A Day in the life of Pete
Continuing on with our series of 'A Day In The Life of...' we hear from Pete, who is from Ireland and is working for Milestone and living in the North East.
Job title - Senior Transport Planner
What are you responsible for? - I am responsible for supporting and assisting with the development of the business within the North of England and Scotland. This generally involves exploring new business opportunities as well as nourishing new and existing relations with an extensive client base across the retail, employment and primarily residential sectors here in the North. My day to day role involves successfully project managing and delivering a varied portfolio of transport planning projects thorough the (full project life cycle). I am regularly required to attend external meetings with (project team and local authorities / public bodies, public exhibitions and committee meetings), in addition to providing technical expertise and support through report preparation on time as well as to budget.
Where are you based? - When I am not on site or attending any client meetings, I can be found behind a fortress of computer screens here in our Gateshead office.
Transport to work? - To get to work I do try and be sustainable where possible and therefore have been known to get the metro whenever weather permits. Primarily though I do drive to work as I like to get in early and beat the rush hour commuters. Conversely, I also appreciate the luxury of the car when linking trips on my journey home albeit to the gym or to pick up my groceries.
Top of ‘In’-tray? - Agreeing the master-plan layout and highway infrastructure work / contributions for a 610-residential development to the south of Darlington town centre.
The best aspects of your job - The best part of the job has got to be the social aspect of it which regularly involves getting out and meeting existing as well as prospective stakeholders and clients. I am also thankful because this year I have been able to assist with the delivery of the MSC Public Inquiry Module at Newcastle University which is taught by our Northern Associate Director Darran Kitchener. Then ultimately, I would have to say the most satisfying part of the job is providing our clients with a bespoke service from initial concept design stages right through to post permission stages. Those of you involved with the development planning expertise / process will fully appreciate it whenever, I say there is certainly nothing more satisfying than being notified that planning permission has been “GRANTED”.
What are the challenges? - Challenges we are faced with today include increasingly tight timescales and under resourced local authorities which can often impact on the delivery programme of a scheme. What is the most important transport issue today? The biggest transport problem in the North of England has got to be how detached the ‘North’ is perceived to be socially, economically and politically from the rest of the UK. It has recently been acknowledged by Transport for the North that underinvestment in transport in the North of England has long been recognised as a drag on its economy. The productivity benefits of transport infrastructure are well evidenced, yet the North’s infrastructure is dated, poorly integrated, and lacking the large-scale investment it needs. Furthermore, it has also been noted by Transport for The North that, “A significant part of the problem concerning transport investment in the North has been caused by the over-centralisation of decision-making structures and powers in England. There is evidence from London, Scotland and overseas that more decentralised transport planning and decision-making can lead to better outcomes for the economy and for transport users.”
How do you relax? - I’m a keen gym goer and whenever I am not in the gym or the office, I have also been spotted out running. Although when all is said and done, what I enjoy most in my spare time is holidaying, catching up with friends and family, in addition to sampling different cuisines and discovering new restaurants wherever I may be.
Ambitions - Having been part of Milestone in Gateshead from its earlier days I hope that the company continues to grow and develop at the same rate in success of what has been achieved over my last two years at Milestone.