Extension of Chair and Members to the Historic Buildings Council

The Department for Communities has announced the extension of the first term of appointment for the Chair and seven Members of the Historic Buildings Council (HBC) from 1 July 2023 until a permanent reappointment is made:

• Mr Peter Tracey (Chair)
• Mrs Siobhan Brown
• Ms Margaret Edwards
• Dr Connie Gerrow
• Dr Rosaleen Hickey
• Ms Sabine Kalke
• Mr Graeme Moore
• Mr Conor Sandford

In addition, Mr Sebastian Graham’s first term of appointment as a HBC Member has been extended from 1 September 2023 until a permanent reappointment is made.

The Chair and seven Members listed above have served on HBC since 1 July 2020, with Mr Graham appointed a Member on 1 September 2020.  

The Council is an Advisory Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Department for Communities. It was established in 1974 and is currently constituted under Section 198 of the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011. The aim of HBC is to provide independent advice to the Department on the listing of buildings, the general state of listed buildings and other matters relating to their preservation.
 

Notes to editors: 

Details of Appointments

1. HBC Chair and Member appointments are unpaid and receive expenses only. The time commitment for the Chair is on average three days per month and a Member is on average two days per month.

2. These extensions have been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland (CPANI) Code of Practice. All appointments are made on        merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, CPANI requires political activity of appointees to be published, with detail provided in the below biographies.

Biography of HBC Chair: Mr Peter Tracey

Mr Tracey is currently the Principal of Tracey Architects, and has worked throughout the island of Ireland including on a number of award winning projects including the Ulster History Park, St Patrick’s Purgatory Lough Derg, and Civic offices in Milford Donegal. He is the incumbent Chair of the Foyle Civic Trust - winner of the National UK Heritage Angels award for its work in the restoration and refurbishment of over 30 buildings within and around the environs of the Walled City in Derry over the last 18 years. He has previously served on the Historic Buildings Council from 2013-2019. A keen traditional fiddle player he has taught at the acclaimed Cairdeas na bhFidléirí summer school in Glen Colmcille as well as contributing to a number of its publications and recordings. He does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.

Biographies of HBC Members:

Mrs Siobhan Brown

Mrs Brown is a registered Chartered Architect, with over 20 years’ experience working in architecture, specialising in the conservation of the built heritage as well as encouraging the promotion of historic buildings. She is currently the Director of Flamma Ltd which specialises in the passive fire protection of heritage buildings and was formerly Assistant She has a range of skills and experience relating to the built heritage sector which she brings to HBC. She does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.

Ms Margaret Edwards

Ms Edwards’ background is in teaching and local government, with her working currently in the role of Programme Manager for the proposed DNA Museum in Derry City & Strabane District Council’s Museums Service, skills of which she brings to HBC. She has additionally worked with a range of other heritage and building groups including the Heritage Trust Network. She is a member of the City Walls Management Group, having previously served on the board of the Irish Museums Association. She does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.

Dr Connie Gerrow

Dr Gerrow has a background in building condition assessments and is an experienced Heritage Project Officer formerly at Ulster Architectural Heritage. She has provided guidance for historic building owners, community groups and the voluntary sector on how to approach repair projects. Through her consultancy roles, she has worked on a range of projects aimed at heritage education and raising awareness of heritage assets. Dr Gerrow currently works at Ulster University in the School of Arts and Humanities. She does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.

Mr Sebastian Graham

Mr Graham currently works for Ulster Architectural Heritage as the Heritage at Risk officer. He has a keen interest in, and knowledge of, industrial heritage, particularly mills, across Northern Ireland. He has researched mills for a number of years and has developed a website, to share his interest not just in mills but also in areas such as agriculture, quarrying and reminiscence. He has provided talks to community groups on the subject as well as speaking to owners of many of these redundant buildings. Sebastian holds a Masters in History from Queens University Belfast and a Post Graduate diploma in Environmental Management. He does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.

Dr Rosaleen Hickey

Dr Rosaleen Hickey holds a MA (Hons) in Architectural History from the University of Edinburgh and a PhD in Architecture from Queen’s University Belfast. For over a decade she has developed and delivered a range of heritage projects for a number of organisations and charities including British Council, Ulster Architectural Heritage, Belfast City Council, PLACE and Belfast Interface Project. She is currently Heritage Officer at Strand Arts Centre, Belfast. She does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.

Ms Sabine Kalke

Ms Kalke is a Project Sponsor in Belfast City Council where she has led on a range of capital projects including the Lanyon Tunnels. She also delivered the Council’s Re-imaging Communities Programme, which aimed to transform communities by improving their environment. She also brings a range of experience relating to project management, regeneration and industrial heritage to HBC. She does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.

Mr Graeme Moore

Mr Moore is a specialist Conservation Architect with Consarc Design Group. He has worked on a range of conservation projects including the Belfast Maritime Projects, as well as a number of significant historic buildings throughout Northern Ireland such as Portrush Town Hall and Parliament Buildings, Stormont, bringing such skills to the work of HBC. He has also enjoyed delivering presentations on conservation theory and leading walking tours for European Heritage Open Days. He does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.

Mr Conor Sandford

Mr Sandford is a former Senior Heritage Policy Advisor to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with his previous roles including working as Listing Advising Officer. He brings a range of skills and experience to HBC relating to the built heritage in previous roles as an Historic Building Surveyor, and has a keen interest in industrial and vernacular heritage. Mr Sandford is also the Chair Kilmore Oneilland Trust (KOT) – a grassroots charitable organisation run by unpaid local volunteers which seeks to address social issues on the stage of our shared historic built environment. He does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.

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