Historic Buildings and Conservation Committee
Committee Chair
Rob Briggs
Committee Secretary
Vicki Fox - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The LAMAS Historic Buildings and Conservation Committee (HBCC) reviews listed building consent and other planning applications that have an impact upon heritage assets. It has sought for several decades to ensure a sustainable future for vital aspects of Greater London’s built heritage.
If you are interested in becoming more active in the preservation of the city’s historic buildings and neighbourhoods, read on for information about how the HBCC operates and how you could play a part in its future.
What does the HBCC do?
The HBCC meets monthly to consider development proposals from across Greater London. It uses the Council for British Archaeology database to source most of the cases it considers, though local planning authority databases, print and social media are also used. The proposals in question mostly affect buildings that are entered in the National Heritage List for England maintained by Historic England, but we also look at cases related to locally listed or non-listed historic buildings, and ensure that relevant archaeological implications are not overlooked.
Applicants may not appreciate the heritage value of extant buildings, be it their own or of their neighbours. The HBCC considers all the cases that come its way, including those where the ramifications of a minor-looking change might be significant in creating an unwelcome precedent. It is unusual in combining local knowledge with a city-wide remit and no limitation to a particular period of architectural history.
For unsatisfactory proposals, the HBCC writes to the local planning authority or Mayor of London (or Planning Inspectorate in the case of appeals) putting forward its objections.It is able to add weight to cases already being handled by other bodies or individuals faced with damaging proposals — Whitechapel Bell Foundry being a recent case in point.
How can you help?
The HBCC, with an active membership of about a dozen, is conscious of the gaps in its coverage of London. Members usually cover more than one borough, but the HBCC is always ready to recruit people with local knowledge who can easily spot which applications might be contentious. Keeping up to date with all borough and city planning databases would need more scrutineers.
If you have a few hours to spare each month and are interested in the preservation of the historic environment of your local area, the HBCC may be the committee for you.
Existing members would be happy to get you up and running, including guiding you through your borough's planning website and help you with notes on how the HBCC assesses and where necessary responds to planning proposals.
We are also keen to hear from anyone who would be willing to keep an eye on the planning applications registered in their area and forward any noteworthy cases to the HBCC for its consideration. Listed building consent applications are obviously of interest, but applications relating to unlisted buildings may be of importance too, both in their own right and if they affect the setting of a designated heritage asset.