Meeting held on Friday 20th May 2016
In The King Charles Room
At Ford House, Newton Abbot
At 10.30am
DRAFT MINUTES
Attending: Maureen Pearce; Helen Garside; Colin Ellis;James Webb; Charlotte Bowles-Lewis; Kate Baxter-Hunter; Greg Venn
- Apologies: Alyson Cooper; Caroline Power; Malcolm James;
Ian Lund; Liz Smith-Gibbons
- Minutes of last meeting held on Friday 19th February 2016
Agreed as a correct record
- Matters Arising
9) JW asked about this item and if there can be guidance for those changing jobs, being made redundant etc
- Treasurer’s Report
- Branch returns 1st October 2015 to 31st March 2016–submitted. Balance £2944.15.
- Funding from National Branch – need to agree if we need to apply for funding. Seems we are fully justified to apply as at the moment we are not making any money and using it to cover expenses. Needs to be in the Business Plan 2016/17 and to request from Central. See Alysons notes. The Business Plan will be part of the AGM due before May 2017. Last AGM November 2015.
- Honoraria for future year 2016/17 – need to reduce these, but probably to keep a payment for the Secretary of £100. This will need to be included in the Business Plan.
- Report from the Chair
Nothing to report. Only an update of the Members list.
Possible Training opportunities, see below
- SW HEF Research – Impact on LA cuts – Note from AC
Not everyone has had an opportunity to read this thoroughly. CE raised the need to cover other aspects eg. Policy, Enforcement etc. This would then cover what LA’s are actually doing or able to do with the number of staff cuts and lack of resources. Individuals can contact AC to discuss their views. GV & CBL raised concerns over what we’re being asked to do with the lack of resources available eg. Enforcement and Community Involvement. Differences between LA’s. Need to contact Private Consultants to obtain their views and contributions to the LA Heritage service. Many are carrying out work for LA’s or actually covering positions where there are none or limited staff. Issues relating to Preapps and likely to cause further issues. Meetings already running behind and should extend their end time. Over the summer staff likely to be on holiday etc. What will come out of the report? How will this be monitored and achieved. Hopefully some of the other contributors eg. National Trust, Housing Association will be supportive.
Need to look at scope of the report. A lot of this is based on information AC has already gathered.
CE to write a response to AC and to circulate to Committee first. CBL to respond separately too.
- Branch Rep/Trustee Post – JW
2 parts to this item:
Policy meeting Tues 17th May 2016:
Paper on Consistency Seminar very well received and support from Central Branch. See below;
HS2, Crossrail 2 and major road upgrades report has revealed not enough archaeologist etc to do the work required;
Local List documents;
Heritage Action Zones with HE funding;
Reconstruction of heritage assets;
Setting document to be updated;
Annex to PPS5 now issued;
Housing Planning Bill raising some concerns in relation to brownfield sites
Enriching the list – giving additional information to be updated online?
Listed buildings Owners survey- suggesting questions for this survey. Assist with Consistency Seminar eg. when is a repair not a repair and needs LBC;
No Conservation Bulletins, but short Think Pieces! Probably geared to online contributions etc.
Planning Bulletin online – what’s happening throughout the country.
Duncan MacCallum debriefed update on Historic England
IHBC Toolbox now up and running – useful information and regularly updated;
Cotswold sent in some recent Appeal decisions which had not been well received. Various mistakes and errors and there is a Legal challenge. Need to be brought to attention of PINS. Can write etc and complain or forward to David Morgan who’s currently carrying out internal Training. Can IHBC challenge who deals with Appeals. Needs to be properly qualified to make the relevant decisions.
Heritage Counts – 2017 – next year Conservation Areas. Back to the difficulties of not sufficient staff.
JW now unable to get to meetings on a regular basis and wishes to pass on this responsibility of Branch Rep as of today’s meeting. Possibly need to resign through the main Council. Their AGM will be in June 2016 at Annual School. Anyone else willing to go in his place. Number of meetings per year? Full Council meetings with Branch Trustees, 2 in London, one peripatetic and 2/3 virtual conference meetings and then separately Policy meetings.
Probably needs to be someone who works part time or has retired and lives in reasonable distance from London. Can we cover for the time being and sort at a later date. Could we also send a note round to encourage a co-opted Member onto Committee – JW to circulate and to speak to Council about voting process (proxy?) and how we proceed to alter this.
- Branch Activities/Bulletin
Bulletin – New Editor – MJ has tendered his resignation for the Bulletin & Private Practice Representative
Other posts vacant: Training
Email to be sent round to Members to ask for volunteers for these posts with Job descriptions.KBH to action
Training opportunities:
Private Sector Consistency Seminar – 20 people committed to this. Rather dispersed in terms of location so need to find a suitable venue. Possibly 2 seminars to be located firstly in Bristol in the Autumn & then Newton Abbot if required. Interest to be sought. Possibly use offices of Nathaniel Litchfield & Partners. CE & JW to pursue
One subject to be raised will be LBC for repairs. A number of LA’s ask for applications that are not valid. Often want to control or monitor the works that are being carried out and this can be difficult to achieve if there is no LBC. Need to consider whether work is affecting the character or appearance of the listed building.
AGM:to be done before next May 2017 possibly Mount Dinham, Exeter or John Boyd Textiles Castle Carey – need train link
Other Training:Could include setting; curtilage; repairs; enriching list descriptions. MP & GV have made a number of contacts to approach to process this, including Chris Brookes Legal Advisor to HE;
Educational Buildings: extending or altering these sympathetically; or having to build a new school adjacent to LB’s or within Conservation Areas; issues relating to retention of building (if not listed), civic pride.
- Historic England Advice Note:
Listed Buildings andCurtilage (March 2016) - All
On their website and has been discussed at recent IHBC Council. Has been produced without consultation and has arisen out of recent concerns over curtilage and issues coming from the recent changes to the 1990 Act. Give examples of curtilage and the law and cases and examples. Issues relating to date of listing, use, ownership etc. changes view on agricultural buildings. It has made curtilage more complicated for farm groups. Needs to concentrate on the known tests for curtilage law. Considerable discussion on issues, previous decisions etc.
GV to draft response and circulate for comment
This is to be sent/copied to Central Office aswell
- Exchange of information
Stonehealth Training Day ()
Free Event to be held in Gloucestershire. Date& venue to be agreed.
Please register interest with Emma Green:
Historic England: Managing Historic Parks, Gardens and Cemeteries
Thursday 23rd June at Hestercombe Gardens, near Taunton
National Heritage Training Group (NHTG):
Building Traditional Skills Resilience Community - HLF funded site based Bursary Training – The placements include for a Stonemason, a Pargeter, a Lime mortar/plaster Conservator and a Heritage Structural Carpenter.
More information and application forms can be downloaded from the NHTG website at
- Any other business
Date of next meeting – Friday 30th September 2016
The Dining Room, Ford House, Newton Abbot
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