6233 - Principal Officer - Landscape and Planning

Overview

Do you have a passion for nature and the environment? Do you want to make a real difference and secure significant environmental gains in the present and the future? Do you enjoy working in a team? Can you see yourself advising communities and customers to maximise gains for the Natural Environment?

If this appeals to you, a career at Natural England (NE) offers rewarding opportunities to secure environmental improvements and play your part in creating a better future for people and nature.

The post sits within the Planning and Infrastructure Team in the Strategy Group. Strategy Group leads Natural England’s engagement with government on environmental policy, delivers new programmes and pilots aligned with major strategies (e.g. the 25 Year Environment Plan), manages strategic relationships with national partners, and develops internal standards and guidance on emerging issues.

Responsibilities / Key tasks

• Establishing a Nature Recovery Network to help wildlife thrive;
• Monitoring environmental changes to identify and help reduce the effects of climate change;
• Working with farmers and landowners to develop greener food production methods;
• Advising on plans for new developments to maximise gains for nature, and
• Providing ways for people to better connect with nature, including green social prescribing.

We are the Government’s Adviser for the natural environment, playing a vital role in delivering the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, an ambitious vision which brings new opportunities to protect and enhance and to achieve real outcomes for the environment.

The post sits within the Planning and Infrastructure Team in the Strategy Group. Strategy Group leads Natural England’s engagement with government on environmental policy, delivers new programmes and pilots aligned with major strategies (e.g. the 25 Year Environment Plan), manages strategic relationships with national partners, and develops internal standards and guidance on emerging issues.

This role offers an opportunity to deliver ambitious conversation outcomes and be at the heart of Natural England’s response to a changing planning system.

Job description

The Team develops and delivers new approaches to support key 25-Year Environment Plan initiatives and Environmental Improvement Plan targets; leads stakeholder relationships with key national partners and develops internal standards and guidance on novel or complex casework for use by our operation teams ensuring join up across Natural England’s marine and terrestrial planning casework.

Fundamental reforms to the planning system are currently progressing through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act (LURA), environmental assessment system reforms as well as new Government ambitions proposed through the Planning & Infrastructure Bill. The successful candidate(s) will play a key role in shaping Natural England’s response to these reforms, helping to safeguard and secure opportunities for England’s protected landscapes whilst balancing this with the need for sustainable development. They will also play a fundamental role in shaping our internal position on landscape to provide consistency in our approach to landscape advice, particularly in relation to high risk and high opportunity casework.

The postholder will use their technical expertise to contribute to Natural England advice on reforms to the land use and infrastructure planning systems, with an initial focus on the implications for landscape (especially protected landscapes) and on Natural England’s planning advice. Central to this is the strengthened duty on relevant authorities to ‘seek to further’ the statutory purpose of protected landscapes, as set out in the LURA, and the postholder will have a key role in advising on how the duty should be applied in plan-making and planning decisions.

Key tasks / accountabilities

The planning, infrastructure planning and environmental assessment systems are in a period of substantial change and specific responsibilities will develop and change over time. The post holder will need to maintain a flexible and adaptable attitude and approach. Initial broad work areas are likely to comprise those described below:

• Work with colleagues in the Planning and Infrastructure team to provide specialist landscape and seascape advice to government and other stakeholders on reforms to the planning and infrastructure planning systems. Provide technical leadership on landscape and seascape impacts across NE to ensure high quality, consistent landscape planning advice by
• Leading work to evaluate NE’s current approach to landscape/seascape planning casework and making recommendations for future delivery.
• Providing or contributing to internal guidance
• Delivering or contributing to specialist landscape planning training
• Leading or contributing to internal technical networks
• Contributing to landscape evidence work
• Provide advice to Defra/MHCLG (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) /DESNZ ( Dept for Energy Security and Net Zero) /DfT ( Dept for Transport) on emerging reforms to the planning and infrastructure planning systems and respond/have oversight of consultations as appropriate
• Lead/provide oversight and Quality Assurance of technical planning/infrastructure guidance, briefings and, training and input to business improvement and business readiness work
• Build effective relationships with Defra and MHCLG, Other Government Depts (OGD) and other stakeholders working on landscape planning and planning and infrastructure reform.
• Act as the relationship manager for key planning and infrastructure stakeholders (as required)