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The Friday Five 10.08.18

Published on: 10 Aug 2018

A round-up of five of the best, most interesting, significant or unusual jobs on Planner Jobs this week.

Violin [square]1. MUSIC TO YOUR EARS

What?

Planning manager with Laurence Associates, an award-winning planning-led architectural practice.

Where?

Truro, the county town of Cornwall and the southernmost city in the UK. There's a second office in Liskeard.

What's great about this job?

It's a good opportunity to apply your planning skills in an environment where there's as strong an emphasis on design as on technical planning. Laurence Associates is a growing practice and you'll have the chance to make your mark on a broad range of planning work. Truro, Cornwall's county town is a  picturesque small city in a beautiful part of the world - it's close to the Roseland Heritage Coast, quiet lanes, tiny hamlets and beautiful gardens (yes, dear reader, your humble author spent many childhood holidays here).

Fun fact

Truro is the final resting place of virtuoso violinist and composer Joseph Emidi, a West African sold into slavery at age 12, taught to play violin in Portugal, kidnapped by the British navy to entertain sailors, and finally emerging as principal violinist of the Truro Philharmonic Orchestra in the early 19th century. Amazing. More here.

Find out more and apply

Champagne glass [square]2. YOU'D LOVE A BABYCHAM

What?

Senior planning officer, Mendip District Council.

Where?

Shepton Mallet, a medium-sized Somerset town 18 miles south of Bristol.

What's great about this job?

You'll be handling complex development management cases in an interesting context. The Mendip district covers a largely rural 285 square miles, from the Mendip Hills to the Somerset Levels. Flooding is a risk in the levels, fracking a challenge in the Mendips. There's a wealth of significant sites for wildlife and for geology, and more listed buildings than you can shake a stick at. The district's own towns (including Glastonbury) are small, but its travel patterns, economy and housing markets are shaped by the four larger settlements that surround it: Bristol, Bath, Taunton and Yeovil. So there you go.

Fun fact

Babycham, the 'genuine champagne perry' so beloved of the 1970s, was invented in the town by local brewer Frances Showering. Launched in 1953, it was the first alcoholic product to be advertised on British TV. It also introduced the immortal catchphrase: "I'd love a Babycham." Well, you would, wouldn't you?

Find out more and apply

A jewelled crown [square]3. JEWEL IN THE CROWN

What?

Planning officer (development management), London Borough of Sutton.

Where?

The borough's Housing & Regeneration Offices in leafy Carshalton.

What's great about this job?

Aside from the opportunity to work for one of the top performing local planning authorities, there's stacks going on in Sutton – a new local authority-led housing company, a tramline extension, a thriving housing market, and an expanding caseload. Once called "the most normal place in Britain" by the DWP's benefits chief, it's also a pretty nice place to live - close enough to both London and the Surrey Hills to offer a bit of city and country, and with a few quirks of its own (see below).

Fun fact

Carshalton contains the Empire of Austenasia, a micronation and self-declared sovereign state. Formed in 2008, it operates under a 'parliamentary autocratic monarchy' headed by an emperor, Jonathan Austen, and comprises eighteen properties that have declared themselves independent under his leadership. Become an Austenasian citizen.

Find out more and apply

Mahatma Gandhi [square]4. IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GANDHI

What?

Planning officer, Broxtowe Borough Council.

Where?

Downtown Beeston, a small town just south west of Nottingham, East Mids.

What's great about this job?

It's a good chance to gain experience (the job is open to freshv graduates, as well as more experienced planners) in an area dubbed the 'Silicon Valley' of the East Mids. No, really - stacks of tech companies are based here. The borough is also  the government’s preferred location for a High Speed 2 rail station. So it could be buzzing. And it's a pleasant place to live, to boot: Close to Nottingham, Derby and Leicester and with a distinctive landscape and industrial heritage.

Fun fact

Mahatma Gandhi came to Beeston in 1931. He was visiting his nephew JV Joshi, who was studying at the University of Nottingham and lodging in Linden Grove.

Find out more and apply

Pint of real ale [square]5. MINE'S A PINT OF PREDOMINANTLY WATER-BASED PRODUCT CONTAINING ALCOHOL

What?

Planning officer (development control), Rutland County Council

Where? Oakham, East Mids - just across the road from the county museum and midway between Leicester and Peterborough.

What's great about this job?

A good chance to get your foot on the planing ladder and even work towards formal qualifications (the job is also open to strong candidates without a degree) in the smallest unitary authority in England. Rutland is just 18 miles from north to south and has a population of a mere 37,000 souls. It's handsomely historic, has the wonderful Rutland Water (vast man-made reservoir which involved flooding settlements) and strong links to major settlement sin the East Mids and East of England. It's also the home of comedy rock band The Rutles (nothing to with with The Beatles, honest).

Fun fact

Rutland Bitter, brewed in Oakham by the Grainstore Brewery (but originally by Ruddles),  is one of only three UK beers to have achieved Protected Geographical Indication status. Read the application for this "predominantly water-based product containing alcohol, protein, carbohydrate, minerals and vitamins"

Find out more and apply

Photos | iStock, Shutterstock