The Friday Five 02.02.24
It's The Friday Five, our weekly round-up of five of the best town planning jobs advertised on Planner Jobs this week – plus a selection of place-based facts to inform, amuse and entertain. This week, opportunities in Norwich, Hertfordshire, East Sussex, Manchester, and with the National Grid. Plus...
1. SENIOR PLANNING OFFICER, BROADS AUTHORITY
Location: Norwich/Hybrid
The job: "The Broads is an internationally important and protected wetland environment with status equivalent to a national park. The area is of special value for its wildlife and landscape beauty and for its important navigation interest.
"We're seeking a dedicated and motivated planning professional to join the strategic services directorate as senior planning officer, to manage the development management and enforcement services within the planning team.
"As senior planning officer, you will provide day to day support and guidance to planning officers, and process planning and other applications to the Broads Authority as the local planning authority for the Broads. You will manage the day-to-day delivery of the service to promote sustainable development and the local distinctiveness and special character of the area. You will have regular interactions with Broads Authority members and will be operating in a political arena."
Fun fact: It was always assumed, until the mid-20th century, that the Norfolk Broads were a natural phenomenon. It wasn’t until 1960 that the intrepid Dr Joyce Lambert, armed with her trusty peat-borer, was able to prove that the banks of these lakes and navigable rivers were actually vertical: meaning that they were man-made, the product of medieval peat excavation.
Local parishes had ‘turbary rights’ to dig peat, and these rights aligned very closely with the area’s parish boundaries, Lambert noticed.
So, the Broads were a product of a medieval industry; and appropriately, the area is steeped in history from the period. The head of navigation (the farthest navigable point by boat above the mouth of a river) on the River Waveney is at the charmingly named Bungay, in Suffolk.
Bungay, a quaint market town and the only town in the country to still have a town reeve, was rocked in 1577 by the appearance of Black Shuck, a mythical hellhound. Black Shuck appeared at St Mary’s Church and charged at parishioners, before vanishing and immediately reappearing at Blythburgh, some 12 miles away (well-connected rural communities!) leaving scorch marks on the door of the church there.
2. SENIOR CONSENTS MANAGER, NATIONAL GRID
Location: UK-wide/Hybrid
The job: "Great Britain's electricity infrastructure is undergoing an ambitious, exciting and vital transformation. Together with industry, we are creating a cleaner, greener system – one that protects the planet and serves generations to come.
"Reporting to the senior permissions manager (onshore planning), as senior consents manager you will join a wave of new project and consents managers, all invested in the accelerated delivery of designated ASTI projects, critical to meeting our net zero ambition.
"You'll manage and lead a team of consent officers, using your technical ability in planning and consenting to deliver a high quality and economic consenting and environmental assessment service to secure the required project consents through the development and delivery phases of projects.
"Our main HQ is in Warwick, but we also have offices in Leeds and London, and we have existing team members all over the UK as we continue to offer hybrid working from office and home."
Fun fact: Electricity pylons – they’re pretty ubiquitous across the UK landscape, but how much do you actually know about them? Here are a few factoids, courtesy of National Grid.
Our network of pylons carry electricity at a rate of up to 400,000 volts.
The world ‘pylon’ comes from the Greek ‘pyle’, meaning ‘gateway’. In ancient Egypt, pylons were obelisk-shaped towers that flanked the doors of temples. In the 1920s, when the first pylons were erected, Egyptology was in fashion and they were seen as the ‘gateways’ to electricity for all.
The UK's first electricity pylon was erected in Scotland in 1928, near Falkirk. The characteristic lattice design was chosen from a competition won by architect Sir Reginald Bromfield. It’s remained the same for almost a century, but...
... T-pylons, the first new pylon design since the 1920s are not operational. The design was, once again, chosen after a competition held in 2011. The winning design was dreamt up by Danish firm Bystrup. The first T-pylons entered operation in 2023, between Bridgwater and Loxton in Somerset.
And that’s pylons, to a T.
3. PLANNING OFFICERS X2, THREE RIVERS DISTRICT COUNCIL
Location: Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire/Hybrid
The job: "Two opportunities have arisen across the planning teams at Three Rivers District Council. The roles include one planning officer in the development management department and one planning officer within the planning policy department.
"We're looking for enthusiastic candidates with environmental awareness and an interest in planning who are willing to develop their career and make an important positive contribution to the local area.
"Planning officer, development management: This role includes a combination of handling of pre-application enquiries, assessing planning applications and subsequent appeals, undertaking enforcement investigations and other project work. Dealing with a varied caseload, you will have the potential to develop your career and make an important positive contribution to the local area.
"Planning officer, planning policy: You will assist in the preparation of the Three Rivers local plan. You'll help achieve the objectives of the council by providing planning policy expertise during public consultations, committee meetings and working groups. You'll provide advice to officers and elected members in planning policy matters, ensuring appropriate regulations are met. You'll work collaboratively with colleagues to improve the planning departments land use and local plan monitoring capability."
Fun fact: As you might expect from its name, water has been integral to the social and economic development of the Three Rivers District and its principal town, Rickmansworth.
The three rivers in question are the Rivers Chess, Gade and Colne (a major tributary of the Thames) which formed the location for the growth of the settlement we know today. Their significance can be traced as far back as the 11th century Domesday Book, which records the presence of a watermill here.
Later, the rivers provided water for a variety of industries including watercress and power for corn-milling, silk-weaving, paper-making, and brewing. The construction of a canal expanded industrial possibilities and there followed soft drinks, laundry and leather tanning, which fuelled growth and prosperity.
That was until the arrival of the railway. In 1860 a four-mile line was built between Rickmansworth and Watford which, it was hoped, would drive economic development and serve the factories and warehouses that had grown up alongside the Grand Union Canal. Instead, it sucked business away from Rickmansworth and into Watford, causing the small railway to go into receivership.
It wasn’t until the 1920s and 30s that Rickmansworth saw really serious growth, as part of ‘Metroland’, the commuter suburbs just beyond the boundaries of London that were linked to the capital by the extension of the Metropolitan line. So the railway did its job in the end, kinda.
4. ASSOCIATE TOWN PLANNING DIRECTOR, PRIVATE CONSULTANCY, EAST SUSSEX
Location: East Sussex
The job: "We're a dynamic and innovative planning consultancy dedicated to providing the best service possible. With a commitment to excellence, we provide comprehensive town planning services to clients across the UK. Our team of passionate planners creates solutions that balance economic, social, and environmental considerations.
"We're now seeking a skilled and motivated associate director of town planning to join our growing team. The successful candidate will play a key role in developing the existing team as well as continuing to grow it. As an associate director, you'll have the opportunity to work on diverse projects that contribute to the enhancement of communities and the built environment."
Fun fact: As a whole, Sussex is divided into two administrative counties – West Sussex and East Sussex – and one unitary authority, Brighton and Hove. But why a separate Sussex for East and West? Why not go the whole hog and have a North and South Sussex too? And does Prince Harry have a personal preference for one or other side of his Dukedom?
I’ll stop you there because, frankly, we don’t know. But what we can say is that the split of the county into East and West happened for practical reasons, of a kind. Because Sussex’s county town of Chichester was situated on the far western border of the county, it was felt necessary to split the county rather than relocate county town status to somewhere more central – such as, for example, Haywards Heath – the town now famously known as the East Sussex home to The Planner’s production manager Aysha Miah-Edwards. (You did read last week’s Friday Five, right?) Accordingly, In 1504, Henry VIII’s dad signed paperwork splitting the county into two, and since then various acts of Parliament have reinforced the move. What’s this? Geographical borders determined by a quirky bit of back history and a borderline nonsensical origin? Ah, this sceptred isle.
5. PRINCIPAL PLANNING OFFICER, MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL
Location: Manchester
The job: "Manchester is a city with a reputation for innovation and creativity, a thriving regional economy and a proud sense of identity. We're a city with a rich history, a vibrant present and much to look forward to in the future.
"This is an opportunity to play a key role in shaping this dynamic modern city. The role is within the central development management team within the Manchester planning service – a high profile, frontline service within the city council. We're looking for a talented, experienced town planner, who is committed to Manchester and its vision, in order to realise outcomes for our residents, businesses and visitors.
"The central team is responsible for the implementation of the council's planning policies for the ongoing physical regeneration of the city centre. We have a number of nationally significant development areas including Corridor Manchester, First Street, Great Jackson Street and Piccadilly East as part of meeting our housing and economic growth objectives.
"The team is also responsible for managing the growth of the city centre into a number of strategically important regeneration areas, including Victoria North, Strangeways, Ancoats and New Islington, Holt Town and at the Etihad Campus, in order to create great places that bring people and communities together, attract investment and ensure that Manchester continues to thrive."
Fun fact: What can be said about Manchester that hasn't already been said a thousand times? Chances are, then, that you know well what Manchester Town Hall has in common with the Natural History Museum, right? You don’t? Well, let us enlighten you.
Both buildings were designed by the great Alfred Waterhouse, a leading light in the Gothic Revival movement of the Victorian era. Both, of course, are magnificent buildings, as are a number of other Waterhouse creations, including the Royal Infirmary in his home city of Liverpool, the Prudential Assurance Building in Holborn and, er, Strangeways prison. Actually, he was very active in the thriving industrial city of Manchester, which was where he learned his trade and maintained his practice, being responsible also for the Manchester Assize buildings and the university.
Back to the town hall: in addition to its Neo-Gothic magnificence (more than a little reminiscent of the Houses of Parliament and featuring a similarly imposing clock tower, the town hall is home to Ford Madox Brown’s fabulous Manchester Murals, which illustrate the history of the city and reflect common Victorian ideals.
Despite being a nostalgic throwback to the stylings of the medieval world, the building incorporated many of the most up-to-date technologies of the period, including gas lighting and a warm air heating system. It was also designed to be fireproof.
Completed in 1877, the original structure has been refurbished more than once and no longer serves much of its original purpose – council meetings are mostly held in the 1930s Town Hall Extension. It does serve, however, as a venue for weddings and conferences, a police station, and as a popular filming location (partly because of its resemblance to the Palace of Westminster.
And, should we doubt its civic importance, Manchester Town Hall was the place where the result of the 2016 EU Referendum was announced. We wonder what Waterhouse, a proponent of the supremely confident Victorian British style, yet influenced by his sketches and observations from a Grand Tour of Europe throughout 1853, would have made of that?
Image credits | Sarah5, iStock; hxdyl, iStock; Peter Fleming, Shutterstock; Australian Camera, Shutterstock; Madrugada Verde, Shutterstock
