Morning [firstname,fallback=Subscriber] Issue 253 Friday 26 April 2013

Registration is now open for the Alliance's new Debate 'Heritage and Television - Who Profits More?', to be held from 6:30pm on 12 June at the Merchant Adventurer's Hall in York. 

Building on the extremely popular 'Heritage and Tourism - Who Needs Whom?' held in Cambridge last October, this York Debate will be chaired by Alliance Chairman Loyd Grossman and will feature Dr Anna Whitelock, Director of the Centre for Public History, Heritage and Engagement with the Past at Royal Holloway; John Goodall, Architectural Editor of Country Life and Ed Taylor, Executive Producer at ITV Studios.

Generously sponsored by Ecclesiastical and held in partnership with the Centre for Conservation Studies, York University. The event is free of charge but tickets are limited, so book now. For more details please click here and to register email events@theheritagealliance.org.uk.

In reply to the Heritage Alliance’s question on whether her comments on the arts applied equally to heritage interests, she  confirmed the national values applied to heritage and that some sectors were more forward-thinking than others. At the recent Heritage Round Table she had convened, she had been impressed with what heritage organisations had shown her about the economic impact of heritage.

To help her make the case to Treasury, she concluded: ‘My call to you as arts and cultural leaders then is simple. I ask you: to continue to build resilience, self-confidence and self-reliance; to seek out new artistic and commercial opportunities; to position yourself squarely within the visitor economy; and to look for international opportunities which will benefit Britain’.

With a commitment of at least £25million per annum over the next five years, HLF’s new scheme will empower not-for-profit organisations, such as community groups and social enterprises to work in partnership with the private sector to rescue and return neglected historic buildings to productive use.

Heritage Enterprise is designed to address 'market failure' – where historic buildings have failed to attract investment to realise their potential business premium because their cost of repair has meant that it is not commercially viable for private developers to take on. In addition, projects can apply to the HLF for a limited amount of funding that will support capital works whilst a project is being planned such as stabilisation works or 'meanwhile uses'.

The report, undertaken with Oxford Economics, English Heritage and the property market experts Colliers International, finds that  the areas of cities where there is a higher density of listed buildings also have a higher concentration of businesses linked to the creative and knowledge economy. A commercial business based in a listed building generates on average 4.4% more than the average of all commercial buildings across the UK. So, rather than being a drag on productivity, listed buildings attract businesses in the most productive sectors of the economy.

Dame Jenny Abramsky, HLF Chair, believes that ‘the  opportunities for heritage to make a major contribution to our future economic well-being are now being realised and taken more seriously’. This significant research from HLF gives us all the evidence to make our case even more strongly.

However, several Alliance members - such as the Black Environment Network, the Historic Houses Association and Historic Royal Palaces have also responded outlining their specific concerns.

Bodies such as the Arts Council, the Historical Association and the Geographical Association have also criticised the Education Secretary's proposals on everything from overlooking climate change to insufficient engagement across subjects.

A Departmental response is expected later in the year, along with further consultation on the GCSE and A-level curriculum.

Presented every December at the Alliance's Heritage Day, the Heroes Awards recognise oustanding volunteer effort in organisations across the historic environment. Last year's winner was Paul Griffiths of the Monastery of St Francis and Gorton Trust for his 'Return of the Saints' project. Special mention went to Norman Tulip, Chief Engineer of the historic SS Shieldhall on the Solent.

Please send your nominations to Sam Bradley headed 'Heritage Alliance Heroes'.

Speaking to an audience of conservation officers and historic environment professionals, he argued that aesthetically pleasing and affordable housing was possible, with developers recognising a profit incentive on good design.

He also strongly defended his previous statements on development in green belts, saying that campaigning groups had not been "entirely responsible" when it came to their representations of government policy.

For a full text of the speech, please click here.

Following a narrow victory in the Commons on the original Bill, the Government has included an amendment that requires homeowners to outline their proposed extensions to the local authority, who will then inform 'adjoining neighbours' and give them 21 days to object.

Alliance member Civic Voice, which led the campaign against the extension of permitted development, welcomed the compromise. Chair Paula Ridley added "The civic society movement is not against development, but we believe that this can be best delivered without removing the voice of individuals and reducing the quality of new development."

The Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Margaret Hodge MP, voiced these concerns in a statement accompanying their review of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Though the Cabinet Office had set up the Join In Trust to encourage former Games Makers into further volunteering, the Committee saw "no clear plan for capitalising on the contribution Games Makers can make to other volunteering initiatives."

Hodge also added that Lottery good causes - whose revenue was raided in the run-up to the Games - needed to see some return from the development of the Olympic Park.

This comprises the part of their '7 Most Endangered' programme - the final list of which will be published Europa Nostra’s 50th Anniversary Congress in Athens on 16 June. 

After this, 'rescue missions' of heritage experts and financial advisors from the European Investment Bank will assess the seven finalists and present their 'action plans' to the European Heritage Policy Conference in Brussels on 5 December.

Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) can be key to planning decisions by identifying and assessing the effects of new developments on views, visual amenity and on the landscape as a resource in its own right.

This guide - produced jointly by the Landscape Institute and the Institute for Environmental Management and Assessment - presents an authoritative statement of the principes of assessment. For more information and to order a copy, please click here.

But this comes in the same week that the Charity Retail Association criticised HMRC for not issuing guidance on the new rules on retail GiftAid that came into force at the beginning of April. At the time, the CRA estimated that the move would save charities millions of pounds in administration costs.

A spokesman from HMRC said "The guidance is being finalised with help from the sector and we hope to publish it very soon."

A recreation of Bourton-in-the-Water, the "Little Venice of the Cotswolds", work started on the model in 1938 and took craftsmen five years to complete. Entirely built of authentic materials like locally-quarried Cotswold limestone, the village is so detailed that visitors can see the pews through the stained-glass windows of parish church.

English Heritage cited the "charming creation's" excellent craftsmanship as part of the reason for listing.

The Alliance need to hear your view on Family Engagement.  If you are a heritage or natural environment location that is open to the public it would be appreciated if you could give us 10 minutes of your time to fill out a short questionnaire. For further information on the project please click here.

A family is defined in this case as a group of adults and children (0yrs to 16yrs) visiting outside of school hours; and engagement as activities that adults and children could do together to learn about the heritage or natural environment they are visiting.

For further information about the project please contact Claire Horan.

To this end, it would be appreciated if readers could take the time to complete this quick survey.

Initially based in the company's workshop in Berkshire, trainees would also work on historic sites in London and possibly other areas.

Both placements run from the week commencing 10 June 2013 with an application deadline of 24 May 2013. Placements run for six months. For more information and to apply, please click here.

Applications are welcomed from private owners who have turned neglected buildings into treasured homes, commercial organisations and companies which have perhaps restored historic industrial buildings, volunteers who have saved a local landmark for the community and craftsmen and women who have employed exceptional skills on a rescue.

All applicants will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win a free holiday at an English Heritage cottage. And the first 50 people to apply will receive a free copy of “Men from the Ministry”, a new book by Simon Thurley to be published in May describing how Britain saved its heritage.

For more information and to enter, please click here.

The Alliance's Spatial Planning Advocacy Group contributed to the Commission's scoping exercise on this issue in July last year and garnered a very positive response.

To advertise your vacancies in Heritage Update, email Sam Bradley.

Working closely with our Assistant Director of External Affairs, the successful candidate will help make sure that the Trust is at the heart of the issues that really matter. Liaising with teams across the Trust, they will help promote the National Trust brand and cause through the delivery of the External Affairs strategy, developing communications to engage and motivate external audiences.

The jobholder will also focus on planning and major infrastructure, helping to ensure that, as an organisation, the Trust fully understand the external context in which it operates and that it recognises risks while taking opportunities and responding to emerging trends and issues.

The job is full-time and based at the Trust's headquarters in Swindon with a salary of £41-45,000. Deadline for applications is 14 May 2013. For more details and to apply, please click here.

The job holder will be also expected to contribute to the wider work of the team in developing a regional focus, including processing a range of pre-application enquiries, undertaking outreach activities, and pursuing other strategic objectives.

The job is full-time and based in Birmingham with a salary of £21,210 - £24,605. Deadline for applications is Monday 6 May 2013. For more details and to apply, please click here.

The successful candidate will be responsible for developing the HHA’s Friends’ membership and related projects, achieving managed growth through both recruitment and retention of Friends in a vibrant organisation, working closely with the Director General, the HHA staff team and Members. 

This will initially be a two year contract, but with opportunities for a permanent appointment thereafter. The post is full-time and based in London with a salary of c £40,000 with the possibility of more for an exceptional candidate.

Applicants should provide a CV with details of two referees and a short statement or covering letter setting out the relevance of their experience and competences, to info@hha.org.uk by 10 May.  Detailed job descriptions are available on request from the same address.

The successful candidate's responsibilities include editing and maintaining website and social media, monitoring web and app statistics, producing promotional literature, identifying PR opportunities, collating information for campaigns, partnership working and supporting the Marketing and Communications Manager on a wide range of projects.  There will also be opportunities to work with the Development Manager.

This will initially a two year contract, but with opportunities for a permanent appointment thereafter. The job is based in London with a salary of c £25,000.

Applicants should provide a CV with details of two referees and a short statement or covering letter setting out the relevance of their experience and competences, to info@hha.org.uk by 10 May.  Detailed job descriptions are available on request from the same address.

Records include contact information, letters and emails, papers, publications, catalogues, hard-copy files, electronic files, digital images, collections and archival materials.

In addition this job involves an important communications and fundraising role, maintaining records of our key contacts and donors and corresponding with them to ensure that our information is up-to-date and they are informed of renewals and provided with information.

The job is full-time and based in London with a salary of circa £18,000. The contract will be for three years with a six-month probationary period. For more information and to apply, please click here.

The budget for the project is in the region of £500,000 inclusive of fees.  For more information, please click here. If you are interested and would like a copy of the brief please contact Ian Parkin. Deadline for applications is 17 May 2013.

The Museum is looking for an experienced Project Manager, who is able to coordinate and deliver a complex multi-faceted project including completing a planning application and a HLF Stage Two submission in the first 10 months.

The successful candidate will be responsible to the Museum Director for all aspects of the Project, from finances, to construction and technical factors, for Health and Safety and for overseeing all works while enabling the Museum to continue to run a fully functioning site.

The job is full-time and based at the Museum near Chichester. Salary is negotiable. Deadline for applications is 3 May 2013. For more information and to apply, please click here.

Directors must be prepared to commit to a minimum of four Board meetings per year; plus task-related activities or policy advice in applicants’ areas of expertise. Appointees will also be expected to attend part of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris (4th-19th November 2013).

Remuneration is reimbursement of expenses only. Although these appointments do not come within the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, they are being made using a process which takes into account the Commissioners Code of Practice as best practice. Appointments will be ratified by the Secretary of State for International Development.

Closing date for applications is 7 June 2013. For more information and to apply, please click here.

The Coffin Works project represents a major departure for the Trust who will retain ownership of the building on completion in 2014; it will be mixed use including an innovative heritage attraction and seven office/studio units for rent. The Trust is looking for Trustees with appropriate skills and enthusiasm to help us tackle these challenges, as well as shaping the future direction of the Trust.

Deadline for applications is Friday 10 May 2013. For more information and to apply please click here.

Knowledge of the heritage scene would be helpful but is not essential. Candidates would be expected to work mostly from home and all reasonable expenses will be paid.

For more information and to apply, please click here.

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