Category Archives: Sector NewsBlog

A High Court judge has dismissed a legal challenge seeking to extend local authority (LA) remote meetings beyond 6 May, noting that it recognised ‘powerful arguments in favour of permitting remote meetings’ but that ‘there are also arguments against doing … Continue reading →

The owner of Edinburgh’s Jenners building has begun an investigation after signs bearing its name were removed from the landmark shop. image: for illustration purposes only – CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=643575

Research from the University of Derby has devised five ‘pathways’ which the National Trust (NT) is using to help people form a stronger connection with nature.

England’s Government introduces two funds to support the uptake of neighbourhood planning. image: for illustration purposes only – Open Government Licence v3.0

A section of the Ulster Canal, a disused canal in the border region of Monaghan and Fermanagh, will be restored and reopened as a public amenity more than 90 years after it was abandoned.

Following the successful first £1.2million round of funding, the world’s largest creative arts impact investment fund is now launching its next round of support loans.

The Design Council has announced its refreshed network of more than 400 built and natural environment experts who ‘collectively embody the organisation’s commitment to make life better by design’.

Apply for funding to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to help form a new interdisciplinary partnership, closing 12 May.

For public authorities across the country one of the biggest barriers is recruiting, training and retaining staff with the right skills and expertise, which the Professional Placement Programme hopes to address, with Expressions of Interest (EoI) by 24 May.

A fit-out contractor has given its employees a year-long subscription to the ‘mindfulness app’ Headspace to help support their mental wellbeing. image: for illustration purposes only

Aberdeen City Council’s appeal against a decision to award protected status to eight blocks of 1960s high-rise flats has now reached the Scottish Government. image: HES website

The State of the UK’s Woods and Trees 2021 report is the first to present important facts and trends focusing predominantly on native woods and trees, and trees in towns and cities.

A new statue of garden city movement founder Ebenezer Howard has finally been unveiled in one of the towns he planned,Welwyn Garden City, to mark its centenary. image: Welwyn Garden City Centenary Foundation website

A Grade I-listed church, Whitfield Tabernacle in Kingswood, South Gloucestershire has been awarded a £137,859 grant from historic England towards its restoration which will be used to stabilise the building which was destroyed by fire. image: Historic England

Councillors have rejected plans to build a housing complex for young people in Livingston due to a number of ‘significant errors’ in the planning application – which highlighted doubts as to ‘the robustness of neighbour consultation/ notification’. image: for illustration … Continue reading →

A new report published by Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre shows that on current UK Government spending plans, funding for Welsh local authorities will fall short of the amount required to meet spending pressures over the next Senedd term. image … Continue reading →

The panel that scrutinises design issues surrounding HS2 is looking for new members. image: for illustration purposes only  HS2

The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) is delighted to announce that Tamsie Thomson has been appointed as its new Chief Executive as ‘part of a programme of change’. image: RIAS website

Applications are open to both existing and new Creative People and Places consortia in eligible places.

Welsh Government are temporarily relaxing planning control for specified development through amendments to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995.

Entries are open now for this year’s Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Research Excellence – which ‘promote planning research from RTPI-accredited planning schools and RTPI members’ – and close on 17 May.

Place names in Swansea with links to the slave trade or exploitation are to be accompanied by panels or digital bar codes to give a fuller historical context, while lesser-known figures from Swansea’s past will be recognised in the future … Continue reading →

Sir Laurie Magnus has been reappointed by the Secretary of State as Chair of Historic England for a two year period, from 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2023. image: HE website

Historic England’s (HE) Draft Industrial Heritage Strategy is open for consultation until Monday 7 June 2021.

Nominations for the 2021 Plowden Medal Conservation Award are open until Wednesday 30 June 2021. image: The Royal Warrant Holders Association website