Principal Planning Officer in Surrey

Principal Planning Officer in Surrey

Surrey Full-Time 40000 - 50000 £ / year (est.) No working from home possible
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Manage diverse planning applications and negotiate on major developments.
  • Company: Surrey Heath Borough Council, committed to equality and community engagement.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, professional development, and a supportive work environment.
  • Other info: Join a dynamic team with opportunities for career growth and influence.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact in urban planning and shape your community's future.
  • Qualifications: Experience in development management and strong negotiation skills required.

The predicted salary is between 40000 - 50000 £ per year.

An opportunity has arisen for an experienced planner. This role will include dealing with a variety of planning applications, comprising a mix of delegated and committee applications. The successful candidate will be expected to deal with applications for major developments, which may require extensive pre-application discussions and hard negotiation on complex issues, and will be expected to represent the Council on appeals.

The successful applicant will:

  • Possess good technical knowledge of development management.
  • Have demonstrable experience working on a wide range of planning applications.
  • Have experience of working on major developments.
  • Have experience of presenting at committee.
  • Be a highly motivated person, possessing ambition and drive.
  • Be able to positively influence outcomes by working effectively with developers and applicants.
  • Be able to handle pressure and competing interests.

Closing date: Midday Friday 24th July 2026

Interview date: W/c 27th July 2026

For an informal discussion, please contact Jon Partington, Development Manager on 01276 707296, jonathan.partington@surreyheath.gov.uk

Equal Opportunities Surrey Heath Borough Council – Working for Equality. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

How to apply: Please apply online via the link provided. Surrey Heath Borough Council is committed to safer recruitment and equality of opportunity in employment and service delivery and welcomes applications from all sectors of the community. If you are unable to apply online for reasons of disability, please call 01276 707126 to discuss any reasonable adjustments that may be made to accommodate your individual requirements.

Please note: All successful applicants will be subject to pre-employment checks in line with BPSS guidelines, which includes standard identification, referencing and unspent conviction checks. Surrey Heath Borough Council undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a disclosure on the basis of conviction or other information revealed.

For the best chance of successful application, please read the Job Description and Personal Specification fully before applying for this vacancy as it contains information you will need to refer to when applying. We do not accept CV’s submitted without a fully completed application form.

To reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. If you choose to submit your CV with your application form we request that you remove all your personal details before uploading your CV. This will ensure that Managers cannot see your personal details when completing their shortlist.

If you have not heard from the council within 4 weeks of the closing date you should assume that your application has been unsuccessful. All unsuccessful applications will be removed and confidentially disposed of 6 months after the closing date.

If you have any further enquiries please email recruitment@surreyheath.gov.uk or telephone 01276 707126. For technical issues, please contact Jobsgopublic directly.

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Contact Details:

Surrey Heath BC- Internal Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Principal Planning Officer in Surrey

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We think you need these skills to ace Principal Planning Officer in Surrey

Technical Knowledge of Development Management
Experience with Planning Applications
Experience with Major Developments
Presentation Skills at Committee
Negotiation Skills
Influencing Outcomes
Ability to Handle Pressure

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