Experience

Friends of the Lake District

• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Policy Officer

  • Mar 2015 - Present

  Lead officer at Friends of the Lake District for major infrastructure, energy planning policy and development work, transport and climate change.

• Planning Officer

  • Apr 2013 - Mar 2015

  Working with local authorities and developers to mitigate landscape impacts of development. Inputting into local planning policy to ensure landscape and the natural environment are taken into account. Consultee on the National Grid's North West Coastal Connections project. Working with local communities on neighbourhood planning issues. Developing data management/GIS tools for Friends of the Lake District



Natural England

• Environmental Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Lead Adviser, Land Use Planning

  • Mar 2012 - Apr 2013

  Evaluating planning applications to identify possible impacts of proposed development on protected species and sites. Working with local authorities and developers to minimise potential impact. Evaluating planning applications to identify possible impacts of proposed development on protected species and sites. Working with local authorities and developers to minimise potential impact.



Cumbria Wildlife Trust

• United Kingdom
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Planning and Policy Officer

  • Apr 2008 - Feb 2012

  • Screened 400 planning applications a year • Identified those which raised nature conservation issue and needed attention • Worked closely with planners, consultants and developers to ensure biodiversity was taken into account in developments• Assisted local authorities in formulating planning policies on the natural environment and responding to consultations on Local Development Framework Documents. • Responded to national level consultations on planning policy, recent examples are the draft National Planning Policy Framework and the revocation of the North West Regional Spatial Strategy• Attended Examinations in Public of Local Development Framework Documents to defend written evidence • Worked in partnership to develop the Cumbria Biodiversity Evidence Base• Managed digital ecological and mapping data and administered the Trust’s GIS system

• Planning and Wildlife Sites Officer

  • Mar 2006 - Apr 2008

  • Administered the Cumbria Local Wildlife Sites System between 2006 and 2008• Succeeded in bidding for three years of funding for a full time post to manage the Sites System from April 2008, including migrating data from various sources into one main database and one GIS layer.• Screened 400 planning applications a year • Identified those which raised nature conservation issues and needed attention • Worked closely with planners, consultants and developers to ensure biodiversity was taken into account in developments• Managed digital ecological and mapping data and administered the Trust’s GIS system

• Planning and Limestone Pavement Officer

  • Feb 2003 - Feb 2006

  • Coordinated the Limestone Pavement Project, a campaign to raise awareness of the threats to limestone pavement, a rare and endangered habitat• Managed the budget for the project• Delivered specific outcomes including location specific information boards, walk leaflets, a website, publicity, and a research paper into the trade in water-worn limestone• Dealt with media inquiries regarding the project• I represented the project on the national Limestone Pavement Habitat Action Plan group• Screened planning applications and dealt with those having an impact on biodiversity by influencing planners, developers and consultants• Managed the Trust’s GIS and digital ecological data



Encams

• Environmental Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Cleaner Greener Cumbria Project Officer

  • Apr 2002 - Feb 2003

  • Coordinated a litter reduction project across Cumbria working in conjunction with local authorities, statutory agencies and NGOs• Managed the project’s very limited budget and within this delivered a number of awareness raising campaigns including bus-back advertising, a car litter reduction and anti dog-fouling campaigns• Designed and wrote content for a publicity website to support the project• Undertook research into the distribution of flytipping incidents in the county on behalf of the Environment Agency• Supported local voluntary groups in undertaking litter reduction campaigns



Staffordshire County Council

• United Kingdom
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Environmental Information Manager

  • Mar 1999 - Mar 2002

  • Managed a team of six staff including two environmental specialists.• Coordinated internal responses for the authority’s planners from the Unit’s five environmental specialists • Managed the environmental GIS and remote sensing data. Oversaw the bids for the acquisition of new digital aerial photography• Sat on the steering groups for the Local Wildlife Sites system and the Historic Buildings and Monuments system with specialist from other organisations• Undertook landscape characterisation research which was used in the production of the Council’s Supplementary Planning Guidance.• Finished the research and wrote up my PhD thesis whilst working full time at Staffordshire County Council

• Reserves Volunteer

  • Feb 1996 - Sep 1996

  Voluntary work on Cumbria Wildlife Trust reserves undertaking reserve management, for example drystone walling, fencing, tree felling, bracken bashing, butterfly counts. Voluntary work on Cumbria Wildlife Trust reserves undertaking reserve management, for example drystone walling, fencing, tree felling, bracken bashing, butterfly counts.



Brathay Development Training

• Assistant

  • May 1995 - Feb 1996



Vaisala TMI

• Winter Season Help Desk Support

  • Sep 1994 - May 1995

  • Worked in a team to provide 24 hour helpdesk cover• Spent time “on-call” to troubleshoot computer and network issues• Monitored and calibrated road weather stations • Worked in a team to provide 24 hour helpdesk cover• Spent time “on-call” to troubleshoot computer and network issues• Monitored and calibrated road weather stations