Senior Project Officer - Conservation

Croydon Council; Greater London; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 51,000; Full time

Job summary

Croydon Council is hiring a heritage and placemaking professional to join the Placemaking Team, providing heritage expertise to support sustainable development in Croydon. You will work on conservation matters, design Appraisals, maintenance of asset lists, and local designations to embed heritage in planning decisions.

The role requires a heritage and conservation qualification, strong collaboration with stakeholders, and effective communication to deliver heritage-led placemaking in a diverse

Qualifications

• A heritage and conservation qualification.
• Experience in planning heritage protection.
• Strong understanding of current legislation.

Responsibilities

• Providing specialist advice on all conservation-related matters, including pre-application advice, planning applications, appeals and Council growth and regeneration projects
• Monitoring the Heritage at Risk Register and working proactively to facilitate removal of assets from it
• Maintaining lists of designated heritage assets
• Producing Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans
• Updating the borough’s Local List of locally significant buildings

Skills

Heritage planning

Conservation advice

Education

Heritage Conservation qualification

Job description

Job Description

Salary range: Grade 11 £48,519 - £50,676 p.a. plus fantastic benefits

Contract: Permanent

Hours of work: 36 hours per week

Location: Croydon

Croydon has a rich and varied built heritage. This includes the highly significant Old Palace School (former Archbishop’s Palace), Croydon Minster, and 16th century Whitgift Almshouses (all Grade I Listed), as well as a particularly fine concentration of Victorian architecture in the town centre. The borough is diverse, ranging from dense London suburban development in the north to the leafy greenbelt to the south. Croydon is also increasingly being recognised for its post‑war 20th century heritage, including buildings in the town centre such as No.1 Croydon, Corinthian House and the 1970s St Bernards development on Park Hill, one of a limited number of mid 20 th century conservation areas in the country.

Croydon’s heritage is protected through having over 180 statutory listed buildings, 21 conservation areas throughout the borough, 8 scheduled monuments, and 3 registered parks and gardens, as well as a well‑established register of local heritage designations, including locally listed buildings, local heritage areas and locally listed parks and gardens.

About The Role

This post offers a unique and exciting opportunity to join Croydon’s Placemaking Team, which brings together the disciplines of urban design, conservation, architecture, landscape architecture and planning policy. You will provide heritage expertise to support a coordinated approach to the planning and delivery of sustainable development in Croydon. You will have a qualification related to heritage and conservation. You will be involved in a wide range of Spatial Planning and Development Management projects and applications and will assist in placing heritage at the heart of the borough’s plans for the future.

• providing specialist advice on all conservation‑related matters, including pre‑application advice, planning applications, appeals and Council growth and regeneration projects


• monitoring the Heritage at Risk Register and working proactively to facilitate removal of assets from it


• maintaining lists of designated heritage assets


• producing Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans


• updating the borough’s Local List of locally significant buildings

You will demonstrate a solid understanding of current legislation, policy, guidance and best practice in relation to planning and heritage protection. You will be able to demonstrate conservation and heritage‑related professional experience and passion for the historic environment. You will also have a good understanding of how diverse social and cultural heritage informs local distinctiveness and character whilst forming part of a holistic approach to heritage led placemaking.

In addition to the person specification, the successful candidate will also be motivated, innovative and able to prioritise a varied and challenging work programme. Excellent communication skills are essential due to the high level of internal and external stakeholder engagement.

About The Placemaking Team

The Croydon Council Placemaking Team is an award winning, multidisciplinary team of built environment practitioners with experience from the strategic level through to detailed design and delivery. The team sits within the Council’s Place Directorate and works across strategic planning, urban design, architecture & landscape architecture, research, public engagement, public realm, public art & culture, heritage and conservation. The team is part of the Spatial Planning Service, which brings together Croydon’s Placemaking and Planmaking functions to provide a holistic and coordinated approach to planning, design and delivery. It comprises urban designers, architects, landscape architects, built heritage specialists, cultural practitioners and planners.

The Croydon Placemaking Team is committed to ensuring a fair and open place of work. We aim to shape places that are created with and enjoyed by all people of different cultures, identities, needs and experiences. We believe that our team should reflect the diverse communities we serve and therefore particularly encourage applications from disability groups, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour), and people with trans+ identities, who are currently under‑represented within our team.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised role. We will also be pleased to consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements.

Croydon council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.

About Us

Croydon Council’s priorities

The Council balances its books, listens to residents, and delivers good sustainable services

• Get a grip on the finances and make the council financially sustainable


• Become a council which listens to, respects and works in partnership with Croydon’s diverse communities and businesses


• Strengthen collaboration and joint working with partner organisations and the voluntary, community and faith sectors


• Ensure good governance is embedded and adopt best practice


• Develop our workforce to deliver in a manner that respects the diversity of our communities

Key Business Plan Outcomes

• Croydon is a place of opportunity for business, earning and learning


• Children and young people in Croydon have the chance to thrive, learn and fulfil their potential


• Croydon is a cleaner, safer and healthier place, a borough we’re proud to call home


• People can lead healthier and independent lives for longer


• Croydon Council’s new ways of working

Equal Opportunities Statement

Croydon Council is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Subject to business needs, we will be pleased to consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements and support hybrid working, whereby staff attend the workplace for part of their working week and work from home, or elsewhere, remotely for the rest of the time.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised role.

Croydon council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.

The Successful candidate will be subject to a DBS check, if the role requires one.