13 10 310 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/57ae52623e3e394249a1bd156d4aae04.pdf 54c61a8d69dab64fb9f97469b79a2ae7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Trade Unions and Architecture Description An account of the resource Themes included action on asbestos and Health &amp; Safety, and involvement with Direct Labour Organisations and Building Unions. Following comparative research of possible options, NAM encouraged unionisation of building design staffs within the private sector, negotiating the establishment of a dedicated section within TASS. Though recruitment was modest the campaign identified many of the issues around terms of employment and industrial relations that underpin the processes of architectural production. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Inauguration of BDS London Subject The topic of the resource Letter to John Allan re meeting to take place on 31st May 1977 Description An account of the resource x =x REELo AmalgamatedUnionofEngineeringWorkers (TECHNICAL ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPERVISORY SECTION) K GILL, General Secretary to whom all communications should be addressed REGISTERED OFFICE ONSLOW HALL LITTLE GREEN RICHMOND SURREY Telephone 01-948 2271 Telegrams Draftineer Richmond Surroy Circular No. 143/1977 25th May 1977 ; John Allan Dear Colleague, Re: Inaugration of Building Design Staff Branch (London) As agreed the above mentioned meeting will take place at the New Ambassadors Hotel, Upper Woburn Place, London WeC.le at 6.30 pem. on Tuesday, 31st May 1977. It is hoped that Bob Mansfield (President) and Roger Henshaw (Divisional Organiser) will be present. I will arrive at 6.00 p.m. so that we can discuss the final arrangements for the meeting. Yours sincerely, HARRY SMITH NATIONAL ORGANISER Qetoone_d es) AI QOD GAM, TS/lLim Boker ck. NAM ysewromak May 147 .70 kcal: 4. Srarcm aA SR op6MMCanefiall Niivk wat AQuonLQ, @O ReLQroh =REE Cu, Pe SToORnCusrc2Qbn Arolne Hiedak , Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Harry Smith Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Allan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 25..5.77 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/e775f9e6c7d10bbd89245677aa4d74aa.pdf 5075c5f4d28c2765a260be0a6a40c4b5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Miscellaneous Subject The topic of the resource Miscellaneous issues Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1976-1980 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Historical Perspective Subject The topic of the resource 9 page historical essay summarising modern architecture viv-a-vis NAM (2 copies) Description An account of the resource INIO4dSH3d ‘IWIIMOLSIH S i HISTORICAL PERSPECLIIVE Hawser Trunnion "The past is not for living in; it is a well of conclusions from which we draw in order to act. " (John Berger) The selected history of modern architecture from which NAN draws its conclusions for action can be told as a ghost story. That is to say, it is the tale of how a once lively modernism lost its social radicalism, became comfortable then senile, and finally died —- but only to transforin itself into a ghost which continues to haunt us the more effectively for this deceptive transformation. Like most good stories, there are several versions with significant differences that shed more light on the narrators than on the story itself. The most recent official version was told by ‘he Architectural Review, that ageing glossy now totally debauched by its own rhetoric, in its Preview Issue of January 1976. The punch-line came first : "that Kiodern Architecture as one has been experiencing it has gone into hiding. Gone (well, nearly gone) are those massive rectilinear packages; the towers, the slabs and (since Burolandschaft) the too big urban footstools. Gone (or nearly gone) are those self-assertive, diagramatic buildings which made a point of having nothing to do with the neighbours. Gone is the will to assert, the will to shock." That the wills to assert or shock have gone is debatable. That the buildings referred to have "gone" should presumably be taken to mean the new commissions for such buildings, not the buildings themselves. But the most disagreeable aspect of the article is the mixture of wise complac-— ency and indulgent penitence. Unfortunately we find our version of the story rather more worrying. The effects of the process of radicalization induced by war could be seen in It has indeed taken almost exactly twenty-five years for the impetus behind the first Modern Movement in this country to be exhausted. The Festival of Britain and European Architectural Heritage Year, 1951 to 1975, might be taken as the official milestones at the inauguration and closure of the period respectively. We appear to stand now at the beginning of a new phase in which the criteria of 'relevant' action will be determined as much by the understanding of this legacy as by our particular political standpoint. 205 1945 in the arrival of the first modern Socialist Government, with longer an imperial power. young man of 30. "When I first came in contact with new architecture in Germany I was struck by two things; the first, this version of a grandly proportioned urbanism taking in everything: dwellings, roads, factories, markets, down to the small paraphernalia at the closest personal context. Here is an architecture, I said to myself, capable of everything. Here is a true resolution, the end of discord. This is it, I wasgwept with a fervour that was the reflection of a release of creative energy which was to spread from Europe to every part of the world and change the character of architecture decisively. its far-reaching social reforms on the domestic scale, and in our modified nation status in NAYO and the realization that we were no In matters of environment the New Towns Movement, the Town & Country Planning Act 1947 etc were the first expression of a new vision and confidence that had already permeated other sectors of society, including for example the health services. One recalls the bright-eyed article by the Smithsons in which they referred to themselves as "The 1947 Generation" denouncing the bygone equipment of the pre-modern architect, the screw pen, the classical grammar, in favour of their own new weapons, the development plan and the C.P.0. The South Bank Exhibition and the associated housing schemes for Lansbury, East London epitomised the mixture of exhuberance and ‘committed concern' while showing that modern architecture was not simply a flat roof or a corner window but a comprehensive urban language. The underlaying had of course been worked out long before, in Germany, Holland, Sweden and most completely in Russia. In this ideas, France, typically slow on the uptake,it was codified visually country, in the 1938 Exhibition of MARS group, which itself derived the parent CIAM movement in Europe. The architecture was first embraced by a radical is best captured by Max Fry's own description few in this country of himself, as a “hen the second thing was added to me when I fell in love with a house by Miss van der Rohe, his Turgendhat Haus, in the Taunus Mountains. I fell in love with this building, which is to say that I gave my heart to it and it entered into my emotional its premises from — spirit in which modern recesses and filled them to overflowing. For me at that time it was as though, my mind cleared, rinsed and invigorated by the noble rationality of the Bauhaus, the breadth and grandeur of the proposition that it and the Modern Movement represented to me, suddenly my heart was taken, by one work, not essentially different, but of a quality of which I had not imagined the movement as yet capable.” The sincerity is exemplary; the combination of rationality and passion the best modern architecture can offer but it now seems incomplete. Wells Coates, Fry's contemporary and fellow traveller put the vision more bluntly. "As creative architects, we are concerned with a future which must be planned, rather than a past which must be patched up". from the thirties But the climate of 1945 was different/ both in degree and in kind. The post-war era for the first time saw the alliance of the ‘new wisdom! hitherto the preoccupation of dissaffected intellectuals and enlightened bourgeous patrons, with all the executive force of government and the major institutions. At the very moment that the pioneers! thesis appeared to be vindicated, so the process of institu#tionalizing its assumptions began in its adoption by a new establishment due to become infinitely more sophisticated and bureaucratic than any hitherto. Naturally it was intelligent enough to absorb the precepts and personalities that would otherwise have been dynamite, and throughout the 50's the professions of architecture and planning were happy to be included in the monolithic drive for reconstruction. (For 20 years it has been considered an unjustified luxury to conceive of L.A. housing as anything but a numbers problen.) The antithesis,which was bound to arise in conflict with this centralist orthodoxy, appeared early in the 1960's in phenomena ranging from the satire movement, to student protest; that is at about the time when on the threefold premise of cheap energy, expansionist economics and enlightened paternalism, 'progressive' architects and planners (now comfortably established in government institutions and well-connected practices) were ready for the big boom. The extent of development, publicly or privately sponsored out afresh". Martin went on to diagnose the failure of modern architecture in the neglect by architects to attend to the 3rd item. But he himself was neglecting another factor infinitely more important, because while concentrating on changes in form and technique he quite ignored the question of changes in patronage - the underlaying governing function which determines the very boundaries of change of the other two. Its the same blind spot as Fry and Coates, but after 30 years of social change - how much less forgiveable! during the 1960's is unlikely to be equalled during the lifetime of any reader over 20,and the housing, new towns, universities, — of this period will somehow or other have to do for the majority of us and our children till the latter are middle-aged. The future which Wells Coates generally wanted to plan is now the past that we will have to patch up. transport infrastructure etc. -- But for the architectural profession, the boundaries of their sphere of action were still essentially the same. Even Leslie Martin, one of the most advanced thinkers of the movement, took stock of the situation in the mid 60's like this:- Referring to the 20's, 30's he wrote in 1966 "However complicated the historical situation may have been, three powerful lines of thought appeared. The first came from the passionately held belief that there had to be some complete and systematic re-examination of human needs and that as a result of this, not only the form of buildings, but the total environment would be changed. The second line of thought interlocking with this was simply that change in the form of buildings or environment would only be achieved completely through the full use of modern technology. These 2 ideas produced a third, which wasthat each architectural problem should be constantly re-assessed and thought whats best for him. S, preside over a process that was already in decline. What could follow now? Obvious with hindsight: a simple coronary case with complications. We ran out of fuel - petro-chemical, financial and most important social. For by now the assumed popular consent on which all this development had been based was solidly organised into community groups, environmentarists, conservation lobbies, spaceship earth economists,etc of increasing expertise. It began to seem once more that the people with the power were less intelligent than the people without it. The complications? Almost as fast as the development boom fever was dying in the establishment the antibodies were being absorbed. Participation, piecemeal planning, rehab and recyling have been hastily substituted in the official policies of national and local authorities and the professional institutions such that the concepts of 'Community Architecture' and 'Neighbourhood Participation! are already barnacled with bogus concern and trendy humbug, without much noticeable advantage to the intended beneficiaries. The courtesy with which Nicholas Harbraken was received at a County Hall lecture, when his whole theme was disposing of the very basis on which the Department operated, was quite astonishing. Thus the wise Authority rejects not with brick wall but with cotton wool. Sociologists call it "Rejection by partial incorporation", and the British Establishment is uniquely gifted at it. Not only is there nothing you can complain m Max Beerbohm had called the 20th Century the "century of the common man", but in architecture and planning, after now more than 50years of modernism, he is still assumed to be less qualified than remote architects and planners to know Meanwhile arteries were hardening. In 1970 the D.0.E. - a concept that would have seemed revolutionary 25 years earlier - established itself in the now familiar tastefully separate from Whitehall, its bland combination of technocracy faulty towers, sited and expressing so precisely about - there's plenty you must be grateful for. shus the host was born. and officialdom, to and to penetrate. aie Salaried architects - the vast majority of the profession - who may be hopeful of more direct and satisfying relatiaships with the users of their products, in view of the changing climate, have little to be optimistic about. Their governing body, the R.I.B.A. in no way representative of their concerns, continues to be dominated by the assumptions of private principals and no other organisation save ARC and ourselves shows any sign of challenging it. Such a state of affairs, when 80% of a profession is misrepresentated by default (or not at all) would be at best unsatisfactory, except that the current economic depression has begun to show that more immediate aspects of employment may be none too cosy either. Government cuts and the Middle East Klondike can only temporarily disguise the fact that large sections of society who can avail themselves easily of the services of doctors and The current climate is pluralistic and diverse to the extent that, given the right form of words, everyone can apparently claim to be progressive — the D.O.E, R.I.B.A, most L.A.'s, the R.T.P.I. etc etc - concealing the fact that major ideological change is occurring with little or no commensurate redistribution of power. Environmental matters continue to be determined on the basis of power, not of need, and the status quo is effectively maintained. It is this situation that N.A.M. was formed to study So much for what amounts to our context in the outside world. Meanwhile, what of our context in the profession? In the same period under review the profession has transformed itself from a craft-orientated elite of aesthetic gourmets supported forelock - tugging draughtsmen, predomminatly private, into an army of professionals dependent on a very different calibre of recruit - a university educated, mainly middle-class mass of aspiring principals whose habit of identifying with employers has blurred their vision of the political reality both within their offices and within the RIBA as a whole. lawyers have no access to architects except through surrogate by is drawn. At the deliberately unlikely venue of Harrogate, rather less than a hundred people met for a weekend in November 1975 at the invitation of the small group named ARC (Architect's Revolutionary Council) which had already for a couple of years been preoccupied with such questions. The outcome was the nucleus of a New Architecture Movement which has since distinguished its own identity from that of ARC and at the same time consolidated its membership and its aims. Of the latter more will be said later, but beforehand the two essential characteristics of the movement that Harrogate established require explanation. First its attitude: it was felt that this must be positive and constructive, no matter whether this involved more work. Nevertheless we must beware of getting bogged down in research. We would guess that it's all on the shelves of College libraries already. What we need are the people who wrote it. The second feature is our structure. If there is a single obvious lesson in the past period it is that the more general the precept the more diverse must be its application. The structure is therefore federal, national. Our object is to seek strength in numbers such that any individuals or groupings that share the basic aims contribute to the consensus for action. Apart from rudimentary liason processes, therefore the resulting character of the movement is its diversity and its localised basis. A centralised power elite dictating policy seemed both alien and unworkable. The N.A.M. is a microcosm of the social structure it foresees revolutionizing architectural patronage. clients whose patronage they can in no way initiate. It is out of this ghostly atmosphere of reality and appearances, wisdom and duplicity that N.A.M. developed and it is mainly from this section of the profession that its current membership lies in the actions of many. ae Individuals and local groups spread throughout the country make up the Movement - all of equal status in so far as they can develop their own programmes in support of the generally agreed aims - any material produced therefore is signed for example "N.A.M., Edinburgh Group", or "N.A.M. North London Group". The essential function of making a sustaining contacts, together with arranging national congresses is carried out by a small Liason Group - which at present happens to be situated in London. This function could of course be transferred to any group who wished to take over it. If you wish to join, the contact list will probably already contain the names of individuals or groups in the area and you can join their meetings or alternatively establish a group of your own. Ideally a network of groups will develop, covering the entire country, with overseas contacts also, each one working on a number of topics, local campaigns etc which it would present at national congress for review. The Congress would also of and tweedledee of form and technique - competence and the course be the place for overall aims and strategy to be reviewed. The key to this decentralised structure is that of local antonomy. If a particular topic or local issue is your interest then you pursue it. We are not a movement with presidents or celebrities and its strength lies not in the words of a few. Its strength Anyway we started telling a ghost story, and want now to tell how it ends. Well,for the A.R. it ends about here, because Moder Architecture they tell us has gone into hiding. Actually they were more honest than they intended when they added: "This disappearance is not caused by any great change in the accommodation asked for: clients are still calling for immodest cubes of space and be given this city bursting character. But, by and large architects are displaying them differently and are putting a more sociable face on them". Well what a surprise. Plus ca change. Still the old tweedledum in the course of our work. Now NAM must measure its strength; dispose of this ghost of moder architecture, and build a social reality in its place. design guide. We leave you to guess whether this preservation of the status quo is because the RIBA is too preoccupied with bread and butter issues, or because it knows all too well which side its bread is buttered on. The ‘questionis now not whether the politics of the profession matters or not, but whether anything else does. A profession which once came near the brink of radical change - donned a mask instead and now its face has grown to fit it. But behind the new sociable face practising its "social art" the architect with integrity (a word much in the news on which we had something to say to Monopolies Commission) knows quite well that his formal windmill-tilting and technical guesswork hardly touch the real forces and desires of the people or groups that literally form the life blood of the environment. The radical question is not "what forms? or "which techniques" but "who are my patrons? for it is this link which draws up the whole chain. Without seeking to answer it, modern architecture can well stay in hiding, while its ghost roams more sinister for its new disguise. It visits most of us daily far and wide; all the Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hawser Trunnion Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Allan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource c 1976 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/33ba5205461219f217f33bfbd6c6fa5e.pdf f6f27139635af0cdefe2930623045921 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Public Design Group Description An account of the resource <p><span style="font-weight:400;">Argued that it was only through the public sector that the majority of people could have access to the land and resources needed for housing, education and other essential services. The task was therefore to reform the practice of architecture in local councils to provide an accessible and accountable design service. The Public Design Group proposed reforms to the practice of architecture in local councils to provide a design service accessible and accountable to local people and service users. The following 6 Interim Proposals were developed which were later initiated and implemented in Haringey Council 1979-1985 by NAM members. </span></p> <ul><li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Local area control over resources </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Design teams to be area based </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Area design teams to be multi-disciplinary </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Project architects to report directly to committee</span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Abolish posts between Team Leader and Chief Architect </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Joint working groups with Direct Labour Organisations</span></li> </ul> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter Subject The topic of the resource Letter to C McKean of RIBA Community Architecture Working Group Description An account of the resource Charles MeKean Community Architecture Working Group Royal Institute of British Architects 66 Portland Place London Wl 1 t bear Charles McKean “@ thank you for your invitation to participate in the RIBA working Group on Coamunity Architecture which we «wre, however, unable to accept. ve feel that this important topic should more properly be the subject for public debdate and so, given the non-accountability of the profession, it would be immppropriate to discuss it in the context you propose, Therefore we are reluctant to add any weight whéch we may have bpe participating on this occasion, Our view stems froa a principle widely held witnin NAM that statutory or public bodies within the building industry and society at large) are more appropriate agencies for change than private chartered institutions. Tt asssars to us that no matter how the terus of reference of the working group aud conference are drawn, it as axiowatic that the X1sA's primary role of eafeguerding professional interests as they now stand is irreconcilable with the purported intentions of the brief, Sinilarly we feel the edootion by the KIVA of any of the other issues on hich .is working: to achieve change is likely at best only to modify aopescances leaving the structure intact. Ye hepe nonetheless that you will find our developing work of intarest anc that possibly we may meet in the future in circumstances more on the lines we h.ve imolied. Yours sincerely Hawaer Trmmnion for NDS/NAN f : Liason Grenp Caroli Greup. NDS Group New Architecture Movement 9 Poland Street Lendon Wl NN aab A sath eh anmalierat os soinsaU oieSige vecespiNncRRAsSteaiine wi a dota cee onl aie iliAdes f co John Mian, Wn Murrey ; “ Neville Morgen, Many $ccAh Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hawser Trunnion Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Allan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource June 1977 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/59bb91c0ca54de8a9ed7ed4611ec55c2.pdf 3d147a9fdcb9455b42e2c2b531a118e2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Miscellaneous Subject The topic of the resource Miscellaneous issues Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1976-1980 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Highbury Hopes Subject The topic of the resource A contribution to Islington Borough Plan by Highbury Plan Group (chair John Allan) Description An account of the resource A CONTRIBUTION TO ISLINGTON BOROUGH PLAN BY THE HIGHBURY PLAN GROUP cAcleek! ns ee aoe AacQlk Ss, cee :=a SS Orca OV oeQ ¢ Miele ai uw Vousi: Carer’ “ TeaeLsore aptGoesPlQ,.Ce Geecats Orr Hw thresh Ce Wentay Veen On a Cac PolipOeOSG SenteWOON|Ofte A Ang & 4G ups Ole ae Ree Pre a frertink & & Abbr. CREANlotrel ts.foun BEN Bell; / L200 ,a& CAO Br 9 AAG, ikAe — ThyOven. EO DA uk&yeuneAO 7 AOGnolaefeNSUCWOOe W&Sh.& Connsctni, fate. A hor” el a ADP, Crore, Le ch7le BO5Q,, Are ROKR AcarlOte Ur Andantino Nau a4 7 Prsfemsrok 4 PoxRepoOE)OEBececeAee Ochs, a @ (drfrraun.al Cerarearea.(7!)Qe Flog A, oe GO C@@Aava Prynin HAg ek Crk, plesGsCESnDPsenagers Pua hint. =Ca a ANR f Wo AL Oo uw & LONG A)ph& Ru A020 OCR ACD, EUROS(QUE ES ep. ; : Pi Cxas 3 Chew Bak oe Ai J COLL b y Can AQ Goul@ vy Zassyal NDI RO Ley) 718 Ay 2 \Pxs S Qe HR ARE BD overt ee i ay wy) Ose hing, Xo Occ G R064,aoGN sQaAxpLa5 —————EE HIGHBURY HOPES Proposals For Progress A contribution to the Islington Borough Plan by the Highbury Plan Group. June 1977 SEER HIGHBURY HOPES : PROPOSALS FOR PROGRESS A contribution to the Islington Plan by The Highbury Plan Group. ONE: TWO: 2.1 2. THREE: Sind 3.2 FOUR: 4.1 -2 PART FIVE: Letter of Submission to The Borough Planning Officer. Introduction How this Report came to be written; and why. A pennyworth of participation; Highbury's first impressions. Summary of Aims and Means Aims: Main Conclusion and Proposals. Means: Journey to the Unknown. Main Report What is Highbury like now? Housing in Highbury. The Disadvantaged. Transportation in Highbury. Shopping in Highbury. Schools in Highbury. The Environment in Highbury. Appendix I : List of groups and numbers who participated in Highbury District Meetings. Appendix II: Map of the Highbury Plan Area. K.G. Blythe, Esq., The Borough Planning Officer, London Borough of Islington, Plan Department, 227 - 229 Essex Road, London N1 3PW Dear Sir, Islington Plan, Highbury District Meetings As Chairman of the~Highbury Plan Group I have pleasure in enclosing a copy of our report: "Highbury Hopes ....proposals for progress." In so doing we trust we have brought the initial discussion Stage of the participation exercise to a fair conclusion, and hope that the report may contribute usefully to the Borough Plan as a whole. I should like to emphasise that the work of preparing "Highbury Hopes" has been undertaken by numerous individuals and sub- groups, and so, within the limits indicated in Appendix I, can claim to be at least reasonably representative of the area. You should also note that although this formal submission is to the Borough Planning Officer, the Report will be circulated widely among Councillors, the local press and other interested parties. We regard this submission as only a beginning, and renew our challenge to the Council as a whole to trust its nerve and proceed from these hesitant first steps towards a state of real popular participation. Yours faithfully, \ASARS John S. Allan Chairman, Highbury Plan G: Pp The Highbury Plan Group, 220 Blackstock Road, Islington, London N4. 29th June 1977 Te . ere ‘ | ee HIGHBURY HOP! INTRODUCTIO! How Report came to be written, and why The effect on our Group, when early in 1976 the Chairman of Planning Committee announced the need for our extinction, was to continue our task, and attempt, so far as possible, to bring the business of the first phase to some honourable conclusion. We have more to say later on sharing information, but one of the factors contributing Significantly to our understanding of Highbury was the Highbury District Study - a long report prepared by the Planning Department in the early 1970's but shelved before any action was taken. |E In setting about this task the Council decided the only valid method was to proceed in close conjunction with the people of Islington. The Highbury Plan Group (H.P.G.) is one of the groups that came into being inthis way. With the exception of the H.P.G. all the Area Meetings folded up after the second or third occasion. Some only lasted one meeting. In mid 1975 Islington Council embarked on the ambitious Scheme of formulating the Borough Plan. This was to be a coherent strategy for development over the next ten years. The Highbury Plan Group elected its own Chairman and Secretary at the second meeting and carried on for over a year. We had a dozen or so full meetings, with further smaller discussions continuing thereafter between those involved in finalising this Report. Participation with the public was to take several forms: the production of Fact Packs to raise the level of knowledge; Survey Questionnaires to canvassviews in selected areas; the use of "Focus", the Council newspaper, as a questionnaire; and the arrangement of District Meetings to d uss the issues at greater length with groups in the Community. The Borough was divided for this purpose into seven areas. Despite our earnest belief to the contrary, it presently became clear that the Council had already decided how much participation would take place and how long it would last. = The data in this document, which was kindly made available for our studies, has enabled this Report to be geared more specifically to Highbury than would have been possible by Simply referring to the Fact Packs. Statistics, unless otherwise Stated, have generally been taken from this study. This Departmental study, plus the results of the group's discussions over its period of meeting, plus various other data emerging from the Plan exercise generally, make up the background of this present Report It is again emphasised that the work — particularly that of analysing the Highbury District Study - was shared by many people. Lastly, this Report does not represent the only fruits of the Highbury Plan Group. (The real benefit, probably unquantifiable, is the raised consciousness and increased contact of those taking part.) However, when the Council announced its withdrawal of Officers from our discussions and also of help in arranging our meeting places - it became clear that we were ourselves ‘homeless’ and had better find our own place. This partly accounts for the uneven coverage of different topics, and the fact that some issues, which are given 'ChoicesPapers' in the Council's second stage are not given separate sections here. Thus, while “Highbury Hopes" will supplement the Choices Papers Response, we trust it will also make a contribution of a different order. Membe: of the Highbury Plan Group along with people from various other local associations became involved in the struggle to retain the modest but pleasing terrace of Georgian houses in Blackstock Road threatened with C.P.O. and demolition. One of these, number 220, is now our base, and we have endeavoured to promote its use as an 'Environment Shop' such as we propose in Part 3.2.4, by mounting maps of the area and details of possible changes, etc. All are welcome to visit ttre 2 2.5 A Pennyworth of Participation: Highbury's first impressions. The question thus arises - if officer activity is inadequately monitored by those whose seats depend on it - who is to be held accountable? ; Participation about power. Sharing information is sharing pov - A council that embarks on such a programme unaware of its implications, does so at its peril. Put simply, the need for participation grows out of two main factors. Firstly the desire of Councils to procure a real mandate for their policies. With the increasing volume and complexity of particularly Metropolitan Councils' affairs it has become clear that a twice per decade crossed ballot paper is a quite inadequate level of involvement of people in their local government. The need for participation originates at the ‘front entrance’ of the Town Hall - from the desire, more or less mutual, of electors and elected to keep closer to each other. Despite all the flag-waving and breast-beating of the last 10 years,participation - that is real power sharing - in environmental politics has hardly begun. It seems that if real progress is not achieved soon the game will turn sour; Councils (like Islington) will wonder 'what else to do', and the people (the supposed beneficiaries of the whole exercise) will return to resentful acquiescence, their initial Scepticism confirmed. Secondly there is a growing awareness among people themselves that the Council - whether of their own party or not cannot reliably be left to get on with its 'own' business. Many have discovered this the hard way - by being displaced from their homes, or unable to find adequate schooling for their children, or if elderly, unable to meet others of their age for any social contact etc., etc. The majority of disaffected ratepayers simply read the papers and keep their eyes open — and witness all manner of financial blunders presided over by the Council, and paid for by themselves. The main business of participation however must take place through the 'rear entrance' of the Town Hall — where the officers come in. For it is precisely the size, the statutory powers and the technical sophistication of centralized planning departments which has created the sort of officer autonomy that so reduces the capacity for effective member scrutiny and control. The answer is that only by much closer liaison between local people and the Council's officers can the gap be bridged. It follows that for this process to actually cut ice - the results must be different from the outcome if no participation took place. Hence the danger of embarking frivolously on the participation bandwagon. Working people have learnt their history too well to lose their instinctive suspicion for the 'benign' council officer, and if, so soon after the "new beginning", groups of genuine if disorientated participants are informed that they are becoming over-diligent the old crust of cynical disinterest is quick to reset The residual question that the Council - members and officers - must ask itself is: Are the consequences of real participation - a journey to the unknown - more to be feared than the cumulative consequences of denying it? The question is now squarely on Islington's Agenda - and the time for answering it is running out. oe sea HIGHBURY HOPES PART THREE SUMMARY OF AIMS & MEANS 3.1 Aims: Main Conclusions and Propos In the H.P.G. Chairman's interim report to the Council of 7th January 1976 appeared the words - “in planning, more than in any other discipline, the goals one sets are in the event transformed or reinforced by the methods used to achieve them." To practise what we preached, this section is arranged in two parts: the first summarizes those opinions we have gathered which, in effect, form our current aims. The second part, recognizing the way in which these will change, either in outline or detail over a period of time, Suggests methods of continuing the participation process to monitor whether we are still on target - and enable us to change direction if necessary. Highbury is an established area which does not need large scale change. It consists of a number of geographical 'cells' or villages which have their own communities, and would lend themselves to individual tailor-made improvements. Theoretically there are more families than homes for them but in fact if all the empty houses were filled and the derelict land, especially railway land, exploited, the problem would almost vanish. Large scale redevelopment in Highbury is unnecessary and irrelevant. Forms of housing and types of tenure should be becoming more, not less, diverse. The more monolithic the housing stock the greater the problem of "exceptions' - and diversity is the essence of successful housing policy. The Council should not confuse their obligation to progress towards a well-housed population with the desire to supervise the whole operation. The most needed (and feasible) immediate action is on empty houses, most of which are publicly owned. There should be as much variety of control of this housing as possible, while council tenants, who wish to do so, should be encouraged to manage their own estates. A major drive to stimulate 'self-help' by private landlords is urgently needed to provide basic amenities in otherwise structurally sound properties. Two age groups, the under 5's and the elderly are getting a bad deal - both in overall terms and in comparison to the rest of the Borough. Highbury's claim for priority treatment is reinforced by the population structure. The right places for social services are centres in the local community which can involve both the Council and local organisations. There is no other effective way to find and help the people who really need help. Too many commuters pass through or park in residential streets. The answer is not to widen the main roads as car numberswill expand to fill the available space. Intelligent inh iting of private car movement must be coordinated with improved public transport services. The Blackstock Road accident blackspot could be eliminated cheaply within weeks by adopting our proposals. Since only one-third of Highbury residents aré car owners, greater emphas must be placed on pedestrian safety, a greater proportion of Highbury traffic comprising "strangers' to the district. The patronizing belief held by architects and planners, that other mortals only use their eyes for steering, must be debunked, and the Council meet its obligations to maintain the dignity and cleanliness of public areas. Outside the well publicized Conservation Areas the Council Should develop small derelict areas as gardens and sitting Out spaces. Highbury has a rich variety of small shops which planners must resist the temptation to "tidy away". With careful help and encouragement this shopping structure Suits very well the predominantly pedestrian and/or elderly shopper. Grandiose centres such as Wood Green would benefit only those who can use Wood Green already. Rather the 'High Street’ character of Blackstock Road and Highbury Barn should be reinforced by partial pedestrianization. There are plenty of schools in Highbury but they are inadequately used outside school hours. It would make more sense to bring this spare capacity into constructive use, than devote scarce resources to new building projects. The decline in overall pupil numbers should be used as an opportunity to reduce average class sizes and improve facilities. The immediate target should be maximum class size: 30 and two form entry. Even when this is achieved it will not necessarily be time to close down schools on the basis of dubious ILEA forecasts. More generally we need trees especially in North Highbury. Hundreds of 'em. Lastly, the Highbury Plan Group is disappointed with the recent designation of Housing Action Areas. Firstly the Group were denied any knowledge of the forthcoming prog- ramme - despite the obvious relevance this would have had to our discussions. Secondly the Finsbury Park Triangle HAA, one of the key areas in Highbury, was rightly desig- nated top priority but then demoted to last in the "adjusted" list apparently to avoid some official embarrassment. MEANS, JOURNEY TO THE UNKNOWN 3.2 It is not possible to know in detail either the future requirements of specific areas of the resources available to meet them. The most ambitious plans may look foolish at a stroke, if the Arab Emirates change the price of Galil, After deciding broadly what matters and what doesn't, we must set up procedures whereby specific policies can be formulated as part of an ongoing process. Planning departments should decant into local branch offices — ngt unlike Social Services Area Teams - where teams of about 5 officers can work directly with area groups. This would help to lessen the impenetrable ‘them'/'us' image foremost in people's mind when they think of planners. Planners and other servicing departments for their part would begin to work with people instead of data. If officers however fail to meet their direct obligations to communities, this decanting will simply be regarded as a more effective form of spying. Standing Advisory Committees of teachers and governers, parents and children, and ILEA officers should be encouraged to establish regular programmes of consultation to establish schooling priorities in detail Active encouragement must be given to form Committees of residents to liaise with the Council's area teams. Half- hearted attempts to do so have tended to make some existing community groups cynical and suspicious. Street Committees should be formed similar to HAA Joint Advisory Committees before any work is contemplated in a specific area. Raising people's expectations and planning knowledge could be assisted by setting up neighbourhood ‘Environment Shops' where local planning matters and proposals may be Studied and discussed. This might be combined with 3.2.1 so long as these centres did not just become branch offices of the Planning Department. 220 Blackstock Road, the rehabilitation of which has been undertaken by several groups and individuals (including members of the Highbury Plan Group) is a first step in this direction. Associations of shop owners and traders should be convened to formulate shopping street policies, and benefit from the effects of strength in numbers. Most of Highbury's shops are in distinct concentrations. We support the idea of an Industrial Aid Bureau to liaise between the Council and the local business community. To be successful however people must know of its existence and how it can help them. afey 5 a 5 % “ fet Ina continuing period of economic stringency, which allows politicians to defer their dreams and hence their bilities, short-term solutions have a vital role. wa Sure such as the Job Creation Programme , correctly used, can tackle several problems simultaneously. combats the type of unemp and also suits some of the immediate tasks we have proposed in connection with environmental improvements, etc. These proposals all aim to give identity and structure to groups of people that already exist but have no incentive to meet because the Council holds out little encouragement and its officers defend their own knowledge. If real participation ever develops the Council must bite the bullet and realise that they will be unable to completely control it. While parti ipation remains manageable by the Council it Can never become real ® HIGHBURY HOPES : PART FOUR MAIN REPORT What is Highbury like now? Highbury, like most of central London, has experienced a loss of population over the last decade, but at half the rate of Islington as a whole. There were 340 thousand living in Highbury in 1891, and by 1981 there are expected to be 32 thousand - roughly the same as in 1828. These astounding statistics have been a major influence on Highbury. The major features of Highbury are: a) Highbury Fields: a splendid urban park surrounded by fine terraces and providing much needed recreation facilities. Other green spaces include Highbury New Park and Newington Green, both of which are designated conservation areas. Finsbury Park Station: an important transport interchange with bus, rail and tube facilities used by a population much larger and more dispersed than Highbury's. Arsenal Football Stadium. A club of national importance, again attracting many thousands of "outsiders' and imposing occasional irritation to nearby residents, but benefittinglocal trade. Blackstock Road/Highbury Park: from Finsbury Park to the Barn is Highbury's local High Street offering an excellent range of shops - and, with its turns and gradients, having a definite character and identity. There is one principal zoned area of industry - namely Queensland Road and Ashburton Grove, which also includes the major Borough Cleansing Department establishment. This area merges with the vast acreage of railway land - a significant proportion of which is probably underexploited. |f | In this section we look at the ex sting tuation in Highbury in general terms, before studying particular topics in more depth. The Group accepted the Planning Department's boundaries of the area. These are, ofcourse, to an extent arbitrary but may be defined as the district enclosed by the Kings Cross and North London railway lines on the west and th, Holloway Road on the south west and the Hackney / Islington boundary on the north east; an area of approx— imately 300 acres. P ‘ a Structure and character : the area is a patchwork of smaller segments - distinct urban villages — some with outstanding architectural qualities, like the Fields, but otherwise mainly consistent and comfortable What a few years ago would have been viewed in disfavour — namely the absence of much comprehensive redevelopment - may now be counted as a blessing. The predominant land use is residential with minor industry well absorbed into the general grain. o we Physically the most obvious differentiation is between the southern sector with its mature trees and greenery and the "Finsbury Park triangle" area which could well have the lowest tree count of any area in Inner London. e Most of the housing stock is Structurally sound, or easily made so, but in many cases lacking in what are now classed as basic amenities. The rate of decline of Highbury's population being half that for Islington generally has resulted in our area having an increasing share of the Borough's population. This is distributed relatively more in the very young (under 5's) and 30 - 35 age group. One-fifth of Highbury's population are children of school or pre-school age. Two-thirds are of working age (of which four-fifths actually have a job) and less than a fifth are retired. The national trend towards more and smaller households is reflected in Highbury, but the presence here of more than the average number of children, young adults and large families means that provision for the young is particularly necessary. The socio-economic pattern shows a relative rise in more affluent (e.g. professional or employer) groups against a reduction in services and unskilled labour. These trends are more exaggerated in Highbury than the Borough as a whole, and are doubtless the result of inward migration rather than mass upward social mobility. Eighty per cent of Highbury residents (1971 figure) are British born. 13 per cent are of Commonwealth origin and 7 per cent from elsewhere. This mix is average for the Borough, which is generally becoming more cosmopolitan, but shows that many immigrants are second generation or older. In 1971 it was estimated that one-fifth of the total housing stock in Highbury was either derelict or vacant. If the Council truly wished to dent the housing problem in Highbury it need look no further than this. Of the other various options open to the Council (or the G.L.C.) to tackle Highbury's housing problems, redevelop- ment appears singularly inappropriate. It is too expensive, takes too long, adds to the wrong tenure section and would involve demolishing property not unsound enough to justify demolition. It is also unlikely to produce a net housing gain. Development of railway and other unexploited land may deserve serious study but the main impact, apart from restoring the empty houses to full use, must be made in improving or stimulating others to improve existing stock mainly in the private unfurnished sector. Short life use of existing unused property must be consid— ered a serious possibility if its owners - public or private continue to acquiesce in its dereliction. The Council should not feel inhibited about permitting genuine Squatters to occupy and improve unoccupied dwellings particularly if owners are persistently obstinate in improving them. Where the Council itself is the n HIGHBURY HOPES : PART FOUR _ sa The statistics quoted below from the Highbury District Study give as good an insight as any into the housing problems of Highbury. The area population (1971) was about 34,000 and the number of households just over 13,400. This gave an average household size of .2.3 persons - a Significant drop from 2.7 in 1961. The broad pattern, typical of London generally, has been for owner-occupation to remain about constant, council tenancy and furnished accommodation to increase, but private unfurnished lettings to fall markedly. There are almost 3,000 fewer dwellings than households, a deficiency which is made up for by sharing. In 1971 12% of households were living at more than 1.5 persons per room - or, in other words statutory overcrowding. S than a quarter of the housing stock needs major repairs to extend its life by 15 years. A third of the tock, the majority of which is pre-1916, needs some improvement - usually in the form of additional ameniti Only half the total number of households have exclusive use of basic amenities - the other half representing mainly the private unfurnished sector. 4.2 Housing in Highbury In 1971 it was estimated that one-fifth of the total housing stock in Highbury was either derelict or vacant If the Council truly wished to dent the housing problem in Highbury it need look no further than this. Of the other various options open to the Council (or the G.L.C.) to tackle Highbury's housing problems, redevelop- ment appears singularly inappropriate. It is too expensive, takes too long, adds to the wrong tenure section and would involve demolishing property not unsound enough to justify demolition. It is also unlikely to produce a net housing gain. Development of railway and other unexploited land may deserve serious study but the main impact, apart from restoring the empty houses to full use, must be made in improving or stimulating others to improve existing stock mainly in the private unfurnished sector. Short life use of existing unused property must be consid- ered a serious possibility if its owners - public or private continue to acquiesce in its dereliction. The Council should not feel inhibited about permitting genuine Squatters to occupy and improve unoccupied dwellings particularly if owners are persistently obstinate in improving them. Where the Council itself is the n HIGH 'Y HOPES : PART FOUR The statistics quoted below from the Highbury District Study give as good an insight as any into the housing problems of Highbury. >area population (1971) was about 34,000 and the number of households just over 13,400. This gave an average household size of .2.3 persons - a Significant drop from 27 Lneloole SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE The broad pattern, typical of London generally, has been for owner-occupation to remain about constant, council tenancy and furnished accommodation to increase, but private unfurnished lettings to fall markedly. There are almost 3,000 fewer dwellings than households, a deficiency which is made up for by sharing. In 1971 12% of households were living at more than 1.5 persons per room - or, in other words statutory overcrowding. Less than a quarter of the housing stock needs major airs to extend its life by 15 years. A third of the stock, the majority of which is pre-1916, needs some improvement - usually in the form of additional amenities. Only half the total number of households have <clusive use of basic amenities - the other half representing mainly the private unfurnished sector. Conclusion: If it was more widely known by electors that a major Slice of their rates was devoted to depriving them of their homes there could be public disorder. = SUSE 5- J The only appropriate response to the housing problem in Highbury is a pluralist programme. No one answer and no one agency is the right solution. a the obdurate owner such an option at least provides accommodation which is after all the primary objective. In the U.K. as a whole each year only 2% is added to the housing stock, and we must look to what already exists for the 'new' supply. In other words rehabilitation and conversion give best value for money. Derelict property if all restored to use would cut homelessnes by one-fifth. Meanwhile, nine per cent of L.B.I. land is vacant. Occupier satisfaction is a more useful criterion of acceptability than Statutory definitions in a crisis and Saves needless expenditure on second priorities. The Council's major role may well be an indirect one in persuading, and ipporting financially if possible, other agencies including private individuals involved in providing accommodation. Improvement Grants must be less restrictive if the benfits of full take-up are to be gained. Before extending its direct involvement the Council should face the unpleasant fact that it is the agent principally responsible for the housing shortage. (Housing Fact Pack p.14 states that nearly } of rehousing in 1974 arose from decanting from areas of Council activity.) HIGHBURY HOPES PART This abominable word describes a familiar enough phenomenon : the very young and the very old, in other words the dependent sections of any community. These are not necessarily at a disadvantage, of course, only more vulnerable to it. If the demand for general social services is probably inexhaustible - the resources to meet it are certainly not. The question therefore arises how to identify those in need and deploy resources to best effect. The first group clearly in need is the pre-school age under 5's, and the population figures quoted earlier indicate an above average proportion for Highbury. Provision of services for the under 5's may be made as follows a) Nursery Schools - full or part-time, provided by the Education Authority or privately. (3 - 4 year olds.) b) Nursery classes attached to primary schools. ce) Primary Schools : admitting under 5's or the so-called "rising 5's". d) Day Nurseries : full-time child minding for children any age under 5. e) Child minders : registered or otherwise. 3) Play Groups : Council sponsored or voluntary. Such services generally benefit not only the children, by promoting educational and social development at a critical age, and offering an alternative (and in cases better) environment - but also their parents by enabling the mothers to take part or full-time work, make more social contacts in the community or give better attention to younger babies. The Government, the ILEA and LBI are all apparently in ? favour of improved provision for the under fives, but the situation in Highbury is not encouraging. In 1972 less than 200 out of over 1200 3/4 year olds were in pre-school education and only about 300 out of over 24 thousand 0 - 4 year olds were benefitting from any other provision. In Islington as a whole only 26% of the 0 - 4 age group are catered for, but in Highbury this figure falls to 19%, 5 6 The Disadvantaged a We clearly need priority treatment in this area, particularly since precisely those households where conditions are poor are more numerous in the young families sector. The elderly of Highbury are also especially badly off. Whilst Council can do little to influence national pensions, there is a shortage of P. day facilities, to which resources could be directed. There are 52 luncheon clubs in Islington, but Council officials were (at the time of enquiry) unable to name one in Highbury. A third area of concern is the maladjusted child or young person. All must recognise that the responsibilities arising must be shared equally, but many people in Highbury feel they are already carrying their fair share. Conclusions A major objective should be to provide more nursery education in Highbury - preferably in the form of nursery classes in existing primary schools, as this is most economical, or creches or special nursery schools. Currently the trend looks to be heading the opposite direction, with Elizabeth House risking closure for lack of funds. Day facilities for the elderly must be improved, with consideration to adopting suitable existing premises as well as building new centres. Until at least some progress has been made on these items there should be no more adolescents' hostels etc. in Highbury. The difficulties of making and sustaining contact with those in the two groups in need could be eased if environ— ment shops or centres such as 220 Blackstock Road are encouraged and fostered in other parts of the district. The Social Services department must be closely involved, but the contribution of which voluntary agencies are capable must be given full support. Transportation in Highbury Car parking is not a major problem in Highbury so far as residents are concerned as ownership is only about 30%. Incoming parkers cause difficulties however, especially in connection with Arsenal. The Council should give special priority rights to residents in Arsenal's "parking shadow" who endure this invasion week after week during the ever-lengthening 'season'. Finsbury Park Station - the area's main interchange- is a squa disgrace of which the Council, the G.L.C. and British Rail should be utterly ashamed. Highbury faces two basic problems of movement, the rush hour (affecting all modes of transport) and the concentration of traffic on particular roads. 2a is surrounded by major roads - Holloway, Seven Green Lanes, St. Pauls Road — but traversed by s Several minor roads, Gillespie Road, for y_ far too much through traffic, which is not generated locally. Intermediate size roads, such as Blackstock Road in turn carries too great a volume for its pedestrian/shopping character. Figures indicate rates of eleven thousand vehicles per day for both Green Lanes and Blackstock Road = when the former is suitable for such a volume, and the latter manifestly not. Drayton Park/Gillespie Road likewise carry up to two- thirds the volume of Holloway Road during rush hours, the latter being in effect a national trunk road. Because of these and similar overloadings of inappropriate roads Highbury has more than its share of accidents. In particular nearly half of all the di tricts vehicle/ pedestrian accidents occur along Blackstock Road/Highbury Park - and one-third of all the accidents on the same stretch of road. This is quite Simply because the character and use patterns generated by this road are quite incompatible with any "through route" function. The western zone of the district is quite well served by Tube lines, but public transport elsewhere is hampered both by the congestion described above, and the singularly tupid operating habits of London Transport whereby buses are dispatched in groups of 3 with hour-long intervals between. The North London Line is generally reckoned to be under- used but the British Rail services at Finsbury Park provide important links with the city centre. Conclusion All the authorities involved should combine to give Finsbury Park Station the mother and father of a facelift. Successful traffic management consists of mastering the problems of scale A 14 wheel lorry at 40 mph may be acceptable on par of Holloway Road, but it is not so on Blackstock Road. A stream of private cars at 20 mph may be acceptable in Green Lanes, but only doubtfully so at Highbury Barn. Through traffic will revert to its proper channels if the disincentives to go elsewhere are made strong enough. These can consist of additional traffic lights, culs-de Sac, pedestrian crossings, and "broad hints" such as planting, seating, changes of texture, etc. etc. (Think of Oxford Street 5 years ago — and now. ) Accident figures show that Blackstock Road carries too much traffic for its alignment and character. Traffic lights should be installed now at the Gillespie Road/ Mountgrove Road and Monsell Road/Brownswood Road crossings. Consideration should be given to pedestrianizing the section from these junctions or even Seven Sisters Road to Highbury Barn - i.e. the main shopping portion. On-street parking is not so awful really, and looks 0.K. if shaded by trees. It is als cheapest and allows drivers to get as near as possible to their destination - a desire nobody will ever succeed in changing. So any money now ear-marked for the nonsenseof off-street parking should be spent on trees to distract the eye from on-street parking. HIGHBURY HOPES : PART FOUR eeOL 4.5 Shopping in Highbury d) Highbury Barn 5.7% T.F.S. e) Newington Green 13% T.F.S. f) Drayton Park 8.3% T.F.S. 8) Highbury Corner 13% T.F.S. The 'cellular' village character of Highbury which has already been described in detail also characterises the shopping patterns of the area. The distribution of shopping facilities in Highbury is roughly as follows: a) Finsbury Park 35% total floor space (P19 3,) b) Blackstock Road 15% T.F.S. ce) Highbury Park 8% T.F.S. Although there are also many smaller concentrations of shops it can be seen that Finsbury Park/Blackstock Road /Highbury Barn - carrying nearly two-thirds of total floor space - acts as the "high street' for the area as a whole. The above inference is also Supported by the fact that 75% T.F.S. is given to food sales. J MOA This distribution suits the district's notably low car ownership level - since most (70%) shoppers walk to their local shops - and must therefore be preserved. The problem with shopping in Highbury is not the shops, which are numerous, friendly and traditional and offering wide choices, but the hazards and discomfort involved in using them. This leads straight back to traffic as discussed earlier. Conclu: The G.L.C. proposal that resources should be concentrated on strategic centres such as Wood Green would benefit only those already able to take advantage of such facilities. Running down one centre simply results in more car traffic to the others. The Blackstock Road high street must receive the main encouragement and improvements, with idicious face-lifts and rapid re-letting of premises fal ig vacant. 4 Also ethnic food requirements - a significant factor in Highbury - are better Satisfied in a structure of The existing patterns suit residents generally and especially the elderly, who can walk to nearby shops, receive personal service and purchase small quantities. numerous small shops of wide diversity. ey ————--—— arr HIGHBURY HOPES :PART FOUR a FOUR 4. 6 Schools in Highbury Secondary Education. Nearly 2} thousand Highbury children are of statutory secondary school age. There are three schools for them to go to in Highbury : Highbury Hill (490 Girls Grammar — 3 form entry), Highbury Grove (1250 Boys Comprehensive -— 8 form entry) and Shelburne Upper School (680 Girls Unselective - 5 form entry)’. Many children travel to schools outside the area. Conclusions The school population in Highbury is apparently declining, a trend the I.L.E.A. predicts will continue. Proposals The decline in numbers vill have least effect in Mildmay and North Highbury. 75% of Highbury's schools are provided by the Public Authorities, 16% and 9% being Roman Catholic or Church of England respectively. Infant and Primary Schools. There are eight such schools in Highbury of which five are County,one R.C. and two of C. of E. I.L.E.A. have Suggested that the County provision must be reduced by nearly half by 1981! There are not enough R.C. places however, and generally the schools, although well located in relation to demand, are near major roads causing hazards to children. Once again the I.L.E.A. expects a decline in demand — such that Highbury Grove would reduce its intake and the two girls' schools amalgamate. -| ————————E School buildings are too important a resource to be used only for direct education. They can be open outside school hours for children, and a variety of uses by voluntary groups, adult education. Such activities promote better use of equipment and facilities, as well as closer liaison between parents and teachers, home and school With school buildings usually open only seven hours a day, two-thirds of the year, the latent potential is enormous — and this must be explored before resources are allocated to brand new facilities. The Council must strongly resist any school closures. must be retained, while class sizes reduce, with the “community centre" function expanded to the maximum. Affording a second caretaker's Salary is cheaper than funding a new building. HIGHBURY HOPES : PART FOUR ————eeOUR 4 iG The Environment in Highbury The majority of Highbury's residents do not live in conservation areas however. From Aubert Park and Kelross Road northwards the area contains no public open space whatsoever, and north of Gillespie Road there are barely mord than a dozen trees in public places. one of the most treeless in the whole of London. This area has to be The sort of place in which you find yourself when you walk out of your front door exerts a major influence on the morale of a community. How does Highbury rate on this basis? The quality of environment depends on numerous interlinked factors, many of which have been mentioned already under separate headings Clearly the condition of housing, the streets and shopping areas and the volume of traffic passing through them have a major effect. The adoption of our proposals on these issues would greatly benefit the environment in general But other measures must be considered in a direct effort to improve the environment in Highbury and the mundane aspects of these should not disguise their importance. Islington's free skip scheme is an almost revolutionary measure deserving recognition at national level. Unfortunately, however, other refuse collection measures are less consistent. Is it really necessary for dustmen to leave half the garbage on the street after their wild passage? If they cannot be tamed (they almost certainly deserve better pay) then the only solution is to programme the street sweepers to follow immediately behind. A major percentage of visible public ground is tarmac or paving slabs. The Council has responsibilities to ensure that these areas are not only just safe, but maintained in decent condition. Builders, etc. must not be permitted to mix up cement on the carriageway causing permanent staining. Areas of broken or disfigured paving must also be replaced. These details all add up to an impression. (Look at the pavements in Hampstead for comparison.) Of the sixteen conservation areas in Islington, only three are in Highbury. Of these Highbury Fields is the most important being Islington's principal green space. Conservation areas naturally,and to a point deservedly, receive priority attention in environmental matters - and it may be fair to say that the current level of protection, if maintained, is adequate. HIGHBURY HOPES : PART FOUR ee OE 4 4 The Environment in Highbury The majority of Highbury's residents do not live in conservation areas however. From Aubert Park and Kelross Road northwards the area contains no public open space whatsoever, and north of Gillespie Road there are barely mord than a dozen trees in public places. one of the most treeless in the whole of London. This area has to be The sort of place in which you find yourself when you walk out of your front door exerts a major influence on the morale of a community. How does Highbury rate on this basis? The quality of environment depends on numerous interlinked factors, many of which have been mentioned already under Separate headings Clearly the condition of housing, the streets and shopping areas and the volume of traffic Passing through them have a major effect. The adoption of our proposals on these issues would greatly benefit the environment in general But other measures must be considered in a direct effort to improve the environment in Highbury and the mundane aspects of these should not disguise their importance. Islington's free skip scheme is an almost revolutionary measure deserving recognition at national level Unfortunately, however, other refuse collection measures are less consistent. Is it really necessary for dustmen to leave half the garbage on the street after their wild passage? If they cannot be tamed (they almost certainly deserve better pay) then the only solution is to programme the street sweepers to follow immediately behind. A major percentage of visible public ground is tarmac or paving slabs. The Council has responsibilities to ensure that these areas are not only just safe, but maintained in decent condition. Builders, etc. must not be permitted to mix up cement on the carriageway causing permanent staining. Areas of broken or disfigured paving must also be replaced. These details all add up to an impression. (Look at the pavements in Hampstead for comparison.) Of the sixteen conservation areas in Islington, only three are in Highbury. Of these Highbury Fields is the most important being Islington's principal green space. Conservation areas naturally,and to a point deservedly, receive priority attention in environmental matters — and it may be fair to say that the current level of protection, if maintained, is adequate. Conclusion The Council's Refuse Department and Street Cleaning section must realise they provide one of the most anything, more manpower is needed. There are several areas of derelict or unexploited land in the northern half of the area which would lend themselves to redevelopment as 'vest-pocket' public gardens. These are cheap and easily applied solutions and have a disproportionate effect on environmental "morale'. Although there are 16,000 trees in Islington a major area - North Highbury - is without any. There must be a period of 'positive discrimination’ here both in Parks Department's own policy and in such measures as the Tree-for-Tree scheme. valuable of all services and be paid accordingly. If PART FIVE APPENDIXI Finsbury Park Community Group Central Islington Community Party Highbury Social Services Department Highbury Fields Association Central Islington Liberal A: ciation Christ Church, Highbury Highbury Park Residents and Traders Association Islington Community Housing Association South Highbury Residents Association Mildmay Community Association Round House and S. Highbury Residents Association Drayton Park Social Services Department North London Teaching Association North Highbury Tenants Association Pyrland Road and Area Residents Association Aberdeen Park Tenants Association Friends of St. John's Association Plus approximately 25 - 30 private individuals Officers from the Planning Department, Housing Department and Islington Council for Social Services also attended some meetings. The Highbury district Planning Group consists of representatives from the following Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Highbury Plan Group Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Murray Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Jun-77 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/36b02cec53c6b1373b59d1cd4b69d8bc.pdf b75322e7d0116d0dfaeee98be5faad91 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Education Description An account of the resource Many NAM members were engaged in the field of architectural education, either as staff or students, and pursued new ideas for course content and pedagogy, reassessing existing course structures and priorities in conventional architectural training. The concern to focus on socially necessary buildings and to find new and meaningful ways of engaging with building users and the wider community- both central NAM themes - illuminated much of the discussion. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource News Release Subject The topic of the resource Statement by IAAS supporting ARCUK, plus other papers Description An account of the resource 2. There have been eeverai. Not the leaec ig tha fact that ARCUK policy over the last tvo years has guyed strongly in the direction OE UK School recognition, notice OE ending of direct recognitiou baving been Bivan to 7 overgeao Schools; in contrast to the the poo it ion of the RIBA which, vith different a ins and objects hag a vorld vide recognition netvork. The JCAR neetings of recent yeare Mith our colleagues in the USA have tended to query why ARCUK does not do its ovu independent recognition. The EEC geetng to be foiloving a general pattern of EEC Visiting Boards and in tha case of at least tvo other profeoøiono ouch Visiting Boards run by competent authorities are already operating or planned; there is little doubt that vhen the position of architecto is examined ARCUK vili have to operate ac an independent inspecting authority. Word bas reached us that ARCUK'o present position ac a coapetent authority is likely to be questioned if it does oot control its ova accreditation and that the inpreseion should be avoided that architectural policy is being determined by a separate organioation to vhich ARCUK is danger of appear ing to pay lipoervice. There vere tvo revievo. The first by Honorary Off icerg foiloved by a full discussion in the GPC. In considering vuat action should foilov, cha issues described in che second and third paragraphs of paper 161/86 emerged ao those calling for priority action. You raised the question of representation on the BAE and the recent changes, made vith RIBA support, to increase the number of representatives fron Schools of Architecture. The gap has not been completely closed but ve vouid like to see 100% representation and have suggested vayg in vhich, vith the collaboration of the RIBA tbi8 can be done. As Bob Adams pointed out these changeo have oot throvn the composition of the Board out of balance. If you had been at the last neet ing you would have seen (and heard) evidence that the voices of those representing practice are loud and clear. Their votes also contributed to the large oajority by vhich the Visiting Board proposals vere carr ied at the previous meeting. Paog ing to the category 2 questions, va have already given a good deal of thought to the vay the proposals would be inplenented. We acknovledge of course that there auxst be a pro rata ghar ing of coste (detailed ageeoonent later). But ve also see that the office administration cannot for practical reasons be split up and must be situated in one camp or the other. From the point of viev of expertise the RIBA oft ice •eens the obvious choice. But the steering body vould be a Joint Board vhich vould be mandated to approve appointnent8 dravn up by the reøpective Sacretarxats. I would see in practice a procedure evolving vhereby at one of the 4 (ve anticipate) BAE neetiuge a year the list of Schools for the cotaing 12 moths vouid be considered and nanes of Visiting Board toemberø for each li8ted having regard for particular fields of expertige. The ARCUK Secretar iat would have the task of approaching those on the list and vould in due tine present the final i ist to the Joint Board for endorgenent. It vould be the object, ou each occas ion Co achieve a vell balanced 3. ARCUK vould take responsibility for enouring that necessary iatere•ts. including coaotitueat body interest', are catered for. wuid bope that a of alternating Chairøea could be arrived at both in the Joint Board and in each Vioiting Board; vo vouid also bope to •ee a joint report energing — a very oborC after each vigit. I hope the coatentg of thio letter vill be helpful in your consultations and look forvard to bearing fron you vhen you are ready for auochør discussion. Yours sincerely Professor D Hinton Department of the Environment Room Al 16 Romney House 43 Marsham Street London SWIP 3PY Telex 22221 Direct line 01-212 8 4 4 Switchboard 01-212 3434 GTN 212 10 February 1987 Kenneth J Forder Esq Registrar Architects Registration Council of the United Kingdom 73 Hall am Street London WIN 6EE RECEIVEü When we met on Friday we spoke about the government's view of the way in which ARCUK should set about recognising courses as complying with Articles 3 and 4 of the Architects' Directive. 1 promised to write confirming the line we discussed. Once the order in council has been made ARCUK will be the statutory "competent authority" for satisfying HMG that architectural courses satisfy Article 3 and 4 of the Architects ' Directive. This is therefore a statutory function that cannot be de legated . How ARCUK sets about deciding whether to recognise courses is, in the first instance, up to ARCUK. It would be quite possible to appoint non ARCUK assessors to visit educational institutions and make recommendations to ARCUK. What those assessors cannot do though is to take the decision. The decision on whether to recognise courses has to be taken by ARCUK. I hope that is helpful. Please let me know if you would like to take this issue further. Jenny Williams Copy to Peter Gibbs—Kennett •JEWS RELEASE ARCHITECTS EDUCATION BACKGROUND I r. the current confrontation between the RIBA and ARCUK over the education of archi tects, the inter-disciplinary Incorporated Associ ation of Architects and Surveyors (IAAS) has cone down firmly oa the side cf ARCUK. It was recently reported i G the press that ARCUK now plans to exerci se its statutory responsibil ity for architect 's education by appointing an education officer and seeking equal representation cn school visiting boards — whereas at present it supplies only one representative to RI EA visiting boards. This development has not found favour With the RIBA, which announced recently that it sees ARCUK primarily as a registration body and bel ieves that any expansion into other roles Wi l l cause confusion and diffusion of effort. The IAAS, founded years ago by the celebrated architect Sir Edwin Lctyens and committed to an inter-discipl inary principl e, has released the fol lov;ing statement cn the educaticr. issue: The IAAS welcomes the recent publ ic announcement by ARCUK that it intends to exercise its statutory responsi bil i ty f cr the educatica Archi tects. ARCO}' by statute, was from the outset never intended to act solely as a regi stratica body. Otherwise the Archi tects Reqi straücn Act would have been drafted di f ferent I v. The Incorporated Association of Architects and Surveyors Jubilee House Billing Brook Road Weston Favell Northampton NN3 4NW No (0604) 404121 As a constituent member of ARCUK, the IAAS has a I ways voiced its regret that ARCUK over the years failed to resist the b I cc l: partisaa lobby which resulted in the true role of ARCUI( being almost stymied f r cm As an inter-disciplinary body, the IAAS is uniquely placed to appreciate the value of the composition of the ARCUK Counci l and Boards in that their membership, like the IAAS, is drawn from a wide breadth of representation. The IAAS believes that this was a del iberate measure with a view to the self interests of single-ainded professional bodies being put aside and thus the needs of architecture being considered independently and as a whole. This is surely recognised by the fact that i G order to practice as an architect in the UK a person needs only to be registered by ARCUK to which requirement membership of a professional body, whi lst to be encouraged, is secondary. The IAAS applauds ARCUK for its self assertion and i r, full support the IAAS has changed its nominees and seeks to increase its representation cn the ARCUK Council and Boards. The IAAS hopes that ARCUK will receive universal encouragement aad support i this fresh and independent approach which the IAAS believes can only be for the good of students, educaticaal establishments, architects, industry and the public at large and act least the professional bodies themselves.' ENDS PR No. eus Embargo: Iamediate release Date: 13 February, 1987 Contact: Jack Scott, PRC prian Hughes, Administrator Telephone: Northampton (0604) 40412 i RIBA News Royal Institute of British Architects. 66 Portland Place. London WI N 4AD Press Officer: Acting Press Officer: David Atwell, Director, Public Affairs Date: 9 February 1987 Subject RIBA Nomination for ARCUK The RIBA wishes to strengthen its negotiating hand with Government and to this end has thoroughly reviewed its representation on ARCUK in the light of Council 's recent decision to resist any further closures of Schools of Archi tecture . The President, Larry Rolland, and the Senior Vice President. Rod Hackney, have been concerned during the past 12 months that the policies being pursued by ARCUK, in particular the increasing involvement in educational matters, are not in the best interests of architecture, the public or future student intake. They agree that in general RIBA representatives on ARCUK should be younger and in active practice . They believe that the team put forward on beha--.of RIBi. Council which includes Gordon Graham, the RIBA PasPresident serving on Council next session, will provide profession with a much more effective i nfluence in the difficult times ahead. The RIBA has been discharging its responsibilities for archi tectural education since long before the formation cf ARCUK and continues to fulfil its obligations •4 n this fie. - • It makes an annual investment in education of over million and has a committee structure of respected practitioners and academics supported by an experienced staff. The Institute sees ARCUK as primarily a registration body and believes that any expansion into other roles can only cause confusion and diffusion of effort. The full list of nominations submitted to the Registrar, ARCUK on 6 February is attached. The Senior Vice President added that the position of the Huddersfield School and the North East London Polytechnic School should be reviewed to see if, with the demands for architects in the inner cities being on the increase, the•.• can orient themselves to an enabling course in line with government policy to upgrade the inner city environment. Larry Rolland has suggested that Peter Melvin, Vice President Education, should meet with the Director of inner City Aid to see if some joint working relationsh:g could be established along these lines. RIBA NOMINATIONS FOR ARCUK COUNCIL 1987/88 1. P Beckett 22. M S McNidder 2. K S Bingham 23. M Me tcalfe 3. N M Brill 214 . M C Nickolls R S Critchlow 25. R - A Parnaby 5 . A Cunningham 26. D A Penning 6. J Curry (Mrs ) 27. Q Pickard 7. c W Daly 28. P W G Powell 8. R K Eastham 29. C W Quick 9. R Forsyth 30. T H Sherlock 10. G Graham 31. R C Shriaplin 11. R M Greenwood 32. T D scow 12. J Gregory 33. Prof J N Tarn 13. J Groves 34. A M Taylor 14 . P Hall 35. K H Taylor 15 • A M Horsley 36. J C Viner 16. J M Hutchinson 37. D B Waterhouse 17. M W Jeffels 38. J C Williams 18. P E Jones 39. A Worsley 19 J A Lane A F S Wright 20. Dr J Low:nan 41. R J Wyatt 21. J S Mackie 42. D M Yorke DH/CR/23/87 29 January 1987 Peter A P Kelvin Esq Vice President Education and Profess ional Development Royal Institute of British Architects 66 Portland Place London Dear Peter B0ßrdg We were grateful for the opportunity to neat on 28 January and begin our diocuooions. The neat ing nada sone progress if only because ve reached agree.ent on bov ve vouid proceed and the nain purpose of thic letter is to provide anovero to che questions vhich you raised. la fact ve nada progress in tvo other vayo — first by your that ARCUK proposals are not prina facie unacceptable and that the infornation you are seeking is to enable vider consultation to take place in the R IBA: and second, by accepting that ve should aim at a conclusion to our discussions by the late •uner vith an inter in report to the ARCUK BAE in Hay. To make this possible ve envisage a further zeetiag ia March and, to aid progrego, vould be willing to call a special •eating of the BAE in July or Septeuber. The questions vhich you put to ug fell into teo categories. Interpretation of the text of paper 161/86. 2. An extens ion of the proposals set out in the paper to illustrate hov ve think a partnership would vork. In attempting to provide this iufornation I vant to repeat that the paper 161/86 is the only one vhich the BAE and ARCUK Council have discussed and, ag in your ovn cage. they vould have to endorse any detailed proposals. Hovever. I an reasonably conf ident that vhat ve are putting forvard under category 2 vould obtain the assent of the Board. Under category i there are no sinister undertonea and I an sorry if the gave some people that impression. Our proposals are unconnected vith any criticisnø of the existing Visiting Board nacblnery and indeed our proposals do oot suggest any change in procedure in the field. We are avare that ouch criticisn• have beeu made and accept as you do, that any system can be improved. we night find that a partner•bxp vould provide the of bringing about improvenent — but that is oot the reason for euggesting it. You asked vhat vere the n recent events" referred to in the far st paragraph vhich prompted a reviev of the present arrangenaat•. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource IAAS Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Allan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 13 February 1987 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/93d41bd15f750908561e618903735d57.pdf 55b07b994ad225f0ea9322c8abed0401 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Liaison Group Including London Group Subject The topic of the resource Liaison Groups: NAM was initially structured as local groups. There was also a Liaison Group whose role was to coordinate the different groups, deal with correspondence and arrange the next annual conference. NAM campaign groups, which were largely autonomous, worked across local groups to develop their ideas. They arranged their own conferences and reported through SLATE and annually to the NAM Congress. The seven different campaign groups listed had members from a variety of local groups. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1976-1979 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Tower Mill Subject The topic of the resource Programme for Weekend meeting in Norfolk 2 pp Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ian Tod Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Allan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 5 Feb 1980 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/63e4601962282ba671d9ef545bb48fcc.pdf 5f54569593ddbdd147672b061567987f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Public Design Group Description An account of the resource <p><span style="font-weight:400;">Argued that it was only through the public sector that the majority of people could have access to the land and resources needed for housing, education and other essential services. The task was therefore to reform the practice of architecture in local councils to provide an accessible and accountable design service. The Public Design Group proposed reforms to the practice of architecture in local councils to provide a design service accessible and accountable to local people and service users. The following 6 Interim Proposals were developed which were later initiated and implemented in Haringey Council 1979-1985 by NAM members. </span></p> <ul><li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Local area control over resources </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Design teams to be area based </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Area design teams to be multi-disciplinary </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Project architects to report directly to committee</span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Abolish posts between Team Leader and Chief Architect </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Joint working groups with Direct Labour Organisations</span></li> </ul> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource PDS Conference Subject The topic of the resource PDS Conference May 1978: Invitations, Programme, Applications, Attendance List File, Press Release Description An account of the resource qailan aS heeTa DD =Sek i S=AX SDaNv2S aSav ow—oSS c Diay. LS<7D 3 e P27 FLL (note Inches | | eae Blue Cyan ai iB g \4 E | 0 { 2 3 4 ‘ Centimetres Ss Green Yellow Red Magenta White 3/Color Black ©© Inviatatiaon PUBLIC DESIGN GROUP New Architecture Movement, 9 Poland Street, London WI. 3rd April 1978. Dear PUBLIC DESIGN SERVICE CONFERENCE, UCATT HALL, GOUGH STREET, BIRMINGHAM As you may know, the New Architecture Movement decided at its Hull Congress in November 1977 to develop further its policies relating to the Public Sector. Since then, work in this field has continued steadily and the Public Design Group which was delegated at Hull to arrange a conference now invite you to attend this, the first NAM Public Design Service Conference in Birmingham on Saturday 6 May 1978. During the past months we have met regularly and consolidated our propramme. In addition to refining our critique of architectural patronage and local authority working arrangements, we have been considering the origins and evolution of local authority architectural departments, their internal structure and their relationship to the profession, private practice and to society as a whole. Papers on these Will be available at the conference. We feel that discussions have now progressed sufficiently for interim proposals to be made. At the same time areas of further study and action have been identified and more support is needed to extend the work | of this group. We therefore hope that you will wish to participate in | the conference and to contribute subsequently to the programme. AS you can see from the attached papers it will be a very full day. We hope you Will be able to attend, and we look forward to receiving hi application as early as possible and to seeing you in Birmingham on th May. Yours sincerely, for Public Design Group, NAM. Programme DEMOCRATIC DESIGN A PUBLIC DESIGN SERVICE CONFERENCE T2.15 - 13.00 13.00 = T4.00 14.00 = 14.30 T4.30 - 15.00 15.00 = 15.45 15.45 = 16.00 16.00 = 16.30 16.30 = 17.15 E7eL5 = 17230 17.30 Their origins, structure and their relationship to private practice and the profession. DISCUSSION. LUNCH - Food available at the Conference. NEW APPROACHES IN HACKNEY - Tom Bulley. Some first steps by L.A. Workers. THE D.L.O. EXPERIENCE - Peter Carter. DISCUSSION+ TEA. A NEW ROLE FOR PUBLIC DESIGN = Adam Purser. Including Interim Proposals and future strategy. DISCUSSION. CONCLUDING REMARKS = Chairman. CONFERENCE CLOSES. SATURDAY 6 MAY at UCATT House, Gough Street, Birmingham I. I0.00 - 10.30 10.30 = 10.35 I0.35 - 10.50 10.50 = II.15 REGISTRATION AND COFFEE. TI.15 - IT.45 II.45 i T2.15 DISCUSSION . CURRENT ROLE OF L.A. DEPTS. OF ARCHITECTURE = John Murray, CONFERENCE OPENHD BY K. BARLOW, REG. SEC. UCATT, AIMS OF THE CONFERENCE - Chairman's opening comments. THE PARTY POLITICAL CONTEXT - Howard Smith. Implications following the Local Elections. SIRMINGHAM| City Centre ROAD Gough Street __| Location Guoas¥* ag New Street Station —_ Application NOTES: Te Please make cheques payable to New Architecture Movement. 2. To save postage we will not confirm unless so requested. Sia If you can, please copy this form and pass to anyone you think may be interested. 9 POLAND STREET, LONDON WI. f PUBLIC DESIGN SERVICE CONFERENCE: Birmingham 6th May 1978. CONFERENCE FEE: Number of People: £1.00 each (exclusive of meals) Cost: Total £ Ay Please send completed form and cheque as early as possible to: PUBLIC DESIGN GROUP, NEWARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT, NAME ADDRESS TEL. NO. OFFICE (If L.A. Worker) 12.45 a 1.45 1.45 = 2.05 2.05 Ls 2.30 = 3,00 3.00 > 5.30 2.30 — 4,00 4.00 = 4.30 4.30 = 4.45 4.45 = 4.55 4 5.00 een Un ebnlivt 3.3” Wwe|, DEMOCRATIC DESIGN - A NEW ROLE FOR LOCAL AUTHORITY ARCHITECTS DEPARTMENTS Registration and morning coffee Opening Kemarke by Bro. K Barlow, Regional Secretary, UCATT. Chairman's Address, A Frurser Role of Local Authority Architects Departments, J Murrey Discussion Lunch Local Level Experience = Hackney, T Sulley ° DIO Experience, F Carter ~- Political Parties and Their Views, H Smith . Discussion A future for Public Design, A Purser Discussion Resolution Chair's Closing Remarks, J Murray Conference Closes Organised by the Public Design Service Group, ‘ew Architecture Movement, 9 Poland Street, LondonW le 4. Goamna. Fp 4vee CONFERENCE TIMETABLE To ve held on Saturday, 6th May 1976 at UCAT? House, Gough Street, 146 Mustinne Read lida. Clade 16 Motkianwn Creat Sheet Birmingham, 1. 'ae wore pas eewyrermmeaaryyNUM -CUFRyeWK. Crude HES Wale yp PNehad j 10, lng Meades Real Cromey Sheet wel. David Abln, wks lol Whyko Lane Cluclostty Sussex CAfhel. Ceany Bishop | 275 Man OL, Rectlutl ob4 Ann. 1 Aare Forkh . CloBina hannah)Aclulset Dopt mele Backes *tence Blum . {Im . 146 hushinwe Mad livda Clrkg 16 Norttian Jeanna. oN BooTiFul AluiTSHE ? G YO HANBS T0O (COE IN KIKAA HANDY “TA STORE MA CATRE bs, FE66..!) J 6-31 March RIBA ‘Paper sculpture’ exhibi- tion will be retained until 31 March. At the RIBA, 66 Port- land Place, London W1. Mon- day-Friday 10.00-18.00 (closed from 12.00 on 23 March until 10,00 on 28 March). Admission free. 13-31 March RIBA ‘Turkish architectural At the RIBA, 66 Portland Place, Lon- don W1. Monday-Friday 10.00- heritage’ exhibition. 18,00 (closed 23-28 March in- clusive). Admission free. 30 March Society for Architecture and In- stitute of Consulting Architects joint meeting “Sensing architec- ture’. Raymond Moxley and Frederick Chadwick introduce a new programme of events in More architects but fewer new admissions In 1977 there were 26 223 architects on the ARCUK register. There has been a steady rise since 1973 when there were 24 559. New admissions, however, have steadily fallen over this period from 1156 to 843. Kingsweston scheme turned down Planning permission to build a police HQ on land around Vanbrugh’s grade I listed Kingsweston House, near Bristol, has been refused by the city council. The scheme, designed by Avon county architect’s department (AJ 28.9.77 p538), included the repair and conversion of the house and garden aildings. The police have not yet decided whether to appeal or find another site. The Architects’ Journal 22 March 1978 HYRAM .K, ZIMMERMAN 1S NEGOTIATING THE PURCHASE OF THE CURRENT OBJECT OF 1S HEARTS DESIRE Carnegie Trust launches environmental fund Local amenity groups registered with the Civic Trust are eligible for a three year programme of grants launched this week by the Carnegie Trust. The scheme is intended to help groups provide facilities which will give residents and yisitors an insight into the character and resources of their areas, Grants for the projects, expected to include town trails, conservation area guides and wall sheets, will normally meet up to 50 per cent of costs. Obituary: Philip Scholberg Philip Scholberg, who as Brian Grant edited the AJ’s products pages for nearly 40 years, died last week aged 72. He retired in 1975. Future events B...BUT WHY EXACTLY Do YOU WANT, T° BUY St PANCRAS MR ZIMMERMAN 7 GUESS ITS JES’ MA HOBBY, Son... AIM TA TRANSPORT 1TBACK T'HA RANCH IN “TEX--A.S GOT 27 OLE ANTIQVvE STATIONS BAGC “THERE ---/ TELL YA WHAT J'LLBO... £6 MilLion ON TH’ NAIL MY FINAL OFFER ---Au! AS AN EXTRA BONUS LLTAKE “THET THARE.-+> Entries invited for Saltire award The Saltire Society which presents an annual award for good design in housing in Scotland is inviting entries for its 1978 award. The award is given in two categories, new and restored. Closing date is28 April. Housing Centre Trust national conference ‘A better life in towns’. Speakers: Roy Emerson, Professor Graham Ashworth, Leslie Ginsburg and Ed Berman. At Scientific Societies Lecture Theatre, 23 Savile Row, London Wi. Fees: members £1620; architecture and the senses, pre- ceded by the film Beauty i trust (recorded commentary by Sir John Betjeman). At London House, Mecklenburg Square, frers WCl. Details from: Hon Secretary (01-589 0726). 19.00. non-members £21-60; £8.64. Details from: 3424 extns 283 or 291. 13 April students 01-240 oe Institute of Advanced Architec- tural Studies ‘Building perform- ance’ a two-week study course to examine the evaluation of build- ing performance and feedback from user to designer. At Univ- ersity of York, King’s Manor, York. Details from: David Rymer (0904 24919). 1-12 May ee NAM Public Design Service con- ference ‘Democratic design—@ new role for the local authority architect?’ to be held in Birming- ham. Details from: The Secre- tary, PDS Group, NAM, 9 Poland Street, London WI. |6May Pe 1 Nestling on an awkward site in the centre of Brighton is a new office building which shows that it is possible to build successfully in historic towns without resorting to pastiche. Much of the inspiration for the design comes, in fact, from the awkwardness of the site. Located in a narrow strect below Brighton station, the building occupies a pivotal site between immenscly tall buildings on Frederick Place and small terraced houses in Queen's Road Quadrant. To make the most of this dramatic change of scale the building is designed (architects Hughes Lomax and Adutt) in two parts of differing height linked by a service core and dominated by a tall brick tower. So, when viewed down Queen's |Road Quadrant from Queen's | Road (the only direction from | which most people will see the building) the office rises in scale from three storeys, similar to the terraces, to five storeys behind. This difference in height will probably be increased for elfices at required apen atfice space Frederick Place 0 5 10 \Sen a Schematic floor plan. Tint shows circulation the building is designed to allow for another floor to be built on top of the tall portion. The other factor determining design was the client’s (a firm of solicitors) desire to keep costs down. The architects had to design a building which was cheap to construct (it has cost £16 per sq ft to build totalling £331 000) and which would be cheap to heat and maintain. Consequently only the tall part of the building has a reinforced concrete frame with the rest being constructed of load bearing brick. The windows’ sizes have been kept to a minimum and the walls are extra thick with a double size cavity half of which is packed with insulation. Job architect: Stephen Adutt Photographs: Duncan McNcill 1 The Frederick Place frontage from Queen’s Road Quadrant. 2 Looking past the terraces in Queen’s Road Quadrant from Queen's Road 3 The entrance hall. lave| reception Tt central facilities The Architects’ Journal 22 March 1978 537 5. — Rest Gloucester \ | hoa Ted, WARA PulolieTern Soriee Corferencte : Wntrelasy Ci aeeinen :) PhatWweagiedte-matothave2 fay J road sillbeverypleatotdeodthirbul dncasyeou Yor Sica, qe Mann, aoe have Homebefotere cory = rar tre Somenotes,@Lette,ofdniuinian / dal fov B.D. wuk edig blannsa my absence pr~ nivile.$0 perhaps a Dayal Be Sess an yous maniags» Tel: 888 1212 Work 348 87'3 Home aol proye—rne shu may ye you auengh to Sav - © Sow ured lilymnt difomationpliatHg mo. Somat Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Invitations and Applications Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Murray Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1977 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/39685906acfdc3cecb5000c5ff35cffe.pdf d120a05321234b62faa055e0ac2c5265 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Education Description An account of the resource Many NAM members were engaged in the field of architectural education, either as staff or students, and pursued new ideas for course content and pedagogy, reassessing existing course structures and priorities in conventional architectural training. The concern to focus on socially necessary buildings and to find new and meaningful ways of engaging with building users and the wider community- both central NAM themes - illuminated much of the discussion. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter to G Adams Subject The topic of the resource Letter responding to GA's treatment by RIBA (2 pp) Description An account of the resource C) 39/41 NORTH ROAD LONDON N7 9DP Telephone 01 700 4161 WITH COMPLIMENTS Dear Bob, I am sorry that circumstances have prevented me from responding sooner to your letter of 30th March 1987, regarding recent events In connection with A.R.C.U.K. As you know, I have been fairly outspoken, both in Council and beyond, in deploring the irregular interventions in A.R.C.U.K. affairs to which you refer. I remain extremely unhappy about this whole episode and am currently dlScussing with my colleagues what further action It might be appropriate to pursue. In this regard, I think It might be helpful to recall my own statement In Council on March 18th in which I endeavoured to stress that the unattached would be guided In their actions by what appeared to serve the best Intérests of A. R.C.U.K. By this I Intended that the disturbances described raised questions of a higher order than merely tactical constituency advantage, and that it should be to those questions which those• concerned with A.R.C.U.K's Integrity should direct their attention. From this It should be clear that while Improper attempts to overturn democratically determined A.R.C.U.K. policies may well provide cause for complaint, a particular contituency t s choice of nominees Is beyond the remit of another constituency to challenge, however distasteful It may find the reasons for that choice. Specifically the question as to who shall serve as Chairman of A.R.C.U.K. and BAE is actually .decid.ed by election at the annual meetings of these bodies, and cannot be regarded as violated merely because a familiar unofficial precedent is set aside. By rehearsing these pedantic sounding points, I hope It will clear that however deplorable we may feel you have been treated personally, we are obliged to filter out as possible subjects of formal complaint those Ingredients of the affair that not either objectionable In a constitutional sense or disgraceful In regard to a particular registered person's conduct. /Contd... John Allan M.A (Edin.), B.A Hons, Dip. Arch* M.A (Sheffield), Architect Richard Barton BA, B.Arch., (Ncle)., RI.B.A, John Cooper BA (Cantab.) Dip. Arch, Architect Justin DeSyflas M Sc. (UCC), AA Dip., Architect, Geraldine ORiordan B Arch.(Dublin UCD) Architect A Co-operatrve Practice registered under the Industrial & Provincial Societies Act 1965 Registration NoQ3270R Avantå Archütec@s Ltdo 39/41 NORTH ROAD LONDON N7 9DP Telephone 01 700 4161 16th April 1987 Bob Adams, Esq c/o Messrs. Hadfield, Cawkwell, Davidson & Partners 17 Broomgrove Road Sheffield 10 Yorkshire Dear Bob, I am sorry that circumstances have prevented me from responding sooner to your letter of 30th March 1987, regarding recent events In connection with A. R.C.U.K. As you know, I have been fairly outspoken, both In Council and beyond, in deploring the irregular interventions in A.R.C.U.K. affairs to which you refer. I remain extremely unhappy about this whole episode and am currently dlScussing with my colleagues what further action it might be appropriate to pursue. In this regard, I think it might be helpful to recall my own statement in Council on March 18th in which I endeavoured to stress that the unattached would be guided in their actions by what appeared to serve the best intérests of A.R.C.U.K. By this I intended that the disturbances described raised questions of a higher order than merely tactical constituency advantage, and that it should be to those questions which those• concerned with A.R.C.U.K t s integrity should direct their attention. From this It should be clear that while Improper attempts to overturn democratically determined A.R.C.U.K. policies may well provide cause for complaint, a particular contituency's choice of nominees Is beyond the remit of another constituency to challenge, however distasteful It may find the reasons for that choice. Specifically the question as to who shall serve as Chairman of A.R.C.U.K. and BAE is actually .decid.ed by election at the annual meetings of these bodies, and cannot be regarded as violated merely because a familiar unofficial precedent is set aside. By rehearsing these pedantic sounding points, I hope it will clear that however deplorable we may feel you have been treated personally, we are obliged to filter out as possible subjects of formal complaint those Ingredients of the affair that not either objectionable In a constitutional sense or disgraceful in regard to a particular registered person's conduct. /Contd.. John Allan M.A (Edin.), B.A. Dip. Arch, M.A (Sheffield), Architect Richard Barton 8.A, B.Arch., (Ncle)., RI.B.A, John Cooper BA (Cantab.) Dip. Arch.. Architect Justin DeSyllas M.Scw (UCL), AA Dip., Architect, Geraldine ORiordan B Arch.(Dublin UCD) Architect A Co-operatrve Practice registered under the Industrial & Provincial Societies Act 1965 Registration No.23Q70R Page 2 Finally, of course, I am sure It would be understood ag Insufficient to register a complaint merely because we had been asked by an aggrieved party to do so. I trust this helps to clarify our position and explain why we are choosing our next steps with rather careful deliberation. With best wishes. Yours sincerely, JOHN ALLAN Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource J Allan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Allan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 16 April 1987 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/86ac66c067e9e1dfc71a119239e55d1e.pdf a1fdba4a5b9e7b00587c22b8d0a88e22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Education Description An account of the resource Many NAM members were engaged in the field of architectural education, either as staff or students, and pursued new ideas for course content and pedagogy, reassessing existing course structures and priorities in conventional architectural training. The concern to focus on socially necessary buildings and to find new and meaningful ways of engaging with building users and the wider community- both central NAM themes - illuminated much of the discussion. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter to G Adams Subject The topic of the resource Letter commending GA's services as ARCUK Chairman Description An account of the resource Avanti Architects Ltd 39/41 NORTH ROAD LONDON N7 9DP Telephone 01 700 4161 30th March 1987 Bob Adams, Esq Chairman of Council A.R.C.U.K. 73 Hal lam Street LONDON wiN 6EE Dear Bob, I very much appreciated your kind remarks about my contribution to A.R.C.U.K. This gives me the opportunity to endorse my closing vote of thanks for your own services as an open and even—handed Chairman, whose honourable conduct in a deplorable situation is respected by all right—thinking people both in Council and beyond. I am only sorry that in your case the retirement is not voluntary. However, I hope you too may be back soon, and that in the meantime you will find consolation in the knowledge that no tactical manoevres, however successful, can detract from the permanance of a moral victory. John Allan M.A (Edin.), B A Hons., Dip. Arch., MA (Sheffield). Architect Richard Barton B.A. B.Arch., (Ncleh RI BA, John Cooper BA (Cantab.) Dip. Arch.. Architect Justin DeSyllas (I-JCL), AA Op., Architect. Geraldine ORiordan B.Arch.(Dublin UCD) Architect A Practice registered under the Industrial & Provident Societies Act 1965 Registration No.23270R VAT Registrauon No.3SO 6289 55 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource J Allan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Allan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 30 March 1987 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/d6f06ac91b95b00e4eeb418a3bf465ba.pdf fcd88a0bfdea344549ae7adb39f2a8ed Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Professional Issues Description An account of the resource A cohort of NAM members became engaged with the professional registration body, standing as elected councillors on the Architects Registration Council and its various committees. Hitherto entirely dominated by the RIBA bloc, the Council began to yield to a new dynamic through NAM's involvement, enabling fresh perspectives on such issues as mandatory fee scales, greater lay representation on the body, ethically-based standards of professional conduct, etc. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource NAM Outlines Subject The topic of the resource 2015 The ARCUK Initiative. 5 page introduction to NAM's ARCUK involvement Description An account of the resource NAM OUTLINES - 2015 The ARCUK Initiative This commentary has been prepared to assist in the process of reprising the history of the New Architecture Movement in 2015 for the possible interest of a new generation of students and researchers forty years after NAM's original foundation in 1975. It is one of a series of short summaries that it is hoped to produce for this purpose and intended to identify and focus on particular aspects of NAM's activities. This Outline looks back at what I shall call 'The ARCUK Initiative'. It might not be too gross a generalisation to suggest that NAM's activities were of two broad types — 'outward facing' and 'inward facing'. In the former category might be placed its various engagements in community architecture, the interest in direct labour organisations (DLO's), linkage with the Feminist Movement and the initiative towards establishing a public design service within the framework of municipal democracy. In the latter category were those activities directed towards mobilizing a general critique of the architectural profession at the time — unionisation of the salaried profession and support staff, the development of cooperative models of practice, etc. NAM's engagement with ARCUK (Architects' Registration Council of the United Kingdom) may be best placed in the 'inward facing' category inasmuch as it was motivated by the desire to understand and re-appraise the governance structures of the profession itself. To appreciate the relevance of this rather obscure-seeming body, ARCUK, to a movement such as NAM one has to understand the pre-disposing 'in-grown' culture of the contemporary profession and specifically its principal organization, the RIBA, which was largely controlled by principals in private practice and seemed to epitomise the elitism and exclusivity of architecture, its predominantly 'top-down' organisation and its apparent inaccessibility to 'the common man'. Even the (then) quite considerable investment in social housing — the building type perhaps most directly relevant to ordinary people - was generally pursued through various surrogate procurement processes that avoided any actual or meaningful engagement with the supposed beneficiaries. The RIBA, an institution established by royal charter and dating from 1834, seemed not to offer any very accessible or likely means of changing this situation. The ARCUK — a statutory registration body established by Parliament in 1931 to regulate entry to the profession and use of the title 'architect' - did however have more 'secular' credentials and also presented opportunities for access through the statutory mechanisms for creating its governing Council as defined in Schedule 1 of the 1931 Act. These provided for a range of representation by various architectural associations and also several other bodies connected with the building industry, including trade unions. Within the architectural constituency provision was made for pro-rata representation (1 delegate per 500 members, or part thereof) of those architects who were not members of any of the associations named in the Act — a definition for which the term 'Unattached Architects' was commonly used. Unlike other representatives on the ARCUK Council, who were generally just appointed annually by their sponsoring organizations, the Unattached were elected by their peers — a democratic feature which added to its attraction as a vehicle for NAM's interest. From the mid-70s accordingly (dates to be checked) an increasing number of NAM members began to stand for election to ARCUK, soon forming a coherent grouping within the Council that could present an alternative position to the long-standing orthodoxy of the (majority) RIBA representation. Apart from forming a distinct bloc within Council itself, the NAM delegates were also able to participate in the work of its various committees — Admissions, Professional Conduct, Finance & General Purposes, Disciplinary — by virtue of a convention known as the Gentlemen's Agreement, whereby token representation was accorded to minorities in Council by the RIBA, whose membership quota of course always ensured their continuing majority in all committees and council. In this way NAM gained a platform for the presentation of what might be termed an oppositional stance within an organisation which had hitherto functioned as little more than a statutory rubber stamping agency for RIBA policy. From the fairly wide range of topics that came before ARCUK over this period (c. 1976- 1982 — dates to be checked) the one that in retrospect seems to have dominated (apart from NAM campaigning for majority lay representation on Council) was the issue of the mandatory minimum fees (MMF). Adherence to the MMF was one of a number of stipulations imposed by the RIBA Code of Professional Conduct, which in all essentials was given quasi-statutory force by being endorsed (via the RIBA majority) through the ARCUK Code — at the time an almost identical series of prohibitions imposed on all registered architects. The MMF required architects to charge minimum fees according to a sliding scale that related remuneration to construction value and building type. This ensured, at least theoretically, that no architect could undercut a fellow professional for undertaking similar services on similar projects, and that a potential client would therefore be left to select his/her architect solely on the basis of 'quality'. Looking back some 35 years later, and in light of the minefield that architectural procurement has since become, it might be thought that such a system had much to recommend it. However, regardless of NAM's interventions, the profession's fee cartel (as well as many of its other 'closed shop' conventions) was already doomed. Successive governments had looked with disfavour on what it regarded as a professional monopoly and in the late 1970s the Monopolies and Mergers Commission was tasked to investigate fee practices within the architectural profession. The de facto existence of a monopoly was easy to establish, amply passing the defined industry threshold, and was reportedly one of the most total monopolies the MMC had ever investigated — virtually every professional respondent acknowledging that they charged fees according to the MMF. The particular aspect of this that was of concern to NAM was the RI BA's defence of the MMF on the basis that it operated 'in the public interest' — when it quite clearly served primarily the interest of the profession. As a chartered (or registered) professional, it was claimed, the architect owed a special duty of care to the public which could only be ensured by maintenance of the MMF. The flaw in this argument seemed to NAM observers to go to the heart of the disingenuous relationship between the architect and his clients. If this, as was alleged by the RIBA lobby, was the subject of a special duty of care — ie. in effect an oath — it should logically be honoured regardless of considerations of money. If architects were to be trusted to serve the interests of their clients in the utmost good faith they should also be trusted to charge whatever fees were appropriate, without these being artificially fixed through a professional cartel. The MMC duly concluded that the MMF could not be justified under fair trading standards and the necessary orders were laid before Parliament to abolish it. In retrospect it might be suggested that the abandonment of the MMF — whether or not of benefit to the public - has done nothing but damage to the profession. Yet it must equally be acknowledged that the profession's subsequent readiness to cut and undercut its fees has exposed the flimsiness of the 'oath' of utmost good faith that was claimed as its justification. If the architectural profession deserved to be regarded as synonymous with a special quality of service (as compared with unqualified practitioners), then it could have maintained its solidarity and have demonstrated that this legitimately deserved a commensurate level of remuneration regardless of the MMF. Irrespective of NAM's interventions, given the advancing culture of deregulation (not just in architecture) and the proliferation of alternative modes of building procurement that began to accelerate in the later 1970s and 80s it is inconceivable that the MMF could have survived. At the time however it was the way in which it appeared to operate as another barrier between the profession and the public that attracted NAM's attention, and it is in this respect - in the context of the rise of 'community architecture' and other such secularizing programmes - that the ARCUK initiative (of which by virtue of the Code of Conduct the MMF issue was an intrinsic element) may be seen as an integral part of NAM's overall reforming aspirations. Regarding the other principal focus of NAM's interest in ARCUK, namely the move towards majority lay representation - which we regarded as only equitable for a body claiming to represent the public interest in relation to the profession — it may also be suggested that the objective was eventually achieved, albeit through the ARB (Architects' Registration Board) the statutory agency superseding ARCUK and established by the Architects' Act 1997. The Board comprises 15 members, of which 7 are architects and the remaining majority of 8 are lay persons. In this way the ARB may be seen to act as a 'secular' counterbalance to the RIBA, which remains a 'trade association' for architects and which despite repeated attempts to abolish, or take over, the functions of the registration body has (to date) been unable to do so. Indeed it may be suggested that the RIBA's prevailing stance of latent hostility towards the ARB now that the registration agency is no longer under its control is evidence of the discomfort that a public interest body continues to cause the professional establishment. John Allan, February 2015 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource J Allan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived JA Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015