The Friday Five 21.05.21
It's Friday. Here are five planning jobs for you, plus a variety of ‘fun’ facts related to the places they’re based in. Go on, give it a go.
1. PLANNING POLICY OFFER (LOCAL PLANS)
Location: Bury St.Edmunds, Suffolk
The job: "
“West Suffolk are seeking a highly self-motivated and enthusiastic individual to join our small yet dynamic Planning Policy team to assist in the delivery of a high-quality Planning service across West Suffolk.
“The main focus of this role is to assist in the preparation, adoption and delivery of the Local Plan. This will be achieved by preparing background documents and evidence to support policy preparations and preparing and assisting in the preparation of supplementary planning documents, development briefs and masterplans.
“We are looking for a qualified Planner with a planning degree or related subject and be eligible for RTPI membership. You will have up to date knowledge of planning legislation and experience of working in a busy planning office.”
Fun fact: Bury St.Edmunds is believed to have one of the earliest examples of a sundial in the UK, and it’s pretty easy to get up close with it. The Victorian drinking fountain, with a sundial cube on the top, is now a planter in the town’s Abbey Gardens. It was given to the people of Bury St. Edmunds in 1871 by the 3rd Marquess of Bristol. The sundial is quite possibly the earliest example of a sundial that allowed clocks in the town to be set to Greenwich Mean Time rather than the local time.
2. PLANNER
Location: Bakewell, Derbyshire
The job: “The Peak District National Park Authority protects, enhances and shares the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the Peak District. We also support the economic and social wellbeing of the communities in which we work.
“We’re currently looking for two Planners to join us in Bakewell, one on a permanent, full-time basis, and one for a 12-month fixed term contract. As a Planner, you will support our Planning Service in guiding and managing planning and developments within the national park.
“Reporting to the Area Team Manager, you will process planning applications and associated development management matters. You will negotiate with applicants on planning applications and prepare reports and recommendations to the Planning Committee.”
Fun fact: The Bakewell Show was founded in 1819 by Wootten Burkinshaw Thomas - not a firm of solicitors, but the name of a local farmer.
Organisers have always sought to ensure the show must go on whatever the circumstances, sustaining it even after foot-and-mouth outbreaks in the region.
Also known as the ‘Little Royal’, the Bakewell Show everything you’d expect from an agricultural show as well as family attractions (games, a theatre, a beach?) The event is also known as the ‘Little Royal’, for reasons which are not immediately obvious.
3. GRADUATE PLANNER
Location: High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
The job: "You'll be part of a friendly team with an outstanding track record in planning consultancy services that include development management, planning policy, enforcement and appeal work. We'll support you to develop yourself including opportunities to become a chartered planner and we'll give you on the job learning and development. We have two offices High Wycombe and Redditch, and we support flexible, home working.
“The role would suit a graduate with up to two years’ experience in a related field and would be ideal for someone with development management / enforcement background, particularly those with previous consultancy/design experience."
Fun fact: This MSC Planning Associates job is based in High Wycombe. The town’s local football club, Wycombe Wanderers, was founded in 1887. In 1895 the club moved to its Loakes Park ground, its home for 95 years and infamous for the considerable slope from one end to the other.
Wanderers, as has been mentioned in a previous Friday Five, are known as the ‘Chairboys’ for the town’s connection to the chair building industry.
Wycombe Wanderers first joined a national league - the Gola League - for the first time in 1985. Interestingly enough, this was also the year that their competitors, Wealdstone, won the Gola League. Wealdstone also won the FA Trophy in the same year, becoming the first club to achieve the non-league ‘Double’.
4. SENIOR PLANNING, OXFORDSHIRE
Location: Banbury, Oxfordshire
The job: "We are looking for an experienced Senior Planner who is a chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute with a minimum of 2‐3 years of experience in the private sector including exposure to areas such as Residential, Housing, Commercial and Retail.”
“This is a significant opportunity to be involved in a wide variety of schemes, including new settlements and large-scale employment, through the employment plan process, planning applications and delivery on the ground.”
Fun fact: The town’s biggest claim to fame is likely to be the nursery rhyme ‘Ride A Cock Horse to Banbury Cross’. Don’t go looking for said cross, though - it was taken down by Puritans in July 1600. However, a statue of the woman mentioned in the rhyme was installed in 2005.
Upon further examination, it turns out that the iconic Countryfile and News Round presenter John Craven lives in the area too. Craven, vice-president of the Waterways Trust, has visited in excess of 80 countries and apparently used to go by the name ‘Johnny Ray’. So now you know.
5. SENIOR PLANNING ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, FENLAND DISTRICT COUNCIL
Location: Dover, Kent
The job: "Always fancied being paid to live and work by the seaside? Do you strive to make a true difference to your own local community? Dover District Council are looking for a qualified town planner to join us in our friendly Planning Policy team.? This is a fantastic opportunity for a qualified planner to take their next step into a principal position within a forward thinking, innovative council. You will play a key part in preparing the new Local Plan and its supporting infrastructure delivery plan, ensuring that the right infrastructure and community services can be delivered to support the District’s ambitious plans for growth.
“We are at a key stage in the Local Plan process working towards a regulation 19 submission draft. We are therefore seeking an experienced planning policy professional. This role requires an organised methodical individual, able to manage competing priorities, as well as somebody with the curiosity and tenacity to explore opportunities and think outside of the box.”
Fun fact: Dover’s white cliffs are internationally famous, as is the fact that the iconic Vera Lynn song is entirely inaccurate about the kind of birds likely to be seen going ‘over’ them.
Basic research would have ruled ‘blue birds’ out at the first draft stage. ‘A few birds over the white cliffs of Dover’ would have worked, covering the rich variety of bird life that actually does frequent England’s southern coast. Honestly. It only goes to show that song writers have to ensure their lyrics are checked if they’re to retain any kind of ornithological credibility.
Photos | | BasPhoto / Shutterstock; iStock; jremes84 / Shutterstock
