IHBC launches FREE ‘Events Calendar’ submission form – with potential for inclusion in our celebrated monthly CPD Circular

The IHBC has issued a new form to help ensure sector events with IHBC CPD values can be considered for inclusion in our free IHBC ‘Events Calendar’, with submissions required at least 2 weeks before the end any month to allow for any inclusion in the IHBC’s CPD Circular.

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Comments Off on IHBC launches FREE ‘Events Calendar’ submission form – with potential for inclusion in our celebrated monthly CPD Circular

IHBC’s 2025 Gus Astley Student Award for heritage work on UK courses: Closing date extended to 30/09 – Win £500 + free place at #IHBCNewcastle2026

The IHBC’s celebrated annual Gus Astley Student Award will now close on 3o September 2025, so if you have relevant coursework from ANY UK taught course – under-graduate or post-graduate, completed by 30 September 2024 OR 30 September 2025 – just submit it online and on time to have a chance to receive a cash prize at the IHBC’s Annual School in Newcastle in June 2026, on ‘Adaptive Re-use’.

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Comments Off on IHBC’s 2025 Gus Astley Student Award for heritage work on UK courses: Closing date extended to 30/09 – Win £500 + free place at #IHBCNewcastle2026

IHBC’s ‘Policy’-led research’ Signpost: DCMS Indicator Datasets ‘offering insight into the historic environment’

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) publishes Indicator Data: Each year, Heritage Counts collates datasets about a range of indicators that provide useful insights into the state of the historic environment.

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Comments Off on IHBC’s ‘Policy’-led research’ Signpost: DCMS Indicator Datasets ‘offering insight into the historic environment’

IHBC HESPR’s ‘News from the Sector’: GCR on ‘Moving a 713-tonne church…!’

IHBC’s heritage business register HESPR – our Historic Environment Service Providers Recognition quality assurance scheme for heritage services – emails members weekly ‘News and Tender Alerts’, and this week features the Global Construction Review (GCR) on ‘Moving a 713-tonne church 5km…!

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Comments Off on IHBC HESPR’s ‘News from the Sector’: GCR on ‘Moving a 713-tonne church…!’

IHBC features ‘Heritage from the (farmer’s) doorstep’: Northern Ireland farmer fined for damage to 1,000-year-old monument

A farmer in Co Antrim has been fined £2,000 for unauthorised works to a scheduled monument which has existed for more than 1,000 years.

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Comments Off on IHBC features ‘Heritage from the (farmer’s) doorstep’: Northern Ireland farmer fined for damage to 1,000-year-old monument

IHBC features ‘Heritage from the (ecclesiastical) doorstep’: HE’s Grant to rescue historic Thundridge Church

image for illustration: Steve Bayley / Thundridge Old Church Tower, Commons Wiki

Historic England has awarded £72,533 in grant funding, which, together with match funding from Thundridge Old Church Action Group (TOCAG) and the Diocese of St Albans, will enable essential works for the Old Church of St Mary and All Saints in Thundridge, Hertfordshire.

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Comments Off on IHBC features ‘Heritage from the (ecclesiastical) doorstep’: HE’s Grant to rescue historic Thundridge Church

Railway stations and legislative buildings among 13 sites up for registration on the Isle of Man, with consultation too

Thirteen Isle of Man landmarks — including former Victorian railway stations and the buildings where Manx laws are made — are being considered for special protection.

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Comments Off on Railway stations and legislative buildings among 13 sites up for registration on the Isle of Man, with consultation too

DBW’s Procurement in construction: Knowledge hub

Designing Buildings Wiki(DBW) publishes the ‘Procurement in construction: Knowledge hub’.

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Comments Off on DBW’s Procurement in construction: Knowledge hub

Localis Thinktank: Local government reorganisation could result in the loss of nine-in-10 councillors, threatening local democracy

In an essay titled Reorganisation, local government and the future of English Devolution, Localis argues that the establishment of unitary authorities in two-tier areas covering half-a-million residents could see councillor numbers drop from roughly 12,000 to 1,200.

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Comments Off on Localis Thinktank: Local government reorganisation could result in the loss of nine-in-10 councillors, threatening local democracy

Lack of succession planning spells potential ‘crisis’ for small charities, consultancy warns

A lack of succession planning could leave smaller charities facing a ‘crisis’ as senior leaders step down amid today’s highly pressurised operating environment, a consultancy has warned.

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Comments Off on Lack of succession planning spells potential ‘crisis’ for small charities, consultancy warns

Towns Fund evaluation: interim findings 2 – executive summary

Frontier Economics and BMG Research were commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to undertake an evaluation of the Towns Fund. This report sets out emerging, indicative process and impact findings from the first 7 case studies undertaken as part of the evaluation

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Comments Off on Towns Fund evaluation: interim findings 2 – executive summary

IHBC features ‘Heritage from the Global doorstep’: Vacant Dutch church to become swimming pool – Holy Water

Dutch companies MVRDV and Zecc Architecten have been selected to design a renovation of the  St. Francis of Assisi Church in Heerlen, south east Netherlands, into a public swimming pool called ‘Holy Water’.

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Comments Off on IHBC features ‘Heritage from the Global doorstep’: Vacant Dutch church to become swimming pool – Holy Water

IHBC welcomes ODs, DODs, HODs & EHODs: Open Days for locally-led heritage resources and projects across September and beyond

The IHBC is once again delighted to welcome the suite of volunteer-led and publicly supported events across September that open access to local heritage places and resources: Open Doors (Wales), Doors Open Days (Scotland), Heritage Open Days (England) & European Heritage Open Days (Northern Ireland), with many supported by IHBC members as volunteers.

Continue reading
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on IHBC welcomes ODs, DODs, HODs & EHODs: Open Days for locally-led heritage resources and projects across September and beyond

IHBC warmly welcomes PCO approval to Petition for Charter

The Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) has warmly welcomed the approval from the Privy Council Office (PCO) for the submission of a Petition for Charter following its review of our Memorandum.

Continue reading
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on IHBC warmly welcomes PCO approval to Petition for Charter

IHBC’s 2025 Gus Astley Student Award for heritage work on UK courses: Closing date extended to 30/09 – Win £500 + free place at #IHBCNewcastle2026

The IHBC’s celebrated annual Gus Astley Student Award will now close on 3o September 2025, so if you have relevant coursework from ANY UK taught course – under-graduate or post-graduate, completed by 30 September 2024 OR 30 September 2025 – just submit it online and on time to have a chance to receive a cash prize at the IHBC’s Annual School in Newcastle in June 2026, on ‘Adaptive Re-use’.

Continue reading
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on IHBC’s 2025 Gus Astley Student Award for heritage work on UK courses: Closing date extended to 30/09 – Win £500 + free place at #IHBCNewcastle2026

IHBC welcomes RICS’ #IHBCShrewsbury2025 School ‘Friend’ benefit: RICS’ rates for members at Global Building Conservation Conference, ‘Sharing heritage skills…’, 25/09, online, 7hrs CPD

The IHBC is delighted to announce that, thanks not least to the efforts of our West Midlands Branch team and School Friend lead, RICS & IHBC member Jessica Jones, IHBC members (all categories) can enjoy RICS rates at the online Global Building Conservation Conference, on 25/09, on how to ‘… Sharing heritage skill-sets with the next generation’.

Continue reading
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on IHBC welcomes RICS’ #IHBCShrewsbury2025 School ‘Friend’ benefit: RICS’ rates for members at Global Building Conservation Conference, ‘Sharing heritage skills…’, 25/09, online, 7hrs CPD

IHBC‘s ‘Research’ Signpost: Main report update or England’s Participation Survey

image for illustration: Blenheim Palace by DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Government UK has published the Main Report for the participation Survey that tracks the latest trends in engagement in DCMS (Culture Media and Sport and digital sectors.

Continue reading
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on IHBC‘s ‘Research’ Signpost: Main report update or England’s Participation Survey

IHBC’s ‘Director’s pick’ from HESPR’s £34.8K+ of weekly works: Welsh community seeks Lottery-funded Interpretation Plan, to 12/09 & £20K

The IHBC’s heritage business register HESPR – our Historic Environment Service Providers Recognition quality assurance service – emails members regular ‘News and Tender Alerts’, and the IHBC Director’s pick this week is a call from a Welsh community body for an Interpretation Plan linked to a Lottery-funded project, to 12/09 and £20K.

Continue reading
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on IHBC’s ‘Director’s pick’ from HESPR’s £34.8K+ of weekly works: Welsh community seeks Lottery-funded Interpretation Plan, to 12/09 & £20K

IHBC features ‘Heritage from the doorstep’: Fight the loss of over 50% of Grade II Listed Stained Glass Windows – via Crowdfunding

image for illustration: Martyn Davies / Christ Church

The Friends of Christ Church Longcross, setup in 2018 to campaign to save the heritage of a local Grade II listed former church building, have been fundraising via Crowdfunding to ‘pay for a KC Barrister’s Opinion’.

Continue reading
Posted in IHBC NewsBlog | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on IHBC features ‘Heritage from the doorstep’: Fight the loss of over 50% of Grade II Listed Stained Glass Windows – via Crowdfunding

IHBC features ‘Heritage from the ‘new-build’ doorstep’: ‘No shops, no schools’ – homes in England built without basic amenities…

image for illustration

Thousands of properties going up without access to playgrounds, community infrastructure and even doctors, reports The Guardian.

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Comments Off on IHBC features ‘Heritage from the ‘new-build’ doorstep’: ‘No shops, no schools’ – homes in England built without basic amenities…

DCMS issues ‘Invitation to nominate’ for recognition in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours, with Information Sessions and Nomination Form

A letter from Susannah Storey, DCMS Permanent Secretary, invites nominations for the ‘BD26’ Honours List.

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on DCMS issues ‘Invitation to nominate’ for recognition in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours, with Information Sessions and Nomination Form

RTPI warns Housing Minister of major threat to planning profession from apprenticeship restrictions

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has written to Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook MP to warn that new age restrictions on Level 7 apprenticeship funding will severely damage the pipeline of qualified planners.

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on RTPI warns Housing Minister of major threat to planning profession from apprenticeship restrictions

Council to discuss draft Castle Point Local Plan ruling out releasing any green belt land

Castle Point Borough Council in Essex has published a draft local plan that rules out releasing any green belt land, despite proposing to meet only 53% of the government’s housing target.

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Council to discuss draft Castle Point Local Plan ruling out releasing any green belt land

New report from the National Retrofit Hub offers recommendations to strengthen energy efficiency standards

image for illustration

New report from the National Retrofit Hub offers recommendations intended to strengthen energy efficiency standards to protect private renters.

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on New report from the National Retrofit Hub offers recommendations to strengthen energy efficiency standards

Scottish NPA steps up enforcement on unauthorised small plot development

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority (NPA) is urging caution and escalating enforcement action as the concerning trend of the marketing of small plots with the misleading potential for a range of uses continues in the National Park.

Continue reading
Posted in Sector NewsBlog | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Scottish NPA steps up enforcement on unauthorised small plot development