Masterplanning Officer (Bold) in St Helens

We Are St Helens Borough Council. Located at the heart of England’s North West and with a varied mix of cultural and leisure facilities and unique industrial heritage, St Helens offers great opportunities as a place to live and work. St Helens Borough Council plays a key role in the Liverpool City Region and wider area and has an acknowledged reputation for providing excellent planning services. We are dealing with an exciting range of planning challenges, balancing needs for major new development linked to the Council’s growth agenda, against the protection of the Borough’s greenspaces and other environmental assets.

The adopted Local Plan includes site allocations for development, and in particular the Bold Forest Garden Village allocation for approximately 3,000 dwellings and associated supporting infrastructure, which is the largest residential allocation in the Borough, and significant in terms of the Liverpool City Region. The Bold Forest Garden Village Masterplan for the site was adopted in January 2026 to assist in the delivery of a high quality, well designed and sustainable development.

Making a Difference: Whatever stage of your career, working in the public sector puts you at the heart of communities. Our workforce provides services to our residents day in and day out, making a positive impact on people’s lives. We could not do this without the dedication, professionalism and strength of our workforce.

Roles That Matter: The role will have a focus on project management of the BFGV and assisting on other key strategic development sites within the Borough, including collaborative working with colleagues and key stakeholders, and liaising with members of the public, as well as managing technical consultants in the detailed delivery on development following the adoption of the masterplan and emerging planning applications.

You will have knowledge of relevant current planning legislation, guidance and procedures, and an understanding of, interest in, and genuine enthusiasm for, the successful delivery of strategic sites is essential. Excellent communication skills with varied audiences are required. You will be able to work independently to tight deadlines and be an effective team player, as well as possess skills of negotiation, persuasion, analysis, and decision making. Experience of working in a town planning team, or related environment, will be beneficial.

The role is a Fixed Contract until September 2027. Employees can regularly work away from Council workspaces (including home or other locations), alongside required office-based working. The balance between remote and office-based working is determined at service level based on operational need, however, there has been a minimum specification that staff will work at least 2 days from an office-based location.

We reserve the right to close the advert early, with sufficient applications. Apply early to avoid disappointment.

Equality & Diversity: We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds, who share our values, our commitment to inclusion, and who will help us on our journey to transform our organisation. The Council guarantees an interview to disabled applicants who demonstrate that they meet the essential criteria for the job, as detailed on the Person Specification, and will, for qualifying disabled candidates, make reasonable adjustments within selection. All Council employees are required to abide by the ethical standards embodied by the 7 Nolan Principles.

Be Scam Aware: St Helens Council will never ask applicants to share payment information or charge recruitment fees when applying for vacancies. If in doubt, contact recruitment@sthelens.gov.uk.