The Friday Five 26.10.18
A round-up of five of the best, most interesting, significant or unusual jobs on Planner Jobs this week.
1. RIGHT ON TRACK
What?
Town planner (Western and Wales), Network Rail.
Where?
Modern offices on the fringe of Cardiff City Centre, a brief stroll from Cardiff Central (of course) and the Principality Stadium (they play rugby there, you know).
The job
"You will undertake the provision of town planning advice within Network Rail and to external clients and stakeholders to a high professional standard. This will involve the subsequent submission of relevant applications to local planning authorities and potential appeals to PINS in the Wales Route (which includes bordering authorities of Cheshire, Herefordshire and Shropshire).
"There is rarely a typical day with a varied and interesting caseload supporting both operational railway issues, commercial property schemes as well as responding to planning consultations for third party development or representations to planning policy documents."
Specifically, you're likely to be working on projects such as the refurbishment of the grade II listed Barmouth Viaduct and redevelopment schemes next to Cardiff station. If you like railways, it's perfect.
Fun fact
At its peak, in 1914, there were around 20,000 miles of railway track in the UK, run by 120 competing companies. Nowadays, the UK rail network has a mere 9,941 miles tracks to travel on.
2. IT'S A SIGN!
What?
Planning officer (development management), Bracknell Forest Borough Council.
Where?
Spanking new purpose-built offices in downtown Bracknell, Berkshire.
The job
"This post within our development management team will provide an excellent opportunity for someone with some experience in planning to take forward their career. The post-holder will be expected to take on a substantial caseload of planning applications as well as deal with pre-application enquiries and duty cover on a rota basis.
"We are looking for an enthusiastic individual with good communication skills to provide advice to those using our services, particularly responding to enquiries from the public. You will also advance your planning experience, dealing with proposals for smaller housing and commercial developments."
Bracknell, designated a new town in 1949, has outgrown the original vision and is now a large town of some 83,000 residents that is also home to a large number of major tech companies. It's currently undergoing extensive town centre regeneration (ie, it's being almost rebuilt) - plenty to get stuck into.
Fun fact
Some of Bracknell's postwar estates exhibit the quirk of having streets with names only, not titles. In Birch Hill, Crown Wood or Great Hollands, you might find yourself in 'Frobisher', rather than 'Frobisher Road' or 'Juniper', rather than 'Juniper Close'.
3. BRANCHING OUT
What?
Service manager, development management, Sheffield City Council.
Where?
Modern, purpose-built offices in Sheffield City Centre, a hop and a skip from the Peace Gardens and the Town Hall.
The job
"We are looking for an exceptional manager and planner to lead our customer friendly Development Management service. The successful candidate will be someone dynamic, with vision, energy and a commercial focus to delivering high quality statutory planning functions. They will build up strong, trusted relationships with the public, key partners and the development industry."
A serious role for an ambitious public sector planner, in one of Britain's great industrial cities. Sheffield, with an overall population approaching 700,000 in the urban area, has undergone extensive regeneration in recent decades and continues to grow. It's one of the key cities engaged in work around the Northern Powerhouse and will ultimately benefit from HS2 connections, too.
Fun fact
Despite recent controversy, Sheffield in fact has highest ratio of trees to people for any city in Europe and is home to more than two million trees. The city has around 250 parks, woodland areas and gardens and around a third of Sheffield is, unusually, inside the Peak District National Park.
4. BARGE INTO LONDON
What?
Planner/senior planner, Third Revolution Projects.
Where?
Start-up/coworking space in a modern mixed-use development in an interesting nook of central London, between Clerkenwell, Shoreditch and Islington.
The job
An excellent opportunity to make your mark in a small, young but growing consultancy that specialises in build-to-rent and low carbon energy development.
"We are looking for a chartered town planning consultant to support our fast growing portfolio of projects. We are currently working on a portfolio of student accommodation and low carbon energy generation projects, and an off-site manufacturing facility. The successful candidate will be involved in these, along with a hotel scheme and portfolio of large solar farms."
Good location, too.
Fun fact
The office is just around the corner from Wenlock Basin, a private mooring off the Regent's Canal that was excavated by hand in 1826 to serve the growing City of London. With the decline of canal-borne cargo it became derelict in the 1950s, but was revived int he 80s as a private residential mooring for canal boats and barges.
5. FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS
What?
Senior town planning associate, growing consultancy.
Where?
Somewhere in Oxford.
The job
It's the chance to create your own team within a fast-growing multidisciplinary consultancy in Oxford that has ambitions to make its mark nationally.
"It is essential that the successful candidate has experience in developing new business opportunities. This is a unique role in the market to join an established office whilst having the opportunity setting up a brand-new team. This client is open to considering town planners from senior/principal level upwards."
Fun fact
Oxford, being a single degree west of the prime meridian in Greenwich is therefore five minutes behind Greenwich meantime. Thus the Old Tom, the bell in the tower of Christ Church Cathedral, strikes a bizarre 101 times at 9.05pm every evening. At one time this marked the curfew for university.
Photos | iStock, Newton2 (Christ Church Cathedral), Stephan Mackay (Wenlock Basin)
