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Buildings have always been the result of labour and materials applied with enterprise and this has changed little since the Middle Ages: the principal source of building materials remains the ground and plants growing from it. While labour has always been mobile, the materials in any building inevitably reflect the local geology and natural environment as it has always been uneconomic to import foreign ingredients to site. This second article in the series attempts to identify modern sources of some of the most sought‐after basic materials required in conservation works.

Many surveyors seem to have become cynical about the regular claims that more and more building materials, systems and conditions are now to be treated as dangerous or deleterious. For instance, this April an important conference on hazardous building materials had to be cancelled because of lack of response.

One of the more disturbing features of surveying in the 1980s is the ever‐increasing number of building materials, structural systems and working practices that have been labelled ‘hazardous’ or ‘unhealthy’. Although consumerism and melo‐dramatic media coverage have fuelled much of this, it must not be forgotten that business interests may be behind many of the campaigns: allowing disinformation or exaggeration to discredit competitors. Fortunes have been made by some firms from exploiting the public's fears and offering specialist remedies covered by dubious guarantees.

Outlines the laws which protect historic buildings and describes legal responsibilities that may arise from tree ownership. Examines both how ancient buildings and trees are protected, citing legislation and Preservation Orders. Explores the value of trees, and provides an extensive appendix of information from the Arboricultural Association in the form of a formula for assessing the amenity value of trees in monetary terms. Details the harm that trees can cause, and the legal responsibilities for damage caused by overhanging branches, trees adjacent to the highway, outgrowing roots, trees in parks and gardens and by poisonous trees.

The first paper in this series, published in the last issue of Structural Survey, examined the numerous laws that protect buildings and their occupants. It concluded that few measures apply to empty buildings, leaving many to fall into decay. Where local authorities have powers of protection, they rarely exercise them. Now the need to protect empty buildings is further considered against the direct and indirect costs of leaving buildings unoccupied. Recent initiatives to remedy the problem are then explored.

The first paper in this series identified the plight of empty buildings and explored the legilation that applies. It concluded that existing legal safeguards are inadequate and the few permissive powers of protection that do exist are rarely used by local authorities. The second looked at the costs of leaving buildings empty and a number of initiatives which have been made to bring the buildings back into use. Where successful, these attempts have only been on a small scale and have taken great effort, much of it voluntary, to motivate authorities and lending agencies to allow them to go ahead. Now positive proposals for improvement are made.

The oldest parts of downtown Manhattan were built by the new immigrants who settled into separate districts to retain their language and customs safely.

Of the 17,000 churches and chapels in England nearly half survive from the Middle Ages and the duty of continuing the care that has preserved them for so long largely falls on the current generation of parishioners and their advisers — an increasingly onerous task as the numbers of communicants diminish and funds become accordingly scarce.

Describes something of the history and geography of Czechoslovakia before describing, with photographs, some of the most interesting and important buildings in the country. Points to some opportunities (as at 1991) for west European property developers.

Continues the discussion begun in part one of the article (Structural Survey 10.1) with some of the problems faced by Czechoslovakia following the separation of that country from the old Soviet Union. Reviews the post‐war construction industry, concluding with a suggestion of the development opportunities awaiting developers, particularly in Prague, though counselling caution.