NCLOG Forum: Routes into Competency
Free and open only to NCLOG members.
Join NCLOG for our 'Routes into Competency' Forum, a dedicated event exploring the different pathways available for contaminated land professionals to demonstrate competence and build confidence in professional practice.
The Forum is designed to help Contaminated Land Officers (CLOs) better understand the range of competency frameworks, qualifications and schemes available across the sector. It will also provide practical guidance on what to look for when reviewing reports and assessing the competence of consultants and practitioners.
Hear from leading organisations across the contaminated land profession, with confirmed speakers from the National Quality Mark Scheme (NQMS), Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES), Society of Brownfield Risk Assessment (SoBRA), and CL:AIRE, alongside a practitioner-led session delivered by fellow CLOs sharing their experiences and insights.
The event will conclude with interactive breakout discussions, providing an opportunity to explore the issues raised throughout the morning, share experiences with peers, and identify practical actions NCLOG can take to better support CLOs in developing, evidencing and maintaining professional competency.
Whether you're early in your contaminated land career or an experienced practitioner, this Forum offers a valuable opportunity to learn from sector leaders, exchange experiences with peers, and help shape how NCLOG supports competency across the profession.
Event Chair
Rebekah Norbury, NCLOG Committee member
Rebekah Norbury is a Local Authority contaminated land officer working for Cheshire East Council and has been for around fourteen years. Prior to that, she worked for around six years as an environmental consultant specialising in contaminated land. She is on the NCLOG Committee and is also a Chartered Chemist. As well as land contamination, she also has an interest in air quality and has been assisting Cheshire East Council’s air quality team with their education objectives. When she is able to, she enjoys doing outreach activities in schools relating to her job, as she is a STEM Ambassador.
Confirmed Speakers
Nicola Harries, CL:AIRE
Nicola Harries is a chartered geologist and scientist and has 35 years' experience within the environmental industry. She is a Technical Director at CL:AIRE and has responsibility for managing a number of projects and initiatives, as well as CL:AIRE’s training and membership scheme. Nicola co-ordinates the National Brownfield Forum (industry/government/regulator forum), the National Quality Mark Scheme for Land Contamination Management Steering Group, the Sustainable Remediation Forum UK (SuRF-UK), International Sustainable Remediation Alliance (ISRA) and the Gas Protection Verification Accreditation Scheme (GPVS). Her role requires her to develop and build strong relationships to collaborate and deliver industry guidance along with suitable training for the wider brownfield community both in the UK and internationally.
Rae Watney, Contaminated Land Officer, Sheffield City Council
Rae has been a Local Authority Officer specialising in Contaminated Land for the last 5 years, and prior to that worked in Contaminated Land consultancy. She is active in local and national officer groups for NCLOG and YALPAG, and was a member of the working group for the NCLOG guidance on simple cover systems. In 2021, she won Best Young Brownfield Professional at the Brownfield Briefing awards.
Mel Lyons, SoBRA
Mel Lyons is a Chartered Geologist and SoBRA-accredited risk assessor, as well as a SiLC and NQMS SQP, with over 20 years' experience in the field of sustainable, risk-based contaminated land assessment and management. Mel has been a member of the SoBRA Executive Committee since 2024 and is currently the Accreditation Lead for the SoBRA Accreditation Scheme, as well as a volunteer scrutineer. She is a Senior Scientist in Shell's Soil and Groundwater Technical Solutions team, with a background in contaminant hydrogeology and experience spanning consultancy, regulation, and industry. She currently supports soil and groundwater risk management projects across Shell's global portfolio. Mel is passionate about promoting best practice, professional development and mentoring across the land contamination sector
About NCLOG
The National Contaminated Land Officers Group (NCLOG) is a member-led, specialist interest group at the IES. NCLOG members are CLOs working in local authorities.
The community works together to act as the national voice for CLOs in the UK and to promote high-quality and consistent regulation and management of land contamination across the sector. NCLOG has over 200 members across the UK and has strong links with regional Contaminated Land Officer Groups (CLOGs) and those in the devolved administrations.
Image credits: © zhukovvvlad | Adobe Stock
