The Friday Five 12.04.24
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 fun, place-based facts to amuse and entertain. This week we have a strong North West focus, with opportunities in Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, St Helens and... Bridgend in South Wales.
1. HEAD OF PLANNING, LIVERPOOL CITY REGION
Location: Liverpool/Hybrid
The job: "Liverpool City Region Combined Authority prides itself on being at the forefront of local and national policy development, supporting the creation of a world class, sustainable city region.
"We are looking for a driven individual to provide leadership in the development and implementation of our spatial development strategy, continuing the great progress we have already made. A fundamental part of our devolution agreement, we are leading the way as a mayoral combined authority on strategic planning – this is therefore a unique opportunity and a chance to support our ambition to deliver prosperity through a fairer, stronger, cleaner Liverpool City Region.
"You will be our principal advisor on all planning matters and have the opportunity to be involved in major local initiatives, providing technical and strategic planning advice and guidance on key infrastructure developments including our groundbreaking Life Sciences Investment Zone. Leading a fantastic team, our new head of planning will be able to develop what is already a high performing service, working extensively with our partners to create a spatial development strategy for the future."
Fun fact: Liverpool is an extraordinarily cosmopolitan city, a legacy both of its history as a major port and city of Empire - and, yes, much of the history is tainted. It's well known, for example, that around two million Irish people passed through Liverpool when fleeing the 19th century potato famine, with many then going on to the United States. Nevertheless, in 1851 around 20 per cent of the city's population was Irish.
Likewise, there is a significant Welsh influence on the population. Both Irish and Welsh have left a legacy in the Liverpudlian 'Scouse' accent, which is a unique mixture of old Lancastrian, Irish, Welsh and quite possibly a range of other accents (there were a lot of Scandinavians in the city during the 19th century, too). Indeed, a 2014 study found that of the top ten surnames in Liverpool, five have a Welsh origin (jones, Williams, Davies, Hughes, Roberts) and one an Irish (Murphy).
But these influences barely scratch the surface. Liverpool I home to Britain's oldest Black community, which can be traced to at least the 1730s. According to Wikipedia, these settlers "included seamen, the children of traders sent to be educated and freed slaves, since slaves entering the country after 1722 were deemed free men". More recently, sizeable African-Caribbean, Ghanaian and Somali communities have evolved.
Liverpool is also home to Europe's oldest Chinese community, with the first Chinese residents arriving and settling in the 19th century. It has a significant Filipino community, too (side fact: Lita Roza, the first woman to achieve a UK number one hit with '(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?' in 1953, was a Liverpudlian with Filipino ancestry).
In the 2021 census, 77 per cent of Liverpool residents described their ancestry as White English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British, with the remaining 23 per cent describing themselves as non-White English/British. Some 45,000 residents (around 10 per cent) reported that they had a main language that was not English and the most widely spoken non-English languages were Arabic and Polish.
There are many other indications of the city's diversity, including the sheer variety of its religious buildings (it's home to what may be the UK's first mosques for example). Suffice to say, Liverpool is one of the mot cosmopolitan cities in the UK, with a broad and deep history that encompasses a huge amount of invention, culture and trade. Even if you don't apply for the job, it's well worth a stay there.
2. PLANNER, MANCHESTER AIRPORT GROUP
Location: Manchester Airport/Hybrid
The job: "We have a fantastic opportunity to join the MAG’s group planning services function, providing first-class support to the planning manager and team to support the smooth running of the function.
"You will have accountability for developing and interpreting planning and aviation law and policy, ensuring that the group’s plans and developments are aligned accordingly. You will also contribute to the formulation of airport master plans, strategies and land use studies across MAG and provide support when required to other corporate strategies to help deliver future growth of our business. Your role will also entail evaluating and responding to external planning applications, development plans and policy statements while prioritising MAG’s interests in all decisions made.
"Additionally, the planner role is integral to the development and sustainability of our working relationships with various stakeholders. You will confidently deal with both internal and external stakeholders to understand their needs and provide a customer and market driven approach to a range of land use planning solutions."
Fun fact: Like many UK airports, Manchester Airport (which is actually in Ringway in Cheshire, about eight miles south of Manchester) spent much of its early history as a military airport. Passenger flight was taking off (so to speak) in the 1930s and the demand for airfields was increasing; but, with war breaking out in 1939, many were requisitioned for military use.
Such was the case with Manchester (Ringway) Airport which opened it public terminal in June 1938. Within a year, it was being remodelled as an RAF station, with hangars, workshops and barracks. It provided a home for a great many RAF squadrons during the Second World War, as well as glider squadrons; a flying training school; a manufacturing centre for military aircraft; and, significantly, a training centre for all allied paratroopers trained in Europe. This amounted to around 60,000 paratroopers, as well as the men and women of the Special Operations Executive, the secretive espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance unity that worked with resistance movements across Europe to disrupt German operations.
As such, RAF Ringway also played an important role in the development of parachute safety. Frank Muir, who went on to become a famous comedy writer, radio and television personality, spent a good part of his war working in the photographic section of the RAF at Ringway. Among his job was the important tasks of filming parachute jumps in slow motion with the intention of identifying and decreasing causes of parachute failure - rather gruesomely referred to as 'Roman Candles').
The airfield reverted to civilian use in 1957, since when almost all of the remnant of its wartime history have been demolished and it's grown and grown as a public airport. Nowadays there are three terminals, two runways and 28 million passengers a year passing through on around 180,000 flights, making it the UK' third busiest airport after Heathrow and Gatwick. Plans have also been approved for an £800 million 'airport city' development long the lines of the model established at Barcelona and Frankfurt, which is seen as a way to boost the Greater Manchester economy with on-site logistics, manufacturing, office and leisure facilities.
3. PLANNING OFFICER, CAREER GRADE (PLANNING POLICY)
Location: Preston, Lancashire/Hybrid
The job: "We're investing in our planning service to support the review of our local plan, which we are working together on with our neighbouring authorities of South Ribble Borough Council and Chorley Council. This is an extremely exciting opportunity to join our team, whether you are a school or college leaver, a graduate or currently studying towards a planning qualification. We're seeking an enthusiastic and well organised individual and we're happy to recruit at any point in the career grade scheme.
"You'll make an important contribution to researching, monitoring, reviewing and updating planning policy across Preston, including working on developing the new local plan and supporting communities in developing their neighbourhood plans. You’ll play a key role in the whole process of developing our new local plan, from developing evidence and drafting policy to engaging with stakeholders and analysing options. You'll need to be able to work productively within a team environment and act on your own initiative."
Fun fact: St. Wilfrid is the Patron Saint of Preston, with the lamb on the council’s badge being the lamb of said saint. Born around 634 AD into a wealthy family in Northumberland, Wilfrid had an interest in all things God from a young age, going on to study in Lindisfarne, which back then was at the centre of Celtic Christianity.
Busy man, our Wilfrid. Aged 27, he designed the abbey he was granted at Ripon in Yorkshire and was influential in the move from Celtic to Roman church practices. He even won over the locals in a fight over when Easter should be celebrated, and became Bishop of York.
The Lamb on present day Preston badges – council, football club – is a direct connection to Wilfrid, and all the more remarkable for being such a long established link back more than 1,200 years into the town’s past. The letters that typically adorn it, “P.P.” are taken to mean "Princeps Pacis" – Prince of Peace.
4. PRINCIPAL PLANNING OFFICER – WEST/SENIOR PLANNING OFFICER, ST HELENS BOROUGH COUNCIL (MATERNITY COVER)
Location: St Helens, Merseyside, Lancashire
The job: "We're looking for a principal planning officer to cover maternity leave for one year. You'll play a key role in dealing with a caseload of major and complex applications for employment and residential development, you'll help shape great places and deliver developments which contribute to the environment and economy of the borough.
"The successful candidate will provide line management to junior members of staff and help support and develop them, as well as stepping in to support the development control manager as and when required.
"Located at the heart of England’s North West and with a varied mix of cultural and leisure facilities and unique industrial heritage, St Helens offers great opportunities as a place to live and work. St Helens Borough Council plays a key role in the Liverpool City Region and wider area, and has an acknowledged reputation as providing excellent planning services.
We are dealing with an exciting range of planning challenges, balancing needs for major new development linked to the council’s growth agenda, against the protection of the borough’s green spaces and other environmental assets. We have recently adopted our ambitious new local plan."
Fun fact: Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain't heard nothin' yet" said Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer. And he was right – it was the first talking picture (talkie) released to cinemas, and the feat had its genesis in St Helens, Merseyside.
George Groves was born in the town in 1901, and was a regular fixture in his father’s barber shops in Duke Street and Owen Street. Groves studied engineering and telephony, and sailed for New York in 1923, for what he thought would be a two year job. As it was, he would die there, in 1976, having won two Oscars for his work as a sound engineer on Sayonara and My Fair Lady.
But The Jazz Singer was his most groundbreaking work. The film contains barely two minutes' worth of synchronised talking, but the effect was transformative. Sam Warner, one of the Warner Brothers, said that the first spoken line in film history elicited a “loud, positive response from the audience, who were dumbfounded by seeing and hearing someone speak on a film for the first time”.
Grove was vital to the project as production recordist. Jolson, the star – whose legacy is complex because of the use of blackface in the film – dubbed (if you’ll pardon the pun) George the ‘Quiet Little Englishman’ and insisted that he alone record the sound for his films.
5. SENIOR STRATEGIC PLANNING OFFICER – COMMUNITIES, BRIDGEND COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL
Location: Bridgend, Wales/Hybrid
The job: "Working in the strategic planning and transportation team, you'll support the strategic planning and transportation manager in the delivery of the strategic planning function. You'll play an active role in implementing, monitoring and reviewing the statutory development plan in accordance with the planning acts and related legislation. You'll also support the council’s policy objectives by assisting with:
- providing planning policy observations to internal and external stakeholders
- formulating planning policy (including supplementary planning guidance)
- progressing the development plan’s evidence base
- and negotiating, co-ordinating and monitoring s106 legal agreements."
Fun fact: Bridgend, it seems, is an absolute hothouse of sporting and cultural achievement. We've previously reported on the sheer number of top level rugby players associated with the town, from J P R Williams to Gavin Henson; we could also write an entire piece on Bridgend's heavy music legacy (Funeral for a Friend, Bullet for My Valentine and Those Damn Crows all hail from the town). But today we're going to talk about Nicole Cooke.
You remember Nicole Cooke, right? In the days before Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish, Chris Froome, Lizzie Armitstead and the like; in the days before cycling became a 'thing' in the UK; in the days before cyclist were celebrities, she was winning absolutely every race going and straddled her sport like a giant.
A prize-wining student at Brynteg Comprehensive School in Bridgend, she's perhaps best known in the UK for igniting the gold rush at the 2008 summer Olympics with her victory in the women's road race. That same year she also won the world title, becoming the first cyclist, man or woman, to achieve that double. But by this point she had already won (deep breath):
- eight British senior national road race titles (beginning when she was just 16 and still a junior)
- two junior world road road race titles and the junior world time trial title
- Commonwealth Games gold in the road race
- two women's World Cups (for the most successful rider through a season)
- the women's Tour de France, twice (she was, in fact, the first British rider to win a grand tour, beating Chris Froome by five years)
- the women's Giro d'Italia
- and more top level women' road races than you can shake a bicycle pump at.
2008 was probably the pinnacle, though, with those two glorious victories in the Olympics and the World Championships. Her career sort of petered out after that, affected by lack of sponsors, injuries and a general sense that women's cycling lacked the support it needed (teams folding without paying riders and races being cancelled was pretty normal and drove other excellent riders out of the sport).
Throughout, Cooke was a thoroughly outspoken presence in the sport, often railing against the intrinsic sexism of cycling (one year, Wales sent an entire men's team to the Commonwealth Games and only Cooke to represent the women. None of the men's team finished the race, whereas Cooke, with no support and recovering form a broken collarbone, got a medal). She was also, unlike virtually all of her contemporaries male or female, very outspoken about drug use in sport, freely talking about the issues she encountered and arguing for much greater resources to tackle cheating.
She retired from the sport in 2013, aged just 29. Her retirement speech, delivered to journalists, exposed corruption, drug use and rampant sexism in the sport of cycling and was met with silence, then applause. Forbes, the media company, dubbed her "the anti-Lance Armstrong".
She's subsequently got an MBA, written an autobiography, given evidence to a Parliamentary select committee on doping in sport, continued to campaign for fairness and equality in women's sport, whilst also maintaining a surprisingly low profile. She is, simply, one of the finest and most successful athletes Britain has ever produced. And she did it in her own uncompromising way. Hats off.
Image credits | Shutterstock; Matt Gibson, iStock; Rassan Ritthawon, iStock; Eddie Jordan Photos, Shutterstock; Num Skymar, Shutterstock
