Shrewsbury environmental firm creating 16 new jobs as demand rises

Geosmart Information says its recruitment drive is in response to increasing demand for its flood risk reports, data and services.

The flood risk, drainage, groundwater and contaminated land specialist is looking to recruit a technical flood risk director, hydrologists and environmental consultants.

It follows the recent appointment of a new sales team to support the business further.

The appointments follow the record growth of the company to £1.85 million – up from £1.5 million in 2021-22 – with its flood risk consultants recording a 58 per cent rise in demand from clients over the past 12 months.

The consultancy met its overall 30 per cent growth target in the past year and saw its sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) work increase by 25 per cent, while contaminated land work rose by 19 per cent.

As a result, it has taken on more office space in Shrewsbury’s Old Bank Buildings, Bellstone, where it has been based for the past six years, and has also opened a satellite Manchester office.

With local authorities insisting on more detailed information from developers when they submit planning applications for residential homes and the launch of a new flooding model – FloodSmart Analytics – which takes into account groundwater flooding, the firm is going from strength to strength.

Dr Paul Ellis, managing director of GeoSmart Information, said: “The team has grown over the last year which is great news for the local economy and for business.

"There is a real need for research, modelling and reporting of flooding in the UK as Britain sees a tidal wave of storms such as Babet, Ciaran and most recently Henk leaving hundreds of homes flooded and an insurance bill of millions of pounds.

“We are currently looking at ways that we can support the insurance, business and housing markets to understand where legislation and community needs are growing and modelling the business to support this growth.

“As our success continues and our revenue increases, we’ll also continue to invest in the business and to innovate, bringing new tools and ideas to market.

"We have made a significant investment to develop our new FloodSmart Analytics data and tool capable of mapping the cost of flood risk for all UK properties.”