Development Plan Lead in Bournemouth

Starting salary for this role is £53,460 (pro rata for part-time colleagues). The position is within a well-defined pay band offering clear progression.

Role Overview – The Development Plan Lead will lead and coordinate the development and delivery of the Local Plan for BCP Council. The role involves preparing statutory Local Plan documents, overseeing policy development, engaging stakeholders, managing consultations and liaising with external agencies.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the preparation of the statutory Local Plan and related planning policy documents, ensuring a cohesive plan that meets statutory requirements.
• Allocate activities, monitor workload, review the quality of work, and manage progress against deadlines.
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders, including the Planning Inspectorate, and incorporate stakeholder input.
• Identify issues, conduct research on the latest national legislation and policies, and integrate findings into policy development.
• Design and formulate consultation exercises to promote public engagement and gather community input.
• Negotiate with external agencies and developers to secure required infrastructure in a timely manner.
• Act as the senior expert witness, representing the Council in public examinations and planning inquiries.
• Utilise new technology solutions for plan-making and related policy work.

Qualifications and Experience

• Specialist qualifications in Town Planning and chartered membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
• Extensive experience managing Local Plan production and preparing planning policies.
• Extensive experience acting as an expert witness and senior planning expert at public examinations, planning inquiries, and committees.
• Ability to plan and manage a highly complex statutory and technical planning policy workload, adapting to changing circumstances and technology.
• Strong influencing, persuasion and recommendation skills based on technical or specialist knowledge, providing authoritative professional planning advice and guidance.
• Personal qualities, knowledge, skills, experience and attributes as set out in the general job role profile and Development Plan Lead specific addendum.

Additional Information

• Two live roles available in Planning; indicate interest in both positions on the application form.
• Early applications are encouraged; the advert may be closed early if a sufficient number of high-quality applicants are received.
• This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship; candidates must have the right to work in the UK.
• Note – relocation expenses are not offered for this role.

Benefits – BCP Council offers an attractive enhanced benefits package and a new Pay and Reward package. For more details, see the Employee benefits section of the careers site.

Equal Opportunities – BCP Council is an inclusive employer committed to providing a fully inclusive recruitment process, supporting every candidate with reasonable adjustments and accommodations throughout the application process.

Contact – For queries about this role, please contact Caroline Peach, Head of Strategic Planning.