Recipients of 3.2M Neighbourhood Planning Pot Announced

Heritage Update 207

Friday 6may 2011
The Heritage Alliance is the largest alliance of heritage interests inthe UK, representing 90 member organisations, with the aim of promoting the central role of thenon-Government movement in the heritage sector.Heritage Update is our voice; to, and for, the sector. It is estimated that Update reaches approximately 12,000 mailboxes in the UK and internationally; with readers as far afield as Abu Dhabi, Antarctica, Istanbul and California. For more information visit
CONTENTS
HEADLINES
The Localism Bill: report stage announced
The Alliance responds to the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Strategic Plan 2013-19
Do you know the next Heritage Alliance Hero? Nominations now open for 2011 Awards

Recipients of £3.2m neighbourhood planning pot announced

Labour launches its Creative Industries Policy Review
HAVE YOUR SAY: CONSULTATION ROUND UP
NEWS
All change at Places of Worship @ The Heritage Alliance
Recommendations for improving historic environment practice: your views needed
Regional Growth Fund recipients announced

Henley Review of Cultural Education: please respond by 20 May

James Review highlights importance of maintaining existing school buildings
National Churches Trust survey reveals value of churches to communities
Winners of 2011 EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards announced
ALSO THIS FORTNIGHT…
The Big Society Awards: next round closes end of May
Training needs of heritage marketing professionals: online survey needs your comments
Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs launches online questionnaire
How the pier can be fun for you: National Piers Society launches photo competition
Learning Outside the Classroom Awards 2011: open for nominations
The PRISM Fund 2011-2012 is now available
Get an historic ‘rural treasure’ near you into Countryfile Magazine
Need help with your website?
PEOPLE
EVENTS
SITUATIONS VACANT
NOTES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
HEADLINES
Back
The Localism Bill: report stage announced
The Heritage Alliance’s parliamentary liaison team continues to work hard on communications on the Localism Bill.
Yesterday (5 May) it was announced that the next phase in the Bill’s progress through Parliament – the Commons report stage and the third reading – would take place on 17 and 18 May. Our parliamentary liaison team will be busily briefing MPs ahead of this; our briefing and further updates will appear on our website shortly.Back
The Alliance responds to the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Strategic Plan 2013-19
The Heritage Alliancehas submitted its response to the HLF strategic plan 2013-19 consultation, based on feedback gathered at the special members' workshop held on 28 March.
Around 50 representatives of national organisations attended, many of them with substantial membership networks of their own. Over half of the participants had direct experience of applying for HLF funding and all were in a position to take an overview of the funding challenges ahead. Many of our members have responded via the online consultation according to their own priorities, but this Alliance response looks at the overarching issues, focusing on five areas: HLF’s strategic role, sustainability (heritage assets and organisations), commensurate knowledge and skills, administration costs and current and proposed grant programmes.
The Alliance’s places of worship forum, POWAlliance, has responded separately on question 25 (places of worship). A few other online responses we’ve come across are: the Council for British Archaeology (Alliance member), Civic Voice (Alliance member), the IHBC (Alliance member), the Historic Houses Association (Alliance member) and the Museums Association. Back
Do you know the next Heritage Alliance Hero? Nominations now open for 2011 Awards
2011 is the second year of The Heritage Alliance’s new award scheme intended to highlight the outstanding energy and achievements of heritage volunteers: Heritage Alliance Heroes.
The Award scheme is open to all Alliance member organisations and their members. The strong response to the first year of the Awards scheme (2010) exemplified the breadth and diversity of the many thousands of inspiring volunteer-led heritage initiatives out there. To ensure the Awards go from strength to strength in this second year, we would urge all members of the Alliance to spread the word to their members on the frontline and to encourage them to submit entries. The winner and two runners up will receive their prizes from Alliance Chairman Loyd Grossman at our annual Heritage Day event in London in December.
Entries should demonstrate a distinctive achievement completed in the past 12 months (up to July 2011) by a voluntary individual or team (professional work is not excluded if funded and managed by volunteer effort); and the achievement should demonstrate a long-term impact, command the respect of the heritage sector, be likely to appeal to a wider non-heritage audience and offer a powerful human story.
The first Heritage Alliance Hero Award in 2010 went to Mr Peter Vacher, in recognition of his extraordinary 28-year battle to save and restore the only surviving, operational Hawker Hurricane to see action in the Battle of Britain. The two runners up, Bethesda Methodist Chapel in Stoke on Trent and the Wey & Arun Canal Trust for LoxwoodBridge, were highly impressive examples of heritage volunteers pulling together and taking action on behalf of their local communities.
Entries should be emailed (fewer than 500 words, with an image that encapsulates the project and a completed entry form) to Alliance Trustee Denis Dunstone by 15 September: iries also to Denis please. Good luck! Back
Recipients of £3.2m neighbourhood planning pot announced
In April Decentralisation Minister Greg Clark announced that the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), a consortium led by umbrella body Locality, The Prince’s Foundation, and the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) in partnership with the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE – a member of the Alliance), would share £3.2 million of funding to provide assistance to local groups developing neighbourhood plans.
The RTPI will receive £1m of the funding, whilst the Building Community Consortium, led by Locality, has been handed £814,000. The Prince’s Foundation is to receive £800,000, whilst NALC and the CPRE have been granted £620,000.
Greg Clark said: "It is vital that grassroots community groups are able to access specialist support and advice if their vision for their neighbourhood is to be truly realised. Making sure community groups have free access to a number of organisations means they can choose the experts that best suit their needs." More here. Back
Labour launches its Creative Industries Policy Review
In April Shadow Culture Secretary Ivan Lewis launched the Labour Party’s Creative Industries Policy Review. The launch addresses the party’s “growing concern that the creative industries could suffer a manufacturing-like decline without concerted action through a partnership between Government and business.”
Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Labour Party, and Ivan Lewis MP, Shadow Culture Secretary, said they believe the creative sector is key to future jobs and growth, but also “a prime example of industries where many talented people from low and middle income backgrounds are denied access to internships, apprenticeship and jobs. It is these talented people, bringing fresh ideas from diverse perspectives, who will be central to the future of our creative industries.”
Chairman of The Heritage Alliance Loyd Grossman has met with Ivan Lewis and Shadow Culture Minister Gloria De Piero, and Lib Dem spokesman for Culture Lord Clement-Jones, to discuss the vital place of heritage in their portfolios. The Alliance continues to develop links across all three main parties. Back
HAVE YOUR SAY: CONSULTATION ROUND UP
Back
See The Heritage Alliance’s consultation responseshere
May
Good Practice Guide for Local Listing. An English Heritage consultation seeking views on the draft guidance for local listing. The guide is intended to encourage a transparent and consistent approach to the process of creating and managing a local list. Deadline: 13 May.
Henley Review of Cultural Education: call for evidence. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Department for Education have launched this independent review, to be led by Darren Henley of Classic FM, to consider how all children can experience a high quality cultural education. Deadline: 20 May.
Maritime Spatial Planning and Integrated Coastal Zone Management.A European Commission consultation to gather stakeholder feedback about the status and future of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) and Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) in the EU, and to assess where further EU action would be most useful. Deadline: 20 May.
EU consultation on the future of VAT.An opportunity has arisen to express concern about the way that VAT is levied on the cost of maintenance and repairs to historic buildings (but not on replacement or new builds) in response to the European Commission Green Paper: ‘Towards a simpler, more robust and efficient VAT system’. The aim of the consultation is to launch a debate on the structure of the current VAT system, ways to make it more coherent within a single market and to reduce the cost of compliance. Deadline: 31 May.
June
Establishment of a Register of Historic Battlefields in WalesA Welsh Assembly consultation.Welsh Ministers propose that Cadw should compile and maintain a non-statutory Register of Historic Battlefields in Wales. Deadline: 10June.
Historic Environment (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2011 - Draft RegulationsThis Historic Scotland consultation seeks comments on four draft Statutory Instruments that have been prepared under certain delegated powers in the Historic Environment (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2011. Deadline: 14 June.
Moving inland waterways into a new charity in England and Wales. A DEFRA consultation seeking views on the rationale for moving the management of the inland waterways in England and Wales out of the public sector and into a new civil society organisation, and the principles that should guide the Government in deciding on the way forward. Deadline: 30 June.
NEWS
Back
All change at Places of Worship @ The Heritage Alliance
Places of Worship @The Heritage Alliance (POWAlliance), the national forum set up under The Heritage Alliance umbrella to strengthen the voice of historic places of worship, is bidding goodbye to Deborah Jarman, who has held the role of Development Officer for nearly three years.
During her time as Development Officer Deborah has robustly steered the project through not only its quarterly Steering Group meetings, including the Annual meeting, but also the development and production of a POWAlliance Manifesto and the campaign to save the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. She has also kept the All Party Parliamentary Group on Historic Places of Worship afloat - even when MPs were distracted by the wider political arena. Her development of the POW pages on the Heritage Alliance website and the production of 10 editions of the POW WOW newsletter have given the group a solid identity, as well as facilitating the sharing of information, news and best practice. We wish Deborah all the very best in her new home and further endeavours in and around rural Herefordshire. Sincere thanks too to the National Churches Trust, which has provided the financial support during this period and enabled the group to achieve so much.
We also welcome Becky Payne to the Alliance, who will run the POWAlliance project on a voluntary basis for six months. Up until December Becky was Policy Officer at the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division at the Church of England, and is well known to many of you. She arrives with a wealth of knowledge about the issues facing places of worship as well as a wide network of contacts. Becky will be in the office on Wednesdays and Thursdays – please contact her on the usual email For more information visit the POWAlliance pages on the Heritage Alliance website here. Back
Recommendations for improving historic environment practice: your views needed
April marked the start of sector consultation on a draft report from the Southport Group:Realising the Benefits of Planning-Led Investigation in the Historic Environment: A Framework for Delivering the Benefits of PPS5.
Thereportoutlines recommendations for improving historic environment practice to ensure delivery of consistent excellence in public benefit. It considers key areas of planning-led investigation of the historic environment, identifies obstacles to optimum delivery in the past, presents a vision for new ways of working under PPS5 principles, and makes practical recommendations to reach that vision.
The Southport Group says: “The impetus for change stems from the 2010 publication of Planning Policy Statement 5, which offers an extraordinary and rare opportunity for the historic environment sector to ensure its work is truly driven by the interests of what has been discovered or lost and that its overall purpose is the realisation of publicbenefit”, continuing “this is the best opportunity for the sector and those it serves since 1990, and it could well be another 20 years before another chance like this comes along. Please do make this consultation count.”
The consultation asks those in the sector to feed-back on whether they endorse the report visions and recommendations and suggest any changes or additional recommendations. Comments will help to shape the final report, which is due for publication in July. Feedback should be emailed to by 3 June.
Back
Regional Growth Fund recipients announced
In April Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced the full list of projects earmarked to receive cash from the first round of the Coalition’s £1.4bn Regional Growth Fund (RGF): intended to rebalance economies that have become overly dependent on public sector jobs.
A total of 50 projects (including one from our member the Prince’s Regeneration Trust), submitted by businesses or public-private partnerships such as the new local enterprise partnerships (LEPs), were chosen by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to receive a share of £450 million from the fund. The Government had initially said that the first round of the RGF would make between £250 million and £300 million available to bidders, but it was hugely oversubscribed, with the value of bids totalling £2.78 billion.
A regional breakdown of project allocations revealed that the North East had the highest proportion of successful bids, with the North West and Yorkshire and Humber close behind, gaining cash for projects such as the redevelopment of Manchester’s former RoyalEyeHospital to provide research and development facilities for medical technology, pharmaceutical and biotech companies. London, the South East and the East of England had just two successful RGF bids.
The second round of the RGF opened on 12 April and will aim to allocate the remainder of the fund: almost £1 billion. It will invite programme bids as well as one-off project bids. The closing date to apply for round two is noon on 1 July: more here.Back
Henley Review of Cultural Education: please respond by 20 May
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Education (DfEd) have commissioned an independent review, to be led by MD of Classic FM Darren Henley, to consider “how all children can experience a high quality cultural education”. Launched in April, the Henley Review’s call for evidence welcomes views from individuals and organisations involved in delivering the whole spectrum of cultural education to young people in England, as well as teachers, parents and pupils.
The Alliance believes that every child should have the opportunity to learn through engagement with our heritage, which is a key part of a well-rounded education, and our Inclusion Advocacy Group will be responding to the call for evidence.
To ensure heritage is well-represented in the Review please respond to the call for evidence here by the deadline of 20 May. Back
James Review highlights importance of maintaining existing school buildings
The James Review into school buildings has recommended that owners of existing school buildings should be held accountable for their maintenance.
Report author Sebastian James, Chief Executive of the Dixons group, argues that vast amounts of money could be saved if existing school buildings are properly maintained, rather than replaced with new builds. He advocates for reform of the capital allocation system so that investment is focused on the condition of buildings first. In his covering letter to Education Secretary Michael Gove, Mr James said: “Sharper accountabilities for maintaining buildings and better procurement routes for doing so will help ensure that the current estate is able to deliver for our children in the decades ahead.”
The Review comes at a time when there is widespread concern for the future of all sorts of public buildings such as libraries, swimming pools, town halls and NHS buildings, due to cuts in public spending. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB – a member of the Alliance) has warned of the dangers facing these buildings, a high proportion of which are listed, if public sector owners sell them off in a hurry to developers or simply leave them to deteriorate.