were appointed to undertake the survey. The survey closes on Monday 21 September.

The survey has four key objectives and the survey questions are formed around these four objectives:

1. Profiles of the listed properties and owners:
   The survey will collect information on the characteristics of the listed properties and their owners. This will give us useful profile evidence. It is also required to validate the survey sample and we will use it to test and analyse the survey results. For example, are there particular groups of people affected by different types of issues or who behave in particular ways?

2. Understanding the drivers and barriers for repair and maintenance:
   The survey will pose questions about the frequency and type of work undertaken in the past. Owners’ experiences and perceptions of the planning process, repairs and maintenance and their access to specialist workers/ materials will be examined. The aim is to identify any barriers as well as examine specific issues affecting different types of owner/ property.

3. Understanding attitudes:
   Understanding the value owners place on owning a listed building is also explored in the survey. The hypothesis is that attitude towards owning a heritage asset can explain behaviours and approaches to maintaining a listed property.

4. Identifying levels of awareness and knowledge:
   The survey will pose questions about owners’ familiarity with listed building consent requirements and processes; engagement with heritage organisations; and access to information and guidance. This will identify levels of awareness amongst different types of owners, the types of information demanded and whether there are specific gaps.

View the news release

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (DBIS) is consulting on changes to the apprenticeship system tied to the construction levy, proposing funding to be paid for by ‘every big company’ in England, which may have may have substantial implications for the current industry training body, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), and with a closing date for the consultation of 2 October. 

DBIS writes:
We’re inviting comments on our proposal to introduce an apprenticeship levy. The levy will enable employers to choose and pay for apprenticeship training.

We’re seeking your views on:

• how to pay the levy
• how the levy should work for employers who operate across the whole of the UK
• how to make sure that employers paying the levy have the opportunity to get more out than they put in
• how best to give employers control of apprenticeships

This consultation covers the implementation of the levy. More detail on the levy rate and scope will be provided later in the year.

We particularly welcome views from employers, business organisations, training organisations and anyone with a vested interest.

CITB website

CIOB Construction Manager magazine on the apprenticeship levy proposals

View the consultation document

UK Gov consultation

Following an urgent works notice served on the owners of Denbigh Hospital in which the local council carried out £940,000 of necessary works, Denbighshire County Council has welcomed the decision to dismiss an appeal.

Denbighshire County Council writes:
Denbighshire County Council has welcomed a decision by Welsh Government Minister Carl Sargeant to dismiss a claim by the owners of the former North Wales Hospital site against paying costs incurred by the Council for carrying out urgent repair works on the historic property.

The Council has been working hard to save the Denbigh Hospital site from deterioration due to neglect. An Urgent Works Notice was served on the owner of the site in June 2011, requiring them to carry out urgent repairs to the main range listed buildings.

The owners did not comply with the notice so Denbighshire County Council carried out the work in default which involved £940k of urgent works to the most import part of the main building to save it from collapse.

The site is owned by Freemont (Denbigh) Ltd, an off-shore company based in the British Virgin Islands, who have been represented in the UK by Mr Ayub Bhailok, a solicitor based in Preston. Further notices, under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, were served on the owners by Denbighshire County Council to reclaim the £940k spent on carrying out these urgent works. The owners appealed the Notices to the Welsh Government, resulting in public inquiry, which was concluded last year.

The Welsh Government Minister responsible for all aspects of planning policy and the determination of planning appeals is Carl Sargeant, the Minister for Natural Resources.  He has now dismissed the appeals and so the debt against the owners has been confirmed.

Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Public Realm, said: ‘We are delighted with the outcome of the planning inquiry and the Minister’s decision fully vindicates the serving of the Urgent Works Notice, the requirements contained in the Notice and the costs incurred by the Council in carrying out those works in default, despite the owners representations that none of it was necessary.  The Council will now continue with its efforts to recover the money’.

Last year the Council served a Compulsory Purchase Order(CPO) for the site on the owners, who objected the CPO and this too went to a public inquiry which was concluded in March this year. A decision on this is expected within the next two months.  In the meantime an application for planning permission submitted by the Prince’s Regeneration Trust is being processed by Denbighshire’s Planning department.

View the press release

IHBC NewsBlogs on urgent works

ICOMOS UK has objected to a proposal to construct new homes within the vicinity of Blenheim Palace Estate, highlighting issues with the likely effect on the site itself and the setting of the estate.

Planning Portal writes:
Proposals to build hundreds of new homes at Woodstock would harm the setting of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire’s only UNESCO World Heritage site, the UN agency’s specialist adviser has warned.

That’s the stance of the International Council on Monuments and Sites – known as Icomos – which advises UNESCO which designated Blenheim Palace a World Heritage Site in 1987.

Icomos-UK has written to Cherwell District Council which is due to determine plans for a major residential development on part of the Blenheim Estate on 1 October voicing its concern.

The scheme, known as Woodstock East, has been on the drawing board for some time and now involves plans for 1,200 new homes rather than the 1,500 originally mooted.

Pye Homes and landowner Blenheim Estates are behind the project and insist their scheme will be sustainable and help provide the income necessary for the upkeep of the palace and its grounds.

But Peter Marsden, chair of ICOMOS-UK has told the planning authority that the ‘development would physically overpower the existing settlement [Woodstock]. Changing the character of Woodstock would further harm the setting of the World Heritage Site.’

He also raised fears about the visual impact of the development, whose closest buildings would be about a mile from the palace – the birthplace of Winston Churchill. Many local residents share the concerns voiced by Icomos-UK.

The development straddles the boundary between West Oxfordshire District Council and Cherwell District Council. The former is due to consider the proposals on 22 September.

View the ICOMOS letter on Cherwell Public Access Planning System

View the Woodstock East proposal website

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