Planning Officer/Senior Planning Officer

We are looking for an experienced planning officer, with a post-graduate/master planning degree accredited by the RTPI, to join our team of dedicated, hardworking staff in the Planning Applications team, someone who is hungry for a challenge, and willing to be pragmatic and proactive within an exciting local government environment. You will play a key part in delivering a high-quality planning service to provide growth and development in accordance with our adopted Local Plan.

You will have to demonstrate experience of handling a caseload of major and non-major planning applications with minimal supervision, displaying high quality decision-making through weighing competing considerations when applying planning policies and national guidance. We expect you to have an up-to-date knowledge of the constantly evolving planning system, as well as having excellent negotiation and customer service skills in working with ward councillors, consultees, applicants and the public.

If you are a chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, this will result in a starting salary of £46,740.

What we can offer you:

• Supportive, friendly staff.
• Flexible working including hybrid working.
• Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Work based at the District Council offices, close to the beach,
• Turner Contemporary Gallery and Margate Old Town.
• Unrivalled responsibility for handling major applications.
• Fantastic opportunities for personal development through involvement in high-profile developments across the district.

This is an exciting career opportunity for those interested in shaping the built environment for existing and future communities in the district.

Main Duties:

• To manage and assess planning applications and pre-application submissions in accordance with planning law, national and local policy and guidance.
• Processing planning applications to completion.
• Providing professional planning advice to applicants, ward councillors and internal stakeholders.
• Communication and engagement with members of the public, non-statutory consultees, parish councils and objectors.
• Negotiation and communication with developers and statutory consultees on complex planning matters.
• Weighing up all material planning considerations and making decisions based on professional applied and theoretical knowledge and experience, with the production of reports and decision notices.
• Representing the Council at Planning Appeals and present items to Planning Committee.

Essential Requirements:

• An understanding of planning law, policy and guidance.
• Planning related degree and Post graduate/Masters Planning
• Degree accredited by RTPI.
• Strong communication skills at all levels; the ability to explain planning principles to those without planning knowledge and represent the planning authority in meetings with stakeholders.
• Interpersonal, negotiation and diplomatic skills when engaging with individuals, developers, statutory and non-statutory consultees, and internal and external parties.
• Creativity to resolve problems and potential conflict between developers and objectors and thus achieve positive outcomes for all parties.
• Ability to understand and appreciate material planning considerations, applying professional judgement in weighing these competing considerations, with the ability to objectively assess and conclude in a clear and precise manner.
• Ability to manage own workload and commitment to meeting deadlines.

This post requires you to have a full driving licence and own transport with business insurance or requires travelling to sites in a timely manner equivalent to motor travel in your own car.

Due to the nature of the role, this is a politically restricted post.

For an informal discussion about this post, please contact Iain Livingstone, Planning Applications Manager on iain.livingstone@thanet.gov.uk.