Associate Planner / Associate Director – Research and Analysis Bedford or Sheffield

DLP is one of the UK’s leading employee-owned planning-led practices, providing tailored multidisciplinary advice to our clients across the development sector. Joining DLP brings with it the opportunity to gain valuable experience working alongside skilled professionals who will provide you with essential guidance and support to grow your career as a professional planner. You will also have the ability to work for a wide variety of clients and projects across both the private and public sectors and alongside colleagues in the wider DLP Group’s core business sectors which include:

• Town Planning
• Transport & Infrastructure
• Sustainability
• Engineering

The range of benefits that we offer to our employees includes flexible working, private healthcare with BUPA, life insurance, company salary sacrifice pension, cycle to work scheme, contributions towards professional subscriptions and enhanced maternity scheme.

Due to continued growth in workload, DLP Planning Ltd are seeking to recruit an Associate Planner or Associate Director to the Company’s Research & Analysis (R&A) team. The position will be based at either of DLP’s Sheffield or Bedford Offices, but the flexibility of virtual working will allow the candidate to work nationally, providing advice and guidance to all DLP offices and clients across the country.

The Research & Analysis Team’s work is based on providing support for planning applications and appeals, the promotion of land for development and preparation of planning policy as part of work across the private and public sectors. We undertake a broad range of work including demographic analysis, assessments of housing and employment need and supply, and socio-economic analysis. We make recognised contributions to key strategic debates within the planning sector. These include encouraging cooperation beyond local authority boundaries, managing the release of land from the Green Belt for development and seeking to increase housing delivery and meet specialist housing needs, such as affordable housing or housing for older people. If these topics reflect your interests and experience this role may be suitable for you.

As a specialist team within DLP Planning we provide public and private sector clients with support and assistance in the following areas:

• Housing needs and land availability assessments, including the preparation and critique of household and population projections
• 5-year housing land supply assessments, including expert witness planning appeal support
• Specialist housing need assessments and surveys: older persons’ housing and care beds, local affordable housing, student housing, houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)
• Employment needs and land availability assessments
• Economic impact and benefits assessments
• Health impact assessments
• Strategic site searches and site promotion
• Sustainability appraisals
• Retail needs and impact assessments
• Local Plan and Neighbourhood Plan preparation and support

Our recent work has concentrated on the production of five year housing land supply evidence, establishing housing need, interrogating the need and supply for employment land and illustrating the economic impact of development proposals. We regularly contribute to, attend and influence Local Plan Examinations and Planning Appeals in relation to these matters, as well as undertaking bespoke research commissions.

We support our staff with a very active training and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme which is intended to educate, inform and invite feedback. Our CPD programme involves presentations from both external speakers and internal staff members, with all staff encouraged to present on a relevant topic to develop their presentation skills. Every staff member is formally reviewed at least annually. During this process, achievements and future targets are reflected upon and discussed – always with the aim of learning and moving forward.

As an Employee Ownership Trust, our staff, their wellbeing and their personal and professional development is of paramount importance to us. We are committed to promoting diversity, inclusion and wellbeing throughout DLP and as an organisation we seek to:

• Actively contribute towards enhancing social value, including through our impacts on the environment, communities, local economies and innovation.
• Promote mental, physical and social wellbeing in the workplace.
• Actively promote, celebrate and enhance diversity across the organisation.
• Cultivate and promote an inclusive culture that maximises the talent, skills and diversity within our workforce.

You will recognise strategic planning as a fundamental component of the planning system and understand its importance to securing the success of projects from inception through to decision-taking and appeal. You will show a keen interest in recent and proposed changes to the planning system and their future relevance to policy preparation and longer-term planning strategies for sites. You will understand that analysis of the socio-economic and demographic effects of development will be key to communicating the benefits of development and ensuring these changes support sustainable development in practice.

This post would suit a planner or economist with at least 5 years’ experience in town planning or socio-economic research. Full Chartered Membership of the RTPI is highly desirable. Appropriate candidates for the post could have either previous public or private sector experience within planning, or a combination of both. It is essential that candidates recognise the importance of robust evidence to support the planning system. At least three years’ experience directly related to providing substantial and sustained input to the preparation of material such as need and supply assessments (including five year supply), Green Belt Review, site searching and site assessment or drafting and consulting upon emerging policy would be highly desirable. Experience of contributions to Planning Appeals and/or the Examination of Local Plans is also highly desirable.

The ideal candidate will have a realistic understanding of the timeframes for both policy preparation and planning strategies for sites (for example the period from promotion through to securing permission). You will work well under pressure including regularly meeting statutory deadlines within projects. This will allow you to directly contribute to or, depending on experience, introduce, and deliver the requirements of our many projects that require Research & Analysis services. You will relish the challenge of applying your skills and knowledge across a range of projects, geographies and policy contexts alongside responding to changes to the planning system.

The successful candidate will be client focussed with an ability to define and deliver planning and development projects to time and to cost. The candidate will be highly numerate and be able to write and present reports/evidence in a clear, concise and logical manner. The candidate will be IT literate with good skills in word processing, spreadsheets, database management, and desk-based research. The successful candidate should be able to work flexibly on a wide range of projects.

You will be required to act regularly on behalf of developers, promoters, local planning authorities, town and parish councils, and other organisations, and so should be confident in representing DLP in external settings and in presenting findings to clients and appointed Counsel. The candidate will be given further opportunity to develop the skills of presenting in more formal settings such as examinations and appeals. The ability to work independently as well as taking clear instructions will be an important attribute for this role. The successful candidate should be able to manage competing demands on their time and to prioritise tasks accordingly.

The post holder will work closely with other members of the Research & Analysis team on a range of strategic specialist projects, as well as overseeing and mentoring junior colleagues. A significant proportion of our work is repeat work across an established client-base. Within this role you will be expected to contribute to business continuity and business development through highest standards of delivery to support the retention and growth of existing workstreams as well as the marketing the inputs of the Research & Analysis team to new potential clients and projects.

A full driving licence is desirable. We offer hybrid, flexible working with core hours of 9.30am to 3.30pm (subject to project demands) and therefore need a commitment from our staff to work collaboratively in a face-to-face environment on ‘core’ office days. Should you choose to work from home on ‘non-core’ days, you will work independently but you will still have the support of colleagues who will be available via telephone and videocall.

If you are interested in an Associate Planner or Associate Director position within the Research and Analysis team at DLP then please send us your current CV to careers@dlpconsultants.co.uk and our HR team will be in touch.