Diary of a mineral, waste, and environmental consultant – Mark Smedley

Here at MPG, we have over 30 years of experience within the planning and permitting of mineral and waste sites.

During this time, we’ve worked on hundreds of projects across the UK, with both major operators – such as Breedon Group Plc – and smaller, independent firms. We’re extremely proud of our wealth of expertise within the sector, and the great work we carry out is all thanks to the people behind the brand.

We live and breathe this specialist sector, so our latest blog series aims to give a flavour of what it’s like to be a mineral, waste, and environmental consultant – the type of work we carry out and, essentially, what a typical week looks like.

Not only do we aim to inspire the next generation of mineral and waste planners with our honest diary entries, but it’s a great opportunity to get to know the MPG team a little better, too!

First up, we have Mark Smedley – our senior minerals, waste, and environmental consultant.

Monday

There are always lots of exciting planning and permitting projects going on at MPG – from quarries to waste transfer stations – meaning no one week is the same.

However, this typical Monday me and the MPG team need to find out the depth to groundwater at a quarry, to inform a hydrogeological study.

Therefore, I’m providing details to drillers who are heading to a client’s site – ensuring they have landowner access to enter the premises and providing details such as expected geology, total depth and aims of the drilling exercise, to inform key points such as drill rig type.

Alongside this, in the afternoon I’m also reviewing the details of a quarry extension appeal with members of the senior team – discussing our approach to green belt issues – before looking over a junior colleague’s viability report for a potential waste site and offering feedback.

Tuesday

It’s time for a prospective client site visit today – we usually have at least one site visit per month.

I’m arriving at the office early and ensuring I’ve got all my PPE – high-visibility jacket, hard hat, and eye protection, are a few of the items in my kit. In the winter, I’ll be defrosting the company pickup before heading off with one of my colleagues!

The site is a historic quarry with the potential for further working, but a visit is always essential to spot things that can’t be ascertained from aerial photos, maps, and planning history searches.

Upon arriving at the quarry, we meet the client and take a drive around – we’ve all had off-road training for this – and I love this part of the job.

We also have a good walk around, taking lots of photos, noting things such as existing site infrastructure and potential constraints – such as areas of high ecological value and utilities – but also, and importantly, what the mineral is like there!

After a busy few hours out, we’re returning to the office, writing up our notes, uploading photos and providing feedback to the client on the next steps – including viability appraisal, pre-app, screening opinion, further studies, etc.

Mark Smedley - out on site.

Wednesday

Today, I’m working on the supporting statement for a planning application for a new quarry – seeing me reviewing all relevant policy and assessing the site against it.

I discuss the more intricate details with colleagues, and gather information from sub-contractor documents – such as ecology surveys and Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments.

I’m finishing off the morning with a bit of learning and development – watching a webinar on geological mapping and how this has been used to locate mineral deposits since its conception.

After lunch, I attend a team meeting to discuss organising our exhibit at the upcoming Hillhead event in June. We cover what we need for our exhibition stand and agree timescales.

Before heading off for the day, I’m on the phone with a potential new client – they sound like they need a mineral sterilisation appraisal, so I’ve taken their details and some basic information about the site, so we can provide a scope of works and quote over the coming week.

Thursday

In the morning, I’m continuing to work on the supporting statement and policy assessment for the new quarry.

One of my colleagues is working on a bespoke waste permit application too, so I’m helping them consider appropriate waste codes – querying, ‘should we follow those in a standard rules permit?’  And ‘does the client require something different?’

Other members of the team are on site collecting water samples today, as part of environmental monitoring for a site’s permit. They call to say the weighbridge operator has informed them that blasting is taking place there today, so they can’t enter yet. I call the client and speak to the site manager to assess if the monitoring can still take place. Once I receive an update on the scheduled blasting times, I feed this back to my team, so they know when it’s safe to enter.

Before logging off for the day, I’m finishing the policy assessment, but I have a few outstanding issues that need discussion, so arrange a meeting with our director to run through these and decide our approach.

Out on site at a quarry.

Friday

On the last day of the working week, I’m finishing the final draft of the policy assessment – it’s great to have that large piece of work completed.

I’ve got one of my favourite tasks on my to-do list today – working on the restoration scheme for the new quarry. This involves some Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator work – drawing on knowledge and details from sub-contractors on landscape impact, ecology, and drainage etc., to design a scheme that is suitable and delivers net gains in biodiversity.

Late morning, I get a call from a client regarding a waste site they operate, and they wish to make some changes to their permit. I run through some questions with them before we can make an application to vary the permit.

As the afternoon starts to wrap-up, I’m assisting a junior colleague with a Contaminated Land Risk Assessment. They’ve gathered all the available data and maps, and I’m explaining the process for making the assessment – we arrange regular catch-ups to make sure everything is on track.

Finally, before the week is out, I ensure no one is waiting on me for anything, before taking some time to catch up with the team and find out what everyone’s weekend plans are!

If you’d like to find out more about the people behind the brand at MPG, head over to our team page. And if you have any queries at all, please get in touch with the friendly team, here!