The Friday Five 30.11.18
A round-up of five of the best, most interesting, significant or unusual jobs on Planner Jobs this week.
1. TIME TO MIGRATE?
What?
Senior conservation planner, RSPB Cymru.
Where?
In a large office beside the River Taff in Cardiff, a short walk from Bute Park and Cardiff Castle, where an Isabelline shrike was spotted only last week.
The job
"Wales is in the process of rolling out distinctive new legislation on sustainable development, planning and natural resources, and RSPB Cymru is seeking a senior conservation planner to help us maximise the benefits to biodiversity from these new frameworks.
"In particular, you will lead our input to the development of Area Statements (the new approach, introduced through the Environment (Wales) Act 2016, for the sustainable management of natural resources), the National Development Framework (coming forward under Wales' reformed land use planning system), and the Wales National Marine Plan."
Though its focus is on birds, the RSPB is the largest nature conservation charity in the UK and manages a number of large reserves. It's heavily involved in debate and policymaking around land use planning.
Fun fact
Late autumn/early winter is the time when migratory birds are on the move in their millions. In the period leading up to their annual migration, birds exhibit notably restless and anxious behaviour. As with so many hard to describe states, the Germans have a word for this: 'Zugunruhe', which means - literally - ‘journey disquiet’.
2. A HIT, A VERY PALPABLE HIT
What?
Team leader, development management, Mayor of London.
Where?
City Hall, the peculiar peanut-shaped building on the South Bank of the River Thames in Southwark, London.
The job
"Shape a high quality strategic planning service within the development management section of the planning unit. You will be politically astute and have a proven track record in London and be confident in dealing with planning appeals/judicial reviews, complex strategic planning issues and a huge variety of applications and competing priorities.
"You will manage strategic planners who assess planning applications that are referred to the Mayor and work in collaboration with boroughs to deliver the ambitions of the London Plan. You will understand how to apply the London Plan in a pragmatic and sensible way that encourages development and delivers the mayor’s objectives."
You'll also be delivering reports directly to the Mayor himself. It's a serious role offering the chance to play a part in shaping the development of England's capital over the next decade. We don't really need to give you any info about London, do we?
Fun fact
The most colourful candidate at the last London Mayoral election was Prince Zylinksi, a Polish property millionaire and son of a cavalry officer. In the wake of Nigel Farage's comments about East European immigrants, Zylinski challenged the then UKIP leader to a duel. He issued the challenge on Twitter with a picture of himself wielding a replica of his father's sword. Farage didn't take up the offer. Shame.
3. RHUBARB RHUBARB RHUBARB RHUBARB
What?
Planning officer, Wakefield Council.
Where?
Wakefield One, modern offices on the fringe of the city centre, just over the road from the wonderful late Victorian Gothic County Hall. This was designed by James Gibson, who was also responsible for Middlesex Guildhall, home of the UK's Supreme Court.
The job
"We are looking for an enthusiastic, committed individual, interested in town planning, to join our highly successful planning team. There will be opportunities to gain experience in a wide range of development plan work, including a new local plan for the district; infrastructure planning; planning policy advice; development monitoring; regeneration delivery plans; and research studies.
"This role carries the potential opportunity to gain a fully funded nationally recognised qualification."
Wakefield, a city in West Yorkshire, has a population of around 100,000 (district: 325,000) and sits at the eastern edge of the Pennines. It's known for rugby league and...
Fun fact
... rhubarb. Specifically, Wakefield is known as the capital of the Rhubarb Triangle, an area notable for growing early forced rhubarb. In July 2005 a sculpture was erected to celebrate this aspect of Wakefield, and there is an annual 'Wakefield Festival of Food, Drink and Rhubarb" during the last weekend in February. We're not even kidding.
4. IS THERE LIFE ON MARS? OR IN CORBY?
What?
Planning officer, Corby Borough Council.
Where?
In central Corby, in an eye-catching cube shaped building called - with great imagination - The Cube, which also houses the local theatre.
The job
"Corby is looking to recruit an enthusiastic and committed planning officer to complement their development management team. As a planning officer in the regeneration and growth service you will be responsible to the principal planner (development control) for exercising professional development control and other skills as part of the modernising of planning services focused on delivery for the customer.
"Corby Borough Council is a success story and one of the fastest growing places in the UK. Their corporate vision is to double their population to around 100,000 by 2030 and they are the Academy of Urbanism's 2018 Great British Town."
Roughly equidistant from both Peterborough and Leicester, Corby is a medium-sized town in east Northamptonshire that's growing fast. It also has an unusually large Scottish population, on amount of its history as a steel manufacturing base and its supermarkets sell huge quantities of Irn Bru. But that's not our fun fact. This is:
Fun fact
A crater on Mars discovered in the late 1970s was named after Corby, in reference to a famous transcript of a conversation in June 1969 between the crew of the Apollo 11 mission and mission control, whereby world news was relayed to the crew. This included the news that "in Corby, an Irishman named John Coyle won the World's Porridge Eating Championship by consuming 23 bowls of instant oatmeal in 10 minutes". Apollo 11 offered to enter Buzz Aldrin into the next contest.
5. A GATEWAY TO THE SUN
What?
Consents officer, National Grid.
Where?
Substantial offices at Warwick Technology Park, bordering countryside between Warwick and Leamington Spa in the Midlands, and a 15 minute walk from central Warwick.
The job
"To provide an expert consents service to the National Grid business to ensure that project consents are delivered economically in accordance with current legislation, regulations, guidance and internal best practice, process and guidance, to specification, programme and cost and that National Grid’s reputation continues to be enhanced.
"To gain consent for construction projects by leading and managing the delivery of project consents-related activities. To give evidence as an Expert Witness at DCO Hearings, Public Inquiries etc. To ensure that all Consents, EIA and Consultation reports and documents required in support of DCO, planning and S37 applications are prepared to an appropriate standard within required project timescales."
And more - a fascinating job facilitating the rollout of improved and enhanced electricity networks nationwide, and between the UK and elsewhere.
Warwick itself is the county town of Warwickshire. Its location close to both north-south and east-west motorways has made it an attractive base for businesses such as National Grid, IBM and Volvo.
Fun fact
There are 88,000 pylons in the UK, of many different designs. All, however, are inspired by the first pylon, installed near Edinburgh in 1928. This was designed by leading architect Sir Reginald Blomfield, who had been asked to create a softer design than the brutalist structures found overseas, to make the pylons more palatable to the Brits. Taking inspiration from the Egyptian root of the word pylon itself - it means 'gateway to the sun' - Blomfield based his lattice tower design on Egyptian art and architecture. Pylon aficionados belong to the Pylon Appreciation Society and there's even a Pylon of the Month website.
Images | iStock, Mike Kirby (rhubarb sculpture)
