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Careers in environmental services

Develop and apply your expertise in environmental impact assessments
for the UK’s most significant developments

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Work at the forefront of environmental planning

Making sure that decisions relating to the delivery of critical national infrastructure are made with due consideration to environmental impacts is a key part of our role.

Working in our Environmental Services team will give you unparalleled exposure to environmental planning casework. You will work on projects that support government ambitions for low carbon energy generation, transport decarbonisation and new international trading opportunities.

Our project work varies from net zero infrastructure such as carbon capture and storage, offshore wind, solar and hydrogen schemes to new transport infrastructure, ports and much more.

We support applicants and stakeholders through the application process and represent the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities deciding scopes of assessment, land access rights and transboundary impacts.

We also assess environmental issues relating to Town and Country Planning appeals casework, so the work is varied in scale and complexity. It is not unusual to be working on a barn conversion proposal one day and a new nuclear power station the next.

Aerial view of a large Solar Farm.
A photo of Emma Cottam, a Senior Environmental Impact Assessment Advisor

“Our work helps to balance the environmental, social, cultural, and economic impacts resulting from new development.”

Emma Cottam
Senior Environmental Impact Assessment Advisor

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Developing your skills

To keep up with the rapidly evolving assessment requirements we have a proactive, tried and tested training programme and are committed to supporting our people to gain professional recognition.

The team itself is friendly and supportive with a can-do attitude, we aim to be an exemplar of all that is good about public sector frontline service delivery and respond proactively to the views of our stakeholders.

Did you know…?

Our Environmental Services team regularly get involved in community volunteering days. These are great for team building and also provide support to local community projects.

Find out more
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What experience and skills are required?

Our work is varied and will test your logic, problem solving skills and environmental knowledge. This includes evaluating the impacts of development on environmental aspects such as marine and terrestrial ecology, air quality, climate change, water resources and flood risk, noise and vibration, land use and archaeology.

Depending on the level of role you are applying for, we typically require candidates to:

  • be a graduate in an appropriate environmental or land use discipline such as environmental science, environmental impact assessment, landscape, ecology, air pollution management or planning and/or to be able to demonstrate an equivalent level of relevant technical experience
  • have a good understanding of the relevant regulations
  • have analytical skills, including the ability to critically review documents and to research, understand and answer environmental queries
  • possess good verbal and written communication skills and ability to communicate confidently with external bodies and other stakeholders on environmental impact assessment issues
  • be IT literate, including ability to use electronic databases and filing systems, management of databases, document processing

Find out more about what it’s like to work for the Planning Inspectorate

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