The Friday Five 17.05.19
Five of the best jobs on Planner Jobs this week.
1. AN INSPIREING ROLE
What?
Principal planning officers (x2), Preston City Council.
Where?
Preston Town Hall, an imposing city centre building bedecked with figures representing health, education and trade. In Preston, Lancs. Obvs.
The job
"You will lead one of two development management teams and deal with a wide range of management and professional technical work in a service that has achieved significant performance improvements in recent years. You will be expected to hit the ground running in dealing with major planning applications across the city, covering numerous and often complex planning issues."
A small city with a population of around 120,000, Preston is set to benefit from the Lancashire City Deal which is funding various improvements around the city. It's also a city on the up, thanks to some progressive economic policies developed by the council in the wake of a major regeneration scheme that fell through. One 2018 study even described Preston as the UK's 'most improved city'.
Fun fact
St Walburge's Church in Preston has the tallest spire in England on a church that is not a cathedral, at 94 metres. This makes it the third tallest spire in the UK overall, after Salisbury and Norwich Cathedrals.
It was designed by Joseph Hansom of Hansom Cab fame and the steeple is constructed from limestone sleepers which originally carried the nearby Preston and Longridge Railway. This gives the spire a red tint during sunset.
2. NEED A LIFT?
What?
Principal planning officer - Development management, Northampton Borough Council.
Where?
The stately and impressive Guildhall, a prime example of Victorian Gothic, bang in the middle of Northampton, East Mids.
The job
"We are seeking an enthusiastic planner to join our busy development management team where you will play a major role in the development of Northampton and to deliver the borough’s planning service.
"You will help support management and process major planning applications to shape a variety of environments, from town centre regeneration, housing estate renewal through to large greenfield sustainable urban extensions."
A large town with a population of 225,000, Northampton retains much its Georgian character. Once a centre for shoemaking and leather manufacture, its main employers are now in distribution and finance - Northampton is well located on the M1 between Milton Keynes and Leicester, and within easy reach of the Coventry, Oxford and Peterborough.
Fun fact
Northampton is home to the National Lift Tower, the UK's only lift-testing facility and one of only two in Europe. Opened by the Queen in 1982 as the Express Lift Tower, it stands at 127.45 metres tall and was granted grade II listed status in 1997 - at the time the youngest listed building in the UK.
The tower fell out of use when its owner Express Lifts closed but was renovated, repaired and reopened for business in 2009. It's known locally as the Cobbler's Needle, a reference to the town's shoemaking past.
3. WHEREFORE ART THOU, ROMEO?
What?
Planner/Senior enforcement planning officer, Charnwood Borough Council.
Where?
Modern council offices, set beside a park on the edge of the town centre in Loughborough. In Leicestershire. In the East Midlands.
The job
"We require an organised and experienced planning enforcement professional, to assist in the delivery of an effective and efficient planning enforcement service, in accordance with adopted service standards and defined performance indicators.
"The successful candidate will have excellent interpersonal skills, be an effective negotiator and have the ability to manage a varied case load. This is a customer focused role and involves working with people to come up with workable solutions, as well as take formal enforcement action. This role also provides the opportunity to take on the supervision of junior staff members within the team to progress to the top of the scale."
Set immediately north of Leicester itself, Charnwood borough sits centrally in the triangle between Leicester, Nottingham and Derby. A third of its 166,000 population live in Loughborough and a good chunk at its urbanised southern edge where it meets Leicester. Much else if rural and the borough contains most of Charnwood Forest.
Fun fact
Loughborough is home to Romeo Challenger, since 1973 the drummer with renowned purveyors of 50s style doo-wop and rock'n'roll Showaddywaddy. Challenger was born in Anitigua but moved to Leicestershire with his family as a lad and , after a period in the Leicester City boys' team alongside Peter Shilton, became a professional musician.
Initially the sticksman with prog rockers, Black Widow, he was recruited by Showaddywaddy in 1973 and has stayed ever since. the Band enjoyed considerable success in the UK in the mid to late 1970s and had ten top 10 singles, including a number one (Under the Moon of Love). Romeo also has famous offspring - son Ben was a Commonwealth silver medal winning high jumper in 1998.
4. A BIT BOOKISH IN BUCKS
What?
Planning officer, Buckinghamshire County Council.
Where?
Old County Hall, the 18th century HQ of Bucks County Council, by the market square in the centre of Aylesbury.
The job
"The position is within the planning and enforcement team that is within the transport, economy & environment business unit and your role will be instrumental in assessing and managing planning applications to supporting the future growth of Buckinghamshire. You will help to manage minerals; assess and facilitate waste developments; and consider the County Council's and future Unitary's major infrastructure projects to support growth."
Aylesbury itself is a large and ancient market town, home to several historic pubs and the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery. Buckinghamshire stretches from the edge of Slough in the south to Milton Keynes in the north and Oxford in the west, and contains a sizeable chunk of the Chilterns AONB.
Fun fact
Each year, in early summer, Aylesbury hosts the WhizzFizzFest, a children's literature festival inspired by the work of Roald Dahl, who lived in nearby Great Missenden. The highlight of each festival is a grand parade through the streets of Aylesbury by hundreds of local schoolchildren, dressed as or carrying puppets of their favourite book characters. This year's parade will take place on 22 June.
5. A SHORT WALK ALONG THE RIVER
What?
Local plan officer, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.
Where?
The authority's HQ is the small village of Bainbridge, at the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
The job
"You will have an important role to play as part of a small team producing the first local plan for the newly extended National Park. Your contribution will cover all aspects of plan preparation, including managing and undertaking research, engaging effectively with the public and stakeholders, drafting policies and supporting the plan at examination.
"The challenge will be finding development solutions that support rural sustainability without compromising the area’s special qualities. This is a chance to bring your practical rural planning skills to bear in a nationally designated landscape with a wealth of historical and natural assets."
Designated in 1954 and extended in 2016, the Yorkshire Dales National Park covers 841 square miles, the majority in North Yorkshire, and attracts eight million visitors a year. Though it traverse three counties, the park authority is the statutory planning authority for the park and has a responsibility to balance natural environment and built heritage. The park has some of finest limestone scenery in the UK, and stone-built villages sitting amongst traditional farming landscapes of field barns, drystone walls and flower-rich hay meadows.
Fun fact
The River Bain, at just two miles in length, is England's shortest named river. the river flows across limestone from Lake Semer Water (the second largest natural lake in North Yorkshire) and joins the River Ure by the church in Bainbridge.
Photos | iStock, Shutterstock
