IHBCNEWS NotesfromtheChair It is in the nature of publishing schedules that I am writing these notes at the very dawn of the new century in the full knowledge that they will only be read when millennial statements will have become as stale as anecdotes about the chaos at Stratford East station on New Year's Eve. Nevertheless, it is an opportune moment for reflection on what the Institute has achieved in its brief existence in the closing years of the old century and to speculate on what the future holds for us. In ACO News 13, published in February 1997, David Lovie, who did such sterling work in nursing the new Institute into being, waxes lyrically about the decision taken at the Annual School at Oxford in the previous April. As Context is the Institute's journal of record, it is worth reproducing what he wrote: The theme the ACO School was exploring at the time was 'Building Bridges' and there, in Oxford, we built the best bridge of all- the one that links us all in enduring and fulfilling professional union. After that April in Oxford, the comfortable chrysalis of the Association was destined to burst forth into the radiant butterfly of the Institute. As Chair of the Institute Working Group, he set out a challenging agenda for the first three years of our existence and now that that period has nearly elapsed it is instructive to revisit the checklist to see whether we remain on course to fulfil the ambitions of those heady clays. It is immensely gratifying to report not only that have we met our targets but that we have added some significant initiatives that were not even dreamt of three years ago. We are well advanced in the preparation of a Business Plan and we are confident that this will be in place by the time of the AGM in June. We have carried out a comprehensive review of the administration of the Institute and invested in the necessary IT to ensure that communication between Officers and Branches is as efficient as possible. We have abolished the division between Council and Executive committee to recognise the key role that the Branches play in the decision-taking processes of the Institute and we have strengthened this relationship by the decision to hold Council Meetings in the regions as well as in London. Since taking that decision, we have held meetings in Dublin and Manchester and we will be in Newcastle in NotesfromCouncil Due to the proximity of the Janua,y meeting to the Context deadline two days later, these notes are somewhat briefer then usual. Two Council meetings have been held since last issue of Context. In January the Council met at the English Heritage Regional Office in Manchester as guests of the North West Branch. This was the first of our planned regional visits. A further meeting is to be held in July at the North East Civic Trust in Newcastle. A relatively light agenda for the Manchester meeting enabled members to use part of the afternoon session to have a round table discussion on current conservation issues, something that happens all to seldom. Issues raised included enforcement and appeals, Ecclesiastical Exemption and the unification of 44 English Heritage and RCHME and much useful information was shared. Peter Baclcock, IT Secretary, encouraged all IHBC members to raise their own issues on our web site notice board where we all can discuss working experiences and ask for help and guidance from other conservation practitioners. BusinessPlan Much progress has been made on this, under the direction of Stephen Bateman. The Plan is being prepared with information produced by the Branches and Committees. A format was agreed for the individual Branch business plan reports so that input will be consistent. It is intended that the plan will be a loose-leaf document which can be continually updated and it is to be produced in time for the next July. Others will follow and we hope that all of you slaving away in the Branches will feel a greater sense of recognition of your hard work and that others will understand the necessity to get involved in promoting the Institute. The investment in IT has enabled us to achieve this without the expense of a permanent staffed office but as we continue to grow we will need to revisit this decision. And grow we must, if we are to achieve our goal of becoming the accepted professional focus of conservation. To that end, we have launched our campaign to recruit 2000 members by the encl of 2000 and I would urge everybody to encourage non-members to join. Our active Education Committee has completed its preliminary review of conservation courses, taken a prominent role in the development of NVQs and is currently exploring appropriate CPD requirements. A number of best practice guides have been prepared by our Technical Committee and discussion is continuing on the best methods of making them available. Our remit has been extended beyond the United Kingdom with the successful launch of the Republic of Ireland Branch in Institute AGM in Glasgow when it will be presented to the meeting. There was some discussion about how the content could be best disseminated to the membership. An abstract will be sent out with AGM papers. It is probable that a synopsis will be produced for the Branches and a report published in Context. Excerpts will also be available on the IHBC web site. Con/ext The ContextEditorial Board has appointed Robert Cowan as the new Editor to take over from Bob Kindred. He will be introduced to the Council at the April Meeting and will take responsibility for editing the June issue on the theme of recruitment. There are plans to do an Irish issue in the near future. 1999 and we continue to explore a variety of initiatives for the future development and expansion of member services and the promotion of the Institute. All of these elements were anticipated in the original Action Plan but we have gone far beyond that checklist in the three years of the Institute. We have set up an attractive Webpage with the potential to give us a global presence, the publication of an annual handbook is well advanced and the extraordinary success of our Romania project is clue entirely to the drive of the West Midlands Branch, demonstrating in the process the importance of our devolved structure. The fruits of our new publication arrangements will be visible for the first time in this issue of Contextancl uncloubteclly there will be further changes as the editorial team get into its stride. All of this has taken a lot of hard work selflessly given by a dedicated band of officers and members. It is thanks to them that our millennial bridge is now functioning and I look forward to an exponential growth of traffic in the new centu1y. But for a start let us truly make it 2000 in 2000. Malcolm Airs TechnicalCommittee The Technical Committee, chaired by Jenefer Chesher, is recruiting new members because of its heavy workload. It was reported that there have been an encouraging number of members who expressed an interest in getting involved in this area of the lnstitute's work. LawandPractice This sub-committee of the Education Committee, chaired by Alexandra Faulkner, is resurrecting the lnstitute's Law and Practice Roadshows. Venues and dates have yet to be agreed but the first themes to be covered are Ecclesiastical Exemption and PPG 15 and Recording of Buildings. Further suggestions include Article 4 Directions, Enforcement Practice Guidance and Impact Assessments. If members have any other ideas, Context65 March 2000
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