Green Access Development Assistant

Develop Your Career in Active Travel!

Suffolk’s green access service is recruiting to its new planning team. The team leads the council’s response to planning consultations, from minor ones up to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). The new team will build on our successes – for example, a £2.8m pot to improve green access now the construction of Sizewell C nuclear power station starts.

Green access includes 5,700km of public rights of way (PRoW), open access, and informal routes to enable moving about on foot, bicycle, wheelchair, or horseback. It covers access to green space but also relates to accessing services, workplaces, and schools, whether on PRoW or the road network. Green access is especially relevant to sustainable transport, health, and wellbeing. 

Our vision is “To get more people using and enjoying Suffolk’s green access network.”

Your role and responsibilities

In this role, you will get to both support the green access planning team and respond to smaller-scale planning consultations. You will help build partnerships and work with a wide range of stakeholders to make sure green access is protected where there are new developments and walking, cycling, and wheeling are prioritised to enhance the PRoW and walking and cycling network.

An important part of the role is managing budget and project databases to ensure the high volume of consultations and responses are tracked.

We need someone who really cares about improving green access and sustainable travel in Suffolk. You will liaise with colleagues in the council’s planning teams, other planners, developers, and stakeholders outside the council.

This role can improve lives by giving people more opportunities for healthy active travel. You will need to see the bigger picture in creating those opportunities.

You will need:

• some understanding of planning law and the impact of development on green access and PRoW and experience in managing databases and providing support services to colleagues
• strong team skills and very good communication skills, both written and verbal. You will be able to demonstrate a strong commitment to making walking, cycling, and wheeling the first choice of travel, whether on roads or the green access network.

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile. If you think you have what it takes to be successful in this role, even if you don’t meet all the requirements, please apply.

We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application:

The team

Our Rights of Way and Access team sits within the Growth, Highways, and Infrastructure directorate. We oversee Suffolk's green access and public rights of way network. Our priorities are outlined in the Suffolk Green Access Strategy 2020-2030 vision, please take a look suffolk-green-access-strategy-2020-2030

Empowering Everyone

We are big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We are always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report. 

For more information

Please contact David Falk (Development and Improvement Manager), or Sam Russell (Planning Manager - Green Access) for a casual conversation. You can reach them by calling 01473 341524 for David or 01473 260429 for Sam.

Closing date: 11.30pm, 29 May 2025.

Interview date: 10 and 12 June 2025. 

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. We are also committed to flexible working.

Suffolk County Council - welcoming diversity.