Countryside access definitive map officer

Countryside Access Definitive Map Officer

Grade: I

Contract: Permanent

Location: Northallerton, North Yorkshire

Are you passionate about public rights of way? Do you have an investigative mind and excellent attention to detail? If so, this could be the job for you.

The Public Rights of Way service is recruiting a Definitive Map Officer to deliver the County’s definitive map duties. North Yorkshire has the largest network of public rights of way in the country and has a correspondingly high workload of applications to divert public rights of way or modify the Definitive Map.

Our Service

Our Public Rights of Way Service consists of two teams, supported by a small team of Countryside Access Technical Officers:

• Public Rights of Way Maintenance Team, responsible for the maintenance of the County’s extensive public rights of way network, unsealed road network and coastal path
• Definitive Map Team, responsible for keeping the legal record of the public rights of way network, the Definitive Map and Statement, up to date.

The Role

As one of 7 Definitive Map Officers, you will work to maintain the Definitive Map & Statement, which is the legal record of all Public Rights of Way within the Authority’s area. You will investigate applications to make modifications to the Definitive Map & Statement and process applications to divert existing rights of way: in addition, you will be required to carry out other duties connected with the work of the team.

You will investigate historical and user evidence, liaise with landowners, prepare public consultations, negotiate with stakeholders and objectors, write reports for decision makers, draft legal orders and make formal submissions to the Secretary of State, including, where necessary, representing the Council at Public Inquiries or local Hearings.

The post is based at County Hall, Northallerton on a hybrid working basis which enables working from home or other Council offices depending on the needs of the service. Travel across the County will be required to undertake site visits to survey routes and advise landowners and other stakeholders.

What you will bring

• A degree in a relevant subject or a good general education together with previous relevant experience and transferable skills.
• An understanding of legislation and best practice relating to public rights of way and definitive map processes.
• An ability to read, modify and produce maps, along with excellent attention to detail and time management skills.
• An ability to use a range of software including Microsoft Office, databases, and familiarity with GIS systems such as CAMS or MapInfo.
• Experience in analysing historical documents and maps or investigating information from a variety of sources would be helpful, along with the ability to present your analysis in a written report.
• You will be a confident communicator as you will be required to advise the public and colleagues across the Authority on Definitive Map issues.
• You will be resilient and able to cope with complex demands and challenging situations.

What you can expect

The service is committed to professional development and will provide both internal and external training as required for the role. The role provides the opportunity to take on challenging cases as appropriate and to make a significant contribution to the development of the public rights of way network in North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire Council’s purpose is to deliver services and facilities to the diverse residents and visitors of North Yorkshire. To ensure we deliver inclusive services we strive to have a diverse workforce where everybody can be themselves by respecting differences and embedding equality of opportunity. We celebrate diversity and recognise each other’s contributions; we therefore welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds.