New appointments and reappointments to the Historic Buildings Council

Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín has announced the appointment of the Chair and eight new members to the Historic Buildings Council following open competition:

New appointments of Assistant Commissioners for the Local Government Boundaries Review

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

These nine appointments are with effect from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2023.

Welcoming the appointments, the Minister said:

“I am delighted to make these appointments to the Historic Buildings Council. Each individual will bring with them an invaluable range of skills and experience, providing sound, independent advice to the Department on matters pertaining to the historic environment, ensuring that it fully contributes to our communities and economy.”

Five HBC members have been reappointed for a second term from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2022:

• Mr John Anderson
• Mr Ciaran Andrews        
• Mrs Johanna Higgins
• Mr Charles McMurray MBE 
• Dr Tanja Poppelreuter

All five have served on HBC since 1 July 2016.

Notes to editors: 

1. The Historic Buildings Council, a statutory advisory council to the Department for Communities, was first established in 1973 under the provisions of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1972. HBC was re-established under the provisions of the Planning (NI) Order 1991. Its current authority is derived from the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011. It provides independent advice to the Department on the listing of buildings, the general state of listed buildings and other matters relating to their preservation and the contribution they make to our communities and economy.

2. The Chair and members of this Council are not paid, but are entitled to an allowance for travelling and other expenses, including a subsistence allowance, payable in line with current Civil Service rates. The Chair has a time commitment of three days per month and the members two days per month.

3. The appointments have been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland Code of Practice.

4. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires political activity of appointees to be published.

5. Biographical details:

New Appointees

Mr Peter Tracey

Mr Tracey is a native of Derry City. Following education at St Columb’s College, he studied architecture at University College London, graduating in 1985. He worked in London, Dundee and Belfast before joining the firm of McCormick Tracey Architects in Derry/Londonderry where he worked 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 currently is Principal of Tracey Architects. He is the incumbent Chair of the Foyle Civic Trust - winner of the National UK Heritage Angels award in 2018 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.

Mrs Siobhan Brown

rs 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 and was formerly Assistant Director of Hearth Housing Association. She has experience of providing advice to various bodies on the built heritage, as well as working in partnership with a range of stakeholders including local and European independent consultants. She has used her analytical skills to minimise damage to historic buildings and has been directly involved in the restoration of a variety of buildings. She also recently set up a community choir, successfully mentoring people with no singing experience, resulting in them performing at a number of public events such as the CIH awards, and more recently International Make Music Day. She does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.

Miss Elbeth Clarke

Miss Clarke is a chartered structural engineer with experience of working on a wide variety of projects including historic buildings. She has experience of using a range of communication skills to provide construction information to different design teams, provide advice and resolve problems that occur on-site. She has a wide range of experience of working with architects to balance the historic and modern aspects of projects, and ensures compliance with British Standard and European design codes. Examples of projects she has worked on includes the Harland and Wolff Drawing Offices, Queen’s University, Belfast Boathouse and Sion Mills Stables. These projects were completed while employed at Albert Fry Associates. 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 Edwars began her career in teaching and now has over 20years' experience of working for Derry City & Strabane Council, through which she engages with a wide range of stakeholders, including elected representatives, senior Council officers and Arm's Length Bodies, across a range of heritage and regeneration issues.  She has extensive experience in the delivery of capital projects, strategic planning and project management.  Her project management portfolio includes leading on the creation of an interactive Discovery Zone in the Tower Museum, the Guildhall regeneration programme, management of learning and programming across a range of Council owned museums and championing the use of digital technology to engage audiences with heritage.  She is currently a member of the Council's Regeneration Section and has delivered numerous projects where heritage is a key driver for regeneration and prosperity.  She is a member of the City Walls Management Group and has served on the board of the Irish Museums Association.  She was a member of the Walled City Heritage Regeneration Conference Steering group led by the Inner City Trust and more recently worked with the Heritage Trust Network in the delivery of their 2019 conference in the city. 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 the Heritage Project Officer at Ulster Architectural Heritage. In her current role, she provides 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. She completed an internship and doctoral research in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland, gaining knowledge of architectural conversation methods and the impact of climate change on heritage buildings. She also has experience of teaching third level university students and primary school children in heritage issues. She 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 the past 10 years 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 Outreach Officer with Prisons Memory Archive, Queen’s University 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 has been Project Manager for the INTERREIVC project B-Team, a strategic programme to influence policies on Brownfield regeneration, and the PEACE III Arterial project. As Project Sponsor in Belfast City Council she has experience of engaging with a range of stakeholders, and of leading on a range of capital projects such as the Lanyon Tunnels. She delivered the Council’s Re-imaging Communities Programme, which aimed to transform communities by improving their environment, in line with the overall strategy. She also has experience within the area of Industrial Heritage gained through working with 15 European partners, as well as private sector consultancy experience. 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 his work involving him communicating with a range of bodies and stakeholders. He has delivered presentations on conservation theory and has led walking tours for European Heritage Open Days. He has been studying and working in the field of architecture for over 20 years and understands the reality of bringing projects from start to finish. He has also worked on 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. 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 currently a Senior Heritage Policy Advisor to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with his previous roles including working as Listing Advising Officer. As an alumnus of the Archaeology Department of Queen’s University Belfast he has two relevant degrees focusing in particular on the built heritage of Northern Ireland. As an Advisor he has experience of communicating with a diverse range of people including landowners, building owners and colleagues. As a historic building surveyor he has experience in conducting studies, field surveys and building evaluations allowing him to provide effective professional advice.  He has an interest in industrial heritage, and has worked in the Northern Ireland Second Survey providing advice on the suitability for buildings for listing based on the statutory criteria and planning policy. He does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years

Reappointments

Mr John Anderson

Mr Anderson is a mechanical engineer, initially working in the racing car construction industry.  He has been a Director and Committee Member of Ulster Architectural Heritage since 2002 and is currently its Vice-Chair, as well as Chair of its Planning and Policy subgroup.  John has previously served three terms on the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside.  He has been a Director and committee member of the Glenarm Buildings Preservation Trust since 2004 and has been actively involved in the re-generation and protection of buildings in the Larne and Glenarm area. Interested in industrial heritage and machinery, he also has a long term interest in both defence structures and military history. He is Chair of Joint Committee on Industrial Heritage and Core Group Member (in Heritage Stakeholders), He does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.

Mr Ciaran Andrews

Ciaran is a chartered building surveyor, chartered architectural technologist and one of only two RICS Accredited Building Conservation Surveyors in NI.  He has almost 14 years-experience in the conservation, maintenance and repair of historic buildings, for example the restoration of Castle Leslie and Belfast City Hall.  Ciaran has been a part-time lecturer for over five years in Belfast Metropolitan College, lecturing Construction/Architecture students. He does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.

Mrs Johanna Higgins

Mrs Higgins is a barrister of the Inner Temple, London, who has also been called to the Bar in Northern Ireland and the Bar in Dublin. She was appointed by Royal Warrant as a Commissioner for the Criminal Cases Review Commission in 2019 to investigate miscarriages of justice.  She previously worked for the Law Centre Northern Ireland as the Community Care Lawyer specialising in Judicial Review cases.  In private practice she dealt with a wide range of cases at all levels of the court system.

Johanna also worked as a Senior Public Prosecutor in the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland. She is also an Independent Adjudicator and Alternative Dispute Resolution Official on several legal adjudication panels for the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution in London and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.  Johanna sits as a Member of the Civil Legal Services Appeal Panel in Northern Ireland. She was elected as a member of the Royal Historical Society in 2018. SHe does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.

Mr Charles McMurray MBE

Mr McMurray has been an accountant for more than 35 years. During his career he was the Regional Financial Controller for the National Trust in NI, during which time he convinced National Trust headquarters of the merits of acquiring Patterson’s Spade Mill.  Charles was also accountant for the NI Tourist Board.  He served as a volunteer committee member for Hearth Housing Association for 28 years and has served as a volunteer for Belfast Buildings Trust for 23 years. He was awarded an MBE in January 2013 for services to built heritage and conservation in NI. He does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.

Dr Tanja Poppelreuter

Dr Poppeireuter is a Lecturer in Architectural History and Theory at the University of Salford, Manchester. Her research interests lie in the field of 20th-century art and architectural theory with a focus on the impact of politics, sociology and emigration. She is the editor of the book Glamour and Gloom that discusses the built heritage of the 1930s in Belfast which was highly commended at the Heritage Angel Awards Northern Ireland in 2019. She has published on the Belfast architect Florence Fulton Hobson, on German and Austrian emigrant architects in New Zealand and the United States, on Modernism in Baghdad and well-known modernist architects such as Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. She is a member of the Board of Advisors of the International Archives of Women in Architecture (IAWA) in Blacksburg, Virginia and a member of the Historic Buildings Council in Belfast since 2016. She does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.

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