Could you be our next Landscape Planning Officer?

The Mendip Hills AONB Unit are looking to appoint a Landscape Planning Officer to help conserve and enhance this nationally important landscape.

A wide variety of planning applications are submitted to the local authorities that could affect the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The job involves preparing written responses on behalf of the AONB Partnership to planning consultations in the area. The applications may be small conversions or extensions within the boundary or very large developments in the setting of the designated AONB landscape. The Landscape Planning Officer will need to be able to review them and submit responses.

The Landscape Planning Officer will also review and recommend responses to planning policy issues, including government consultations, liaising with planning authorities covering the area and with other AONB teams and Natural England to propose policies for incorporation in government guidance, regional plans and Local Development Frameworks.

Jim Hardcastle, Mendip Hills AONB Manager, said, ‘It’s not often that roles like this come along. This is a great chance to play an active role in conserving and enhancing a much loved landscape through the planning system. Pressure for development is increasing, we’re seeing the affects of climate change and the impacts on nature but there is optimism that the planning system can play a part in fixing some of the problems through ‘biodiversity net gain’ for instance. At present the role is 2.5 days a week so it could give someone real flexibility.’

The job details together with the online application form can be found here.

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Jim Hardcastle, Mendip Hills AONB Manager, 01761 462338, jim@mendiphillsaonb.org.uk.