Planning Officer

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Job details

Job reference: REQ0131
Date posted: 27/01/2025
Apply by: 23/02/2025
Location: Ebley Mill – Stroud
Salary: £37,938 per annum
Package:

• Excellent pension scheme
• Flexi Working Scheme
• Hybrid working approach
• Employee Wellbeing Offer

For more information please see the benefits section on our website.
Contractual hours: 37
Basis: Permanent
Job category/type: Planning Strategy

Stroud District Council covers an area of 175 square miles and has an exceptionally diverse physical, historic and natural environment. Over 50% of the district is designated a National Landscape. It contains over 3000 listed building entries, 41 conservation areas, and internationally and nationally important wildlife sites.

Acting as Local Planning Authority, the council deals with around 2,600 planning applications per year. Our statutory development management function is split into three teams: a major and commercial team, and two area planning teams. This role would be based in one of the area planning teams. The area planning teams determine all non-major planning (and related) applications within their geographical area.

About the role

As Planning Officer, you would manage your own caseload of planning applications, pre-application enquiries, planning appeals, and other related activities. Working in a diverse environment, you will have a varied caseload covering both rural areas and our market towns and villages, making recommendations to ensure development meets the requirements of our Local Plan.

A portion of your working time would be spent on site, meeting customers and undertaking site inspections. On occasion, you may also have to attend planning committee.

You will liaise with colleagues within the service – such as our specialist arboricultural, biodiversity, enforcement, and heritage officers – to ensure we make reliable, high-quality decisions in line with local and national planning policy and guidance. You will provide support to our technical, business support, and customer services teams and help nurture junior staff in their professional development.

About you

You will be a highly motivated planning professional, able to effectively manage your time and caseload to meet both performance and quality targets. You will demonstrate strong customer service skills and put the customer at the heart of what you do. You will have an inquisitive approach and be apt at researching alternatives and finding solutions. Attention to detail is critical. You will be a skilled communicator – both in writing and verbally – able to simply articulate your analysis of issues and make clear and balanced recommendations.

You must have a degree in Town and Country Planning (or a related subject) and be eligible for and working towards membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute.

You will need experience of working in an office environment and Microsoft Office programs. You’ll need to demonstrate up-to-date knowledge of planning legislation and policy guidance.

For an informal discussion, please contact Griff Bunce, Development Team Manager on 01453 766321.

It is important that our staff reflect the diversity of our community, and we therefore welcome and encourage applications from people of all genders and sexual orientation, those from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds, and people with disabilities.

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding the welfare of vulnerable adults, young people and children. Safer recruitment practices are applied to all job vacancies. In line with the Council’s duty to protect children and adults in a vulnerable situation from harm, we are obliged to assess the suitability of individuals for certain posts by undertaking DBS Checks.

Stroud District has an energy unlike any other place. It’s green and dynamic, climate conscious and motivated, creative and collaborative, rural and urban, and unapologetically ambitious. To find out more about what makes our place, our people and our businesses so special, please follow the link to our dedicated website:

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