BUILDERS and contractors in Essex should continue to recognise the importance of the county’s 14,000 listed buildings by using the appropriate materials to repair and conserve them – says County Councillor John Jowers, whose advice accompanies the release of the April 2014 to March 2015 Traditional Building Skills and Building Conservation brochure of courses and lectures.

Councillor Jowers, Cabinet member for Libraries, Communities and Planning, said: “Our historic buildings are an important part of our heritage and must be repaired and maintained properly. Essex County Council is the only council to run a traditional building skills education programme to ensure owners and builders continue to take their responsibilities seriously.”

Published by Essex County Council’s Historic Buildings and Conservation team, the programme of one, two and three-day courses in traditional building skills encourages owners, practising craftsmen, general builders and contractors, and interested amateurs, to train properly in the crafts required to work on historic buildings competently.

Hands-on courses begin with Lime Plaster for Plasterers (24-25 April, £210); other courses through the year include An Introduction to Rustic Fencing (9 May, £150), Timber Frame Repairs (21-23 May, £265), An Introduction to the Art of Pargeting (6 June, £99), Lime Mortar and Conservation Brickwork (17-18 July, £210) and Build Your Own Bread Oven (13 March 2015, £110).

Running alongside the courses is a series of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) lecture sessions, comprising two one-hour talks costing £55, recognised by the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC).

CPD topics include Heritage Crime: Enforcement, Intervention and Prevention; Understanding the Planning System and Listed Building Consent; and Building Pathology, Dampness and Timber Decay.

The new brochure is available online at http://www.visitparks.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/BuildingCourseProgramme2014-2015.pdf.

It contains information about the Bursary Scheme, supported by heritage developer City and Country, which funds qualifying individuals to combat a lack of traditional building skills in the construction industry.

Details of courses and lectures are also available on Essex County Council’s stand at the Listed Property Owners Show on 15-16 February at Olympia, London; see http://lpoc.co.uk/property-show.