Holly, Strategic Property

I am currently studying Property Development and Planning at Nottingham Trent knowledge learnt throughout my degree into real workplace situations. In fact, I have learnt just as much (if not more) throughout the 39 weeks I have spent in the Place Delivery and Strategic Property team at West Suffolk Council.

The Place Delivery and Strategic Property team is a multidisciplinary team of architects, surveyors and engineers who drive the delivery of built environment projects and programmes within West Suffolk, whilst also identifying and appraising opportunities for investment in growth. Over the course of the placement I was lucky enough to work alongside different members of the team providing a wide variety of experience.

This internship has given me the opportunity to not only see the variety of roles available within the built environment, but also an insight into the workings of local government. This has helped me understand the extent to which local government can influence the shaping and development of places. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to attend council meetings to see how democratic decisions are made and my role has helped develop my political understanding.

The longer length of my internship allowed me to gain further experience through taking on more responsibility. For example, I took a supported, but leading role in project managing the initial feasibility stage for exploring options for redevelopment of a council-owned property asset. This was a steep learning curve as I had no prior experience in project management, however I was fortunate that the members of the team gave me full support, whilst presenting me with the opportunity to think and explore options for redeveloping a land and property asset. This work has also inspired my interest in the changing nature of town centres and high streets, which I hope to research further within my dissertation.

Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience as an intern at West Suffolk Council. I am grateful for all the opportunities and the support that people have given during my time here, especially my team. The skills, experience and knowledge I have gained will definitely help me in my future career. With the amount of invaluable skills that I have learnt both personally and professionally, I really do recommend this placement to others.