Full Description
Osborne Richardson has an interesting opportunity for a Principal Ecology Officer to join a very busy local authority in the West Midlands for a contract role.
You will take responsibility for assessing the environmental impacts of proposed planning applications, providing pre -planning advice, agreeing discharge of conditions, and compiling suitable responses and reports to the Planning Department. You may be required on occasion to carry out site visits to assess suitability of ecological assessments submitted with planning applications and liaise and negotiate with planners, solicitors, agents, applicants and members of the public over biodiversity issues.
You will be involved in the following:
Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) and Nutrient Neutrality (NN)
These include complex bespoke calculations supported by detailed and non-standard data submissions and usually require bespoke legal agreements to provide required certainty for the HRA process.
Nutrient Neutrality - includes but not limited to:
• Change of use of land/buildings (especially farm related) to generate NN, including calculations around changing surface water flows and sustainable drainage systems.
• Offsite nutrient neutrality solutions
Other HRA – includes but not limited to:
• Air emission and deposition from agricultural developments and incineration.
• Significant recreational effects.
• Other significant water or air pollution such as waste water treatment works upgrades and integrated constructed wetlands.
• Drafting, proofing and publishing updated council guidance and FAQs.
• Specialist advice and processes in respect of Council’s own Nutrient Neutrality Schemes.
Major & Significant Planning Applications
• Technical support making comments on large/major/strategic developments and on significant developments by the council.
• Representing Natural Environment Service/Ecology at Planning appeal hearings and co-ordinating/proofing written representations.
Applicants must be members of The Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM), or seeking to qualify for membership. Our client is looking for someone with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in a similar role.
This will initially be a 16 week contract with potential to extend.
The rate offered is £60/hr Umbrella and this role is inside IR35. This will be a hybrid role which is predominantly home based, though you will be need to carry out site visits as and when required.
For more information please get in touch.