Senior Historic Environment & Townscape Adviser

Our Historic Environment and Townscape team is an established, market leading practice with over 20 years’ experience delivering some of the UK’s most high profile and complex projects. Our portfolio includes nationally significant schemes such as the British Museum, Earls Court, the National Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, and Smithfield in Birmingham. We are known for taking on challenging projects where deep expertise, sound judgement and a rigorous planning approach are essential to success. We operate as a national practice from offices in London and Edinburgh, advising a wide and varied client base. Those clients include leading developers, educational institutions, charities and cultural organisations, government bodies and the NHS. Our work spans all sectors and scales, giving our team exposure to an exceptional range of projects and planning environments.

The team comprises around 30 specialists with expertise across heritage, planning, townscape, urban design and architecture. Our strength lies in combining high quality research, robust analysis and clear professional advice within a planning context. The successful candidate will support planning related work requiring specialist heritage, townscape and visual impact assessment skills, with regular opportunities to collaborate with architects, project managers, lawyers and other professionals across the property sector.

This opportunity is with a sector-leading team, providing advice on a wide range of high-profile projects where historic research, contextual analysis, design and visual impact are critical to the planning process. The right candidate will have the opportunity to progress through our successful partnership and will have exposure to a varied range of work. We offer experience in a position offering early responsibility with a strong client focus, excellent career prospects and an extensive CPD programme. The role would suit an ambitious individual who specialises in historic environment and townscape matters, particularly those related to historic buildings, conservation areas and other sensitive heritage assets such as World Heritage Sites.

Recognising that many candidates with expertise in the historic environment and/or townscape do not have formal planning qualifications to degree level, the firm supports talented and engaged individuals in achieving their RTPI accreditation through mentoring, practical experience and study.

Responsibilities

• Providing all planning advice on built historic environment and townscape projects, including those involving sensitive land such as historic buildings, world heritage sites and conservation areas.
• Conducting research; assessing the character, function, and appearance of townscape; and producing townscape, heritage and visual impact assessments of new developments.
• Working closely with other professionals in the department to expand their own skill set across planning, heritage and urban design disciplines.
• Helping Partners to advise on all aspects of the development life cycle, particularly in relation to the planning process.
• Attendance at project design team meetings with clients, architects, landscape designers, and other disciplines.
• We offer continual professional development through regular CPD sessions and training.
• As a senior professional we would anticipate that you would be the day to day contact for projects, interacting directly with clients and other professionals.
• Opportunities through our sector-led approach, to build knowledge of other parts of the business and contribute to the way that we build and build relationships with clients and win new work.

Qualifications

• This consultancy sector attracts talent from a diverse background, and so we have an open mind about qualifications.
• 4-6 years’ experience in a relevant discipline to this field of work.
• Membership in RTPI or equivalent RICS (development planning), or IHBC, or demonstrable relevant experience or conservation qualification.
• Experience obtained either providing all planning advice on heritage projects (and those involving sensitive land/historic buildings) and/or working with planners as a specialist.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent writing.
• A pragmatic problem‑solving mind with a keen interest in the way planning and development shapes the historic environment and our quality of life.