Cultural World Heritage Sites are incredibly diverse, ranging from individual monuments and sites, such as Stonehenge and Avebury, to historic areas and cities such as Bath, Liverpool and Edinburgh. The defining characteristic that links all cultural World Heritage Sites is that the asset or property must be recognised as being of ‘outstanding universal value’.

In many countries, World Heritage Sites are provided with statutory protection under national planning and/or development legislation. This is not the case in the United Kingdom, although the outstanding international importance of the site does constitute a key material consideration to be taken into account by local planning authorities in determining planning and listed building applications. Local authorities are also required to formulate specific planning policies for protecting World Heritage Sites.

This course introduces participants to the processes of WHS nomination and inscription, and explores the impact of WHS designation on the management of a site. It will discuss some of the practical issues that flow from WHS inscription and the need to manage and protect a site’s ‘outstanding universal value’. It is aimed at professionals who would like to know more about the position of World Heritage Sites in the planning process (in England and the rest of the UK), and to those who are keen to improve the quality, relevance and effectiveness of World Heritage Site management plans and planning.

Audience
The course is open to all, but will be of particular interest to:
• World Heritage Site co-ordinators and managers or those providing advice to other property owners/managers in the vicinity of a WHS;
• Planners who have to consider the potential impact of development proposals on a WHS or within the setting or buffer zone of a WHS;
• Heritage practitioners who wish to understand the importance and impact of World Heritage Sites or who might become involved in preparing a WHS management plan or a conservation management plan for a heritage asset in close proximity to one;
• Practitioners who have an interest in working on projects for UNESCO internationally.

More information

If you have any questions about this course, please email professional.arch@conted.ox.ac.uk

A 1-day event aimed at people involved in the planning system within World Heritage Sites, including Planners, Conservation Officers, WHS Co-ordinators and Councillors.

The event, which is being held at two alternative venues, has been organised jointly by the Local Authority World Heritage Forum (LAWHF), English Heritage and ICOMOS-UK.

The Telford event will be chaired by Gillian Clarke, Secretary of LAWHF and the Newcastle upon Tyne event by Susan Denyer, Secretary of ICOMOS-UK.

For more information please e-mail jbl.telshrops@blueyonder.co.uk or telephone Jonathan Lloyd on 01952 587615

Download the programme and booking form

The aim of the conference is to consider the threat to the UK’s unique heritage from fire and other such incidents and is a must attend for anyone who is involved with Fire Protection or the restoration and preservation of heritage buildings.

The conference will involve key players from across the cultural and heritage sectors as well as representatives from the world of fire engineering, architecture, tourism and planning.

For more information and to book please contact Mandy Eeles on 07919 175310 or Richard Daly on 01606 868290.   

Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service
The Institution of Fire Engineers

Blackpool Blackpool’s special history is rooted in its significance as the world’s first working-class seaside resort and its development into a unique centre of popular entertainment.

Today, still synonymous with fun and excitement, Blackpool constitutes an exceptional cultural landscape – a living, evolving expression of the industrial archaeology of the popular seaside holiday.

 Although always at the forefront of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship (the town’s motto is ‘Progress’), Blackpool continues to retain its core identity and ambience and to sustain its distinctive atmosphere of revelry and participation, with an impressive array of surviving architectures, built environments and entertainment traditions dedicated to the provision of leisure and enjoyment. Blackpool is now at a critical point in its historical development, looking to reinvent itself through a new masterplan, pursued through the urban regeneration company ReBlackpool. The Blackpool Resort Masterplan sets out an ambitious vision that will transform the town by redefining Blackpool’s future as a top-quality, world-class resort destination, improving the lives of residents and visitors alike. The trick will be to combine modernisation and the search for new markets with an appeal to tradition, identity and the heritage of the recent past and to encourage high quality architecture and redevelopment that responds to and respects the history, heritage and special character of the place.

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A Joint conference organised by the Royal Town Planning Institute, Royal Institute of British Architects and the Belper Civic Forum. This significant annual conference will be held in Belper to closely examine problems such as the conflict between economic development and conservation in a World Heritage Site context. Concessions available for local residents and Civic Forum members.

“New Challenges in Urban Design” Conference Poster

Conference Booking Form

The Bath Chronicle reported that Dyson abandoned his plan after the Government’s rejection of a funding proposal and after facing a planning inquiry last August, which was called due to opposition from the Environment Agency.

The school had originally been due to open this autumn. Read full article on the Bath school plans.

ISUF (International Seminar on Urban Form) is the international organization of urban form researchers and practitioners. It was inaugurated in 1994, bringing together urban morphologists worldwide. It seeks to advance research and practice in fields concerned with the built environment. Its members are drawn from several disciplines, including architecture, geography, history, sociology and town planning. It promotes conferences, publishes a journal Urban Morphology and provides an international framework for communication between members.

The Sixteenth International Seminar on Urban Form (ISUF 2009), co-hosted by South China University of Technology and Guangzhou Urban Planning Bureau, will take place in Guangzhou, China from Friday 4 September to Monday 7 September 2009.

The theme of the conference is Urban morphology and urban transformation. The organizers and the Council of ISUF invite participation in the Conference by interested academics and professionals. Topics on which proposals are particularly welcome include:

• Urban morphological theory
• Urban morphology, planning and design
• Urban morphology and architectural design
• New developments in research on building typology
• Typological research, planning and design
• Cities in transition
• Cities in a global era
• Urban form in Asia
• Traditional urban form
• Urban heritage and change
• Geospatial technology in urban morphology

Proposals for papers should take the form of abstracts of papers, in either English or Chinese. They should be prepared in the following format: title of paper, author(s) name, affiliation, address, e-mail address, telephone number, key words and 250-word abstract. They should be addressed to Professor Yinsheng Tian, Department of Architecture, College of Architecture and Civil Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, P. R. China (e-mail: ISUF2009@scut.edu.cn). Abstracts of papers must be received on or before 31 December 2008. Notification of whether abstracts have been accepted will be provided by 1 March 2009. Those whose abstracts have been accepted will be required to pay a registration fee by 15 June 2009 to have their papers included in the conference programme. The registration fee includes membership of ISUF, and conference lunches and dinners.

For more information please click here

October 9-10 2008, Regent’s College London

With a Government commitment to build three million homes by 2020, the conference will stimulate debate on the importance of good quality landscape in housing developments and in creating sustainable communities.

Speakers include Professor Robert Tregay of LDA Design, architect and urban designer Terry Farrell, Director of CABE Space Sarah Gaventa, Chief Executive of The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust Karin Woodley, Director of External Affairs at the House Builders Federation John Slaughter, Senior Lecturer at Sheffield University Helen Woolley and Landscape Regeneration Manager at the Peabody Trust Group Matthew Frith. A mixture of plenary sessions, keynote speeches and seminars will bring together experts from across the built environment professions. A range of site visits to innovative housing schemes in London will also take place.

For a full programme along with details about the site visits and seminars, plus costs and booking forms, please visit www.liconferences.org or telephone 020 7299 4500.

The Landscape Institute is the professional body and regulator for landscape architecture. Under its Royal Charter the Landscape Institute is charged with protecting, conserving and enhancing the natural and built environment for the benefit of the public.

Landscape architecture is the profession best able to provide a holistic approach to creating places where people want to live and work both now and in the future. The Landscape Institute promotes landscape architecture as the environment and design profession, one that works with communities to create places that respect their environmental context and contribute to a high quality of life.

Contacts:

James Gosling, Media and Public Relations Officer

T: 020 7299 4528

E: jamesg@landscapeinstitute.org

Paul Lincoln, Director of Communications and Marketing

T: 020 7299 4500

E: paull@landscapeinstitute.org

Smithfield Market, London

In recent years the whole area around Smithfield Market has the centre of a revival as vigorous and lively as that of Covent Garden. At the public inquiry SAVE and English Heritage led the fight to save the market buildings. The campaign to save the General Market was launched by SAVE with the publication of Don’t butcher Smithfield in 2004.

Earlier, in the 1980s, SAVE led the successful campaign to prevent the demolition of Old Billingsgate Fish Market, also by Sir Horace Jones which is now a highly successful and popular events venue.

Adam Wilkinson SAVE’s former Secretary who led the SAVE case at the inquiry says ‘This is indication of SAVE’s long-held stance that the demolition of these handsome buildings is a nonsense and that they are well capable of economic re-use. They can contribute so much more to London than yet another office block.

The SAVE team exposed the some of the inaccuracies in the information used to justify the demolition proposals at the inquiry and we were staunch in our defence of these buildings. The City of London must now allow other development teams to come forward with proposals for the buildings, having previously stifled any attempts to find new uses for them’.

Marcus Binney President says ‘This is one of the biggest inquiries SAVE has ever fought, requiring an immense commitment in time and resources. The General Market Buildings have been scandalously neglected by the City Corporation. At the inquiry the City conceded that the market made a significant contribution to the conservation area. The market buildings should now be offered for sale. If they are they can very quickly become as lively, attractive and popular as Borough Market south of the River’.

David Cooper SAVE’s solicitor and lead advocate at the Inquiry says ‘The case put forward by SAVE was compelling in its clarity that none of the works for the railway were urgent enough to outweigh the obvious presumption of the positive contribution that these buildings made to the area. It was difficult to understand why Thornfield pursued their case supported by the City Corporation.’

For more information contact:

William Palin, Secretary at SAVE Britain’s Heritage

“Management of Urban Changes – Measuring Performance of Local Policies”

The INTA (International Urban Development Association) Summer Institute offers a unique training programme focusing on the innovative urban management practices that strengthen local urban development and regeneration strategies. The INTA Summer Institute is for City managers and decision makers. The mix of theory and practical exercises will provide an operational sense to the learning and understanding of urban development process.

Massa Lubrense and Vesuvio, Italy

• help cities & territories to make the most of their potential
• facilitate urban identity & creativity strategies
• tutor city & urban leaders
• mediate in the urban change processes
• encourage innovative management processes
• focus on tailor-made solutions

The daily programme will include:

· Methodological sessions on visions and strategies, instruments and languages, networking and connections

· Applied sessions dedicated to the practical application of methodologies

· Cities case study sessions benchmarking international practices

For more information and the full programme please click here