Lochgilphead, West Argyll. £20,323 - £23,777 plus benefits

Background Information The Planning Assistant job is based in the Lochgilphead Office working along with the planning forester on the production and revision of forest design plans.   West Argyll Forest district extends to over 92,000 hectares and covers much of the Argyll area from Appin in the north down to the south end of Kintyre, Mull is also part of the district area. The high rainfall and good soils ensure that West Argyll is an important area for the production of quality softwood timber, mostly Sitka spruce. The district annual production of timber is running at 500,000 tonnes and is due to rise slightly over the next few years. Protection and management of Atlantic Oakwoods and other native woodland is an important facet of the district, as is management of the wide variety of important archaeological sites in the forest. Much of the forest lies in a beautiful landscape characterised by indented coastline, sea lochs and rugged hills, tourism is a key industry in the area.   Development of renewable energy generation on the national forest estate is a key part of developmental focus in several forests throughout the Argyll area.   The district has over 90 direct staff based in Lochgilphead, Oban, Mull and various small rural depots.

Purpose of the Job The key task of the planning assistant will be to take forward the revision and renewal of forest design plans as allocated by the planning forester. Design plans need to be updated in consultation with other district staff and external stakeholders. The planning assistant will arrange and conduct stakeholder meetings as part of the design plan revision process after the initial collation of data to allow the plans to be updated.   The work involves a series of site visits followed by plan revision using GIS and various other IT tools. In addition to the core design plan work the planning assistant will help with IT maintenance duties and a variety of other tasks to help the rest of the planning team.

Key Work Areas The production, revision and amendment of forest design plans Producing revision briefs and conducting mid-term reviews for forest design plans Conducting internal stakeholder forest design plan meetings Arranging external stakeholder consultation and identification of interested parties General IT maintenance associated with the planning team Infrastructure (IT) support duties and deputising for the GIS Technician To apply please follow the this link http://www2.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_forestry03.asp?newms=jj&id=71948& Alternatively please visit our website www.forestry.gov.uk/vacancies