C O N T E X T 9 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 6 41 Director’s cut Just how important are we? Recently the IHBC’s trustees and officers have been occupied by some introspective examination – navel gazing. In order to develop our new business plan, we passed a bright September day at the top of the Britannia Hotel in Birmingham, thinking about who we are, what we do, and why we do it. We did SWOT analyses (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats), business assessments, project proposals, blue sky thinking, and much more. It was a highly instructive day, laying the foundation of our forward business planning. In the near-decade since the IHBC was founded, this is the first time council has explored the principles behind its work and activities in such detail. The brightest points are how clear we about our challenges, about the need to move forward, and the belief that we can achieve much more. But on that day in sunny Brum, we didn’t really say how important we think we are.We could usefully consider that question now. Society benefits in a huge number of ways from the day-to-day work of our members. By managing places effectively, not least by limiting demolition, we are reducing the huge carbon emissions linked to the construction industry. By helping people recognise and respect places valued by others, other cultures as well as other times, we sit at the cutting edge of modern social challenges and aspirations and, necessarily, we work across the full diversity of our local communities. By looking after our world-renowned historic places, whether designated or not, we secure the cornerstone of our multi-billion pound tourist industry. By guiding people on how to preserve the character and setting of their homes, we help them to secure and improve the value of what is, for many, their most significant personal investment. By scrutinising the many things that people do that shape and create valued places, we help make those places better. By putting the wellbeing of historic places above our own profession’s interest – as required by the IHBC’s constitution – we set a radical standard for a professional body. By promoting ‘quality of life’ benefits, such as the quality of place, we shape the newest thinking about society, including its health and well‑being. We all know that the best way to enjoy our towns and villages is to walk through them, and that the exercise is free. All this together contributes to shaping a sustainable future for everyone. Of course, the IHBC’s activities must reflect the importance of our members. So we are planning future Context themes on energy and diversity (proposals for this and others welcome). We are preparing a Yearbook dedicated to the full diversity of our affiliate membership (with proposals for future themes also welcome).With Fiona Newton, our new projects officer, we are concluding an English-Heritagesponsored mapping of local authority resources in England (and hoping to repeat this in other nations).We are doing a little bit of a re-styling.We are reworking the website to make it a more accessible tool for all users, non‑members as well as members. We are reviewing services for private sector members, including the possibility of a register alongside other business services.We are hoping to take on the chair of Urban Design Alliance (UDAL), the link group for built environment institutes, with the specific objective of improving working between the professions. As a bit of a mini-UDAL ourselves, who better than us to do this? We are supporting the best of the conservation educational courses and strategies by promoting them as training and CPD for our members.We are working to define the base-line skills of members who can not boast the support of the traditional professions.We are promoting cross-sector training within our membership through requiring CPD. We are enhancing sector awareness of the benefits of IHBC membership by driving forward the definition and expansion of our affiliate membership class.We are affirming the value of our core conservation agenda by lobbying for its wider recognition at all levels of government, including meeting ministers. We are providing pro bono strategic advice on how best to manage our historic places; and providing detailed advice, also pro bono, on individual queries to our website.We are building partnerships with the many professional interests that shape the historic environment as a part of the living world we all enjoy, including the Institute of Field Archaeologists, for national occupational standards, the Institute of Conservation, for registering standards, and the Urban Design Group, for membership management. And that is only part of the beginning. Next year, 2007, is the 10th anniversary of the IHBC, and we are looking to mark it with style and big plans.Wait and see, or get suggestions to your branch rep, IHBC officers, or to me. Seán O’Reilly, [email protected]
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