Henry gives evidence to a House of Lords select committee
Policy & public affairs

I co-chair the Heritage Alliance's Spatial Planning Advocacy Group, which responds to consultations and works a wide range of heritage policy. Areas of work I have been involved in are:

  • Giving oral evidence to the House of Lords select committee on National Policy for the Built Environment on heritage issues
  • Representation to Government on brownfield zoning in Fixing the Foundations
  • Member of ministerial round table at Department for Transport on High Speed 2 (HS2) rail link from London to Birmingham and the north
  • Member of Historic England Working Group drafting Good Practice Advice notes supporting the National Planning Policy Framework
  • Member of working group on the heritage secondary legislation for the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act (The Penfold Review proposals) at the Department for Communities and Local Government
  • Member of the Older Properties Working Group at the Department for Energy and Climate Change for Green Deal implementation

The Group's membership includes representatives from a range of heritage bodies indcluding the National Trust, CPRE, Historic Houses Association, CLA, UK Association of Building Preservation Trusts, and the Institute of Historic Building Conservation.

In 2011 I was Parliamentary Liaison Officer for the Heritage Alliance, covering aspects of heritage interest in the Localism Bill (now the Localism Act 2011) and the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The project has entailed drafting briefings for MPs and peers as the Bill has proceeded through Parliament. This has often involved drafting amendments, some of which have been taken up and tabled in Parliament. I have met and discussed issues with peers, civil servants, English Heritage staff as well as the members and trustees of the Heritage Alliance.

The major achievements of the NPPF lobbying were important changes in the definition of sustainable development and added protections for the historic environment. Achievements on the Localism Act 2011 were the reinstatement by government of the protection of historic buildings which was missing from the planning section of the Localism Bill, the tabling of amendments in the Lords, the raising of the advocacy profile of the heritage sector generally.