About the Borough This special place in South West London between the capital and the country has been a Royal borough longer than anywhere else - it is where the first kings of England were crowned. Today it is a vibrant and diverse borough, with a long history and strong cultural and community heritage. Kingston's riverside location, fantastic retail offer, historic market place and church, parks and gardens all make Kingston town centre the vibrant space it is, and each of our district town centres (Surbiton, New Malden, Tolworth and Chessington) have something unique to offer. Situated in Zone 6, Kingston is among the best-connected town centres in London – with direct train links from Kingston and Surbiton stations to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and Tramlink. Kingston’s people are innovative and entrepreneurial, and have a strong sense of community pride. The borough has been home to great industry and creativity for many years, reflected in assets such as the Rose Theatre, the International Youth Arts Festival and Kingston University, which boasts more new graduate business start-ups than any other. We have seen tremendous generosity and compassion within our communities, particularly in response to COVID-19, which is a demonstration of Kingston’s key strength. The council offers a strong level of support to vulnerable groups and those who need additional support, which has also increased significantly as a result of the pandemic. Like most places, the average age of our population is rising as more people are living longer, so we are working closely with residents to help them maintain their independence and further improve the cost effectiveness of our service to meet the ongoing rise in demand. Kingston is home to people from diverse and interesting cultures and backgrounds, which helps to create the rich sense of community shared across the borough. In particular, Kingston has a large Sri Lankan Tamil community and is home to more people from Korea than any other part of the UK. About the Role Responsible for effectively preparing, developing and managing activities relating to the preparation of an effective Biodiversity Net Gain strategy and then for its ongoing delivery consistent. Responsibility for the preparation stages of BNG and then the ongoing delivery of BNG as it evolves within the Council and any further requirements from DEFRA which needs a changed approach. Provide ecological advice and comment on all planning applications reviewing submitted Environmental Impact Statements as required. Work closely with the Council’s Biodiversity Officer to ensure consistency of approach and joined up working as far as practical. Develop policy, site criteria and delivery arrangements to underpin offsite BNG Delivery, working with other service areas of the Council as appropriate. Survey and monitor identified locations for habitat creation and calculate baseline and enhancement / creation values. Liaise with leaseholders of Council owned land and private landowners to identify potential offsite options, including preparation of a provisional project list. About Us We are recruiting for a highly motivated and experienced individual to develop effective biodiversity net gain (BNG) processes and systems for the Council, and to ensure that all new development within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames secures successful biodiversity net gain delivery either on site or through off site delivery in accordance with our policies and the requirements of the Environment Act 2021 The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is an ambitious, forward thinking London Borough with a substantial growth and regeneration agenda. Our ambition is matched by our strong desire to work with our communities to deliver these improvements whilst continuing to preserve and enhance our historical buildings and natural environment, parks and gardens and remain one of the best shopping destinations to visit in the UK. We are looking for a Biodiversity Net Gain Officer to work in the Development Management Team within the wider Planning Service. The successful candidate will lead on discharging our obligation to secure Biodiversity Net Gains across the Borough. About You The successful candidate will be required to have a professional qualification to degree level, in ecology or equivalent subject including Membership of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental (CIEEM) or directly equivalent organisation. You will need to have practical experience or detailed knowledge and understanding in the use of the current DEFRA BNG Metric and the small sites metric. Experience of the undertaking and/or use of ecological assessments and surveys, ideally within either the local authority planning or related sector is essential, including experience of working with the planning policy, development management and control processes. Ability to demonstrate experience of effectively managing multiple projects and initiatives to promote biodiversity and related nature based solutions or have the aptitude and ability to do so in a local authority environment. Experience of developing and maintaining productive and collaborative working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, statutory agencies, partnerships and community groups would be a beneficial attribute. Naturally this position requires good levels of numerical, literacy and analytical skills and knowledge and understanding of UK legislation, national and regional planning policies with regard to biodiversity, habitats and species.