Bringing unique skills to the team
We’re delighted that Patrick Goodey is joining our Flood Risk and Hydrology team as Principal Flood Risk Consultant. This is the next stage of our investment strategy, and just over three months since we welcomed Tim Howard to the Infrastructure and Drainage team.
Patrick joins us from Bristol City Council, where he was head of the flood risk and data management team for almost a decade. Patrick brings a unique set of skills, extensive experience and an outlook that will not only benefit our clients’ projects, but which will also be instrumental in steering our flood risk business and how we engage with public sector bodies.
Maximising new opportunities
Patrick’s role in the business is critical to the shape of the team we’re growing – a team founded on great communication, with the technical expertise and instinct to gather, interpret and react to data. This creates opportunities to enhance water management for multiple users, the environment and ecology.
Speaking about Patrick’s arrival, Alex Bearne, our Head of Flood Risk & Hydrology, commented:
“I am excited by Patrick’s desire for innovation and his commitment to deriving flood risk management solutions that deliver multiple benefits. The lead role he played in the Bedminster Green River Restoration project – where he was able to deliver significant ecological improvements, reduce flood risk and provide additional capacity for surface water to facilitate regeneration in the area – is a truly great example of what Patrick can deliver.
Beyond the depth and breadth of his experience, Patrick’s personality and outlook are a perfect fit for the business. He’s inquisitive, tenacious and passionate about the water environment, but is also a real pragmatist with experience of delivery.”
The value of deep expertise
Through his decade-long tenure at Bristol City Council, Patrick has gained an in-depth knowledge of the fluvial, tidal and surface water risks posed to the great city of Bristol (and Calibro’s home), and an appreciation for not only the detail of technical appraisals, but also their limitations. Additionally, he is acutely aware of the need to balance the desire for redevelopment with managing flood risk.
With an exceptional depth of knowledge and experience in planning with relation to flood risk, Patrick is a high profile addition to the team. As well as setting policy and reviewing countless planning applications, he acted as the council’s expert witness on the Silverthorne Lane planning inquiry, where he challenged the Environment Agency’s objection to proposals for a mixed-use redevelopment within the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone, by demonstrating that less onerous interpretation of climate change guidance was appropriate.
Communicating with clarity
Having managed a diverse range of projects for the Council, Patrick has gained experience of working with multiple actors (sometimes with conflicting objectives), which makes him well placed to work in large, multi-disciplinary teams and drive placemaking through appropriate water management strategies.
Patrick is a stand-out communicator, being able to work in highly technical settings: in his role overseeing the assessment of surface water flood risk across the city, for example. But he also has the clarity of approach to discuss these technical subjects with non-specialists too.
Calibro will also benefit from Patrick’s significant experience and enthusiasm for developing more junior staff, something that will benefit existing members of the team, plus help us attract the brightest and best talent to keep growing our team in the future.
Patrick’s take
Speaking of his decision to join the business, Patrick comments: “I am extremely excited to be part of the Calibro team. Leaving the Council was not an easy decision as I loved my time there and really enjoyed the wide variety of exciting projects that I was leading on, but the prospects of joining such an innovative, enthusiastic and person-centric organisation was too good an opportunity to miss! From the first time I met Alex and Stuart, I was incredibly impressed with how they strive to do the best for their clients – an attribute that resonates well with me.”
Patrick finishes by saying: “I am looking forward to getting involved with the team, sharing my experience of the regulatory side of our discipline to benefit their many exciting projects, and applying my passion for delivering cost-effective, pragmatic and deliverable solutions, working hand in glove with our partners.”
The final say
At Calibro we pride ourselves on being a truly integrated infrastructure planning consultancy. This means that our growth strategy and investment priorities are equally split across our specialisms of flood risk & hydrology and infrastructure and drainage. Patrick joining us is another key element of our investment strategy, allowing us to continue to grow our reputation as a consultant of choice for some of the UK’s most active and ambitious developers and energy providers.