Band 1 Planning Inspector

Job summary

Shape the future of planning while enjoying flexibility and variety in your work.

As a Band 1 Planning Inspector, you’ll play a crucial role at the heart of England’s planning system, making fair, evidence‑based decisions that influence how towns, cities and landscapes evolve. The role calls for professional expertise, independent judgement and a commitment to public service, blending autonomy with support and structure with flexibility.

This is a position for someone who thrives on analytical challenge, values independence and enjoys work that extends beyond the desk. You’ll review complex evidence, visit sites across England, engage with a wide range of people and write clear, authoritative decisions that shape real outcomes for communities.

Inspectors work primarily from home, with the flexibility to organise their time around site visits, hearings and deadlines. This allows you to balance professional responsibilities with personal commitments, structuring your day in a way that works for you while still delivering high‑quality decisions.

If you are motivated, self‑reliant and ready to make a meaningful impact on planning and development across England, this role offers the opportunity to do work that matters — supported by high‑quality training, expert colleagues and a respected, independent organisation.

Job description

What you’ll be doing

• Lead planning appeals, primarily through written representations, ensuring each case is assessed impartially, thoroughly and in line with required standards and timescales.

• Conduct site visits across England, putting written evidence into context and engaging with appellants, local authorities and interested parties where appropriate.

• Hold public hearings (following training), guiding discussions with confidence, fairness and clarity.

• Write clear, authoritative decisions, drawing on complex evidence, policy and legislation to reach balanced, well‑reasoned outcomes.

• Demonstrate professional integrity, acting in line with the Inspectorate’s core values of openness, fairness, impartiality and customer focus.

• Contribute to wider organisational work, supporting continuous improvement, operational delivery and the development of best practice.

• Maintain and develop professional expertise, keeping up to date with policy and legislative changes and engaging in high‑quality training and learning.

• Collaborate with colleagues, seeking advice when needed and contributing to a culture of shared learning and professional excellence.
  
  

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. Internal rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

This role is being advertised at Band 1.

Working hours:

Standard working week is 37 hours, flexible working hours policy available

Part time at 17.5 hours or above, flexible working hours policy available

The Planning Inspectorate has a long and proud history in ensuring a fair planning system for England. The work we do has a significant impact on people’s lives, the communities where they live and the economy.

We want our colleagues to be able to work more flexibly and more collaboratively, exploring new and innovative ways to improve the way we provide services.

For further information on the Planning Inspectorate, please visit our careers page at Civil Service Careers

Person specification

We will assess your application against the Essential Criteria and Success Profile elements listed:

Essential Criteria

• Full / Chartered Membership of a professional body* relevant to land‑use planning, built environment or natural environment work undertaken by Planning Inspectors.
  

• Ability to analyse and recall large volumes of information, evidence and argument; to interpret and apply policies; and to identify quickly the main issues requiring consideration.
  

• Ability to write clearly, accurately and concisely, producing logical, convincing, well-reasoned and evidence-based conclusions.
  

• Self-motivation and self-reliance, with the ability to plan, manage and deliver work with minimal oversight.
  

• Effective time management skills, enabling the production of high-quality decisions within expected timescales.
  

• Strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interact sensitively and empathetically with a diverse range of people.
  

• Ability to conduct fair and inclusive public events, demonstrating authority while engaging constructively with individuals holding conflicting views about development proposals.
  

• Willingness and ability to travel extensively and frequently across England (particularly to and within London and the south east), including some nights spent away from home.

For guidance on how to structure your application please visit: About the application process , Civil Service Careers

Memberships

You must hold Full or Chartered membership of a recognised professional body at the point of application. Please note that Associate, Affiliate, or similar entry‑level memberships are not sufficient.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Leadership

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• 250-word statement against the lead sift criterion

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £48,775, Planning Inspectorate contributes £14,130 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Flexible working options, part-time, compressed hours and home working.

• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity.

• In addition to the normal bank holidays, 25 days annual leave increasing by 1 day per year up to 30 days after 5 years, plus 1 privilege day to mark the King’s birthday.

• Generous family friendly policies.

• Fast and modern IT kit which utilises Windows 11 and Microsoft 365, enabling seamless working from home and collaboration across teams.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Ability, Experience and Technical skills.

Application

For guidance on how to structure your application please seeAbout the application process , Civil Service Careers

Complete the online application form on Civil Service Jobs which requires the following information:

• Civil Service Verbal Reasoning Test: As part of the application process, you will be required to complete a verbal reasoning test. This assessment is designed to evaluate your ability to understand and interpret written information accurately and make logical conclusions. It forms an important part of the selection process and helps us ensure fairness and consistency for all applicants.
  

• A CV (employment history): This section is an opportunity for you to detail your career history. It should outline the jobs you have done, setting out the length of time you were employed, and a brief description of the duties and responsibilities of each role (to demonstrate the experience you have relevant to your professional membership).
  
  You must type, or ‘copy and paste’, into the text box called ‘Employment History’ within the online application. You cannot attach a copy of your CV.
  
  

• A Personal Statement (500 words max): The personal statement allows you to outline your suitability for the role in more depth, expanding on your CV evidence. It is an opportunity for you to provide evidence against the essential criteria that we have specified we will be assessing.
  

• 250-word statement against each lead sift criterion (see below).
  
  Ability to analyse and to recall large amounts of information, evidence and argument; to interpret and to apply policies; and to draw out quickly the main issues requiring your consideration
  
  

All shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome shortly afterwards.

Interview

If you are shortlisted, you will:

• Be asked to attend an interview to have a more in-depth discussion about your experience and suitability for the role
• Interviews will be a blend of behaviours and experience questions
• Need to complete a written test in exam conditions
  
  

Candidates who pass the shortlist stage will receive full assessment details with their interview invitations.

Other Information

Q&A Session: 6 March 2026

Shortlist Date: 27 March 2026

Interview Date: 13 April – 22 April 2026

Interviews will be held at The Planning Inspectorate, Bristol, further details will be sent with the invite to interview.

The Planning Inspectorate does not fund travel and subsistence for candidates to attend interviews.

Reserve list

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Future Matches

Candidates who demonstrate strong potential and future readiness but score just below the required level at interview may be considered for alternative positions. These roles may be at a lower grade but align with their skills and offer opportunities for growth.

Merit list order

We appoint in merit list order, starting with any permanent appointments followed by any fixed term appointments.

We encourage all candidates to make themselves familiar with the role and what we will be assessing you against which is detailed in the Person Specification.

ID and Documents

If the job needs specific qualifications or memberships and you get the job, you'll need to send scanned or photographed images of them before you start.

We must check that any successful candidates are allowed to work for the Civil Service before we employ them. If successful, you will be asked to do a right to work check using identity document validation technology (IDVT) through the services of an Identity Service Provider (IDSP), Civil Service Jobs. If we are unable to confirm your right to work and through the IDVT we will need to do a manual right to work check using original documents with you in person.

Visa Sponsorship

The Planning Inspectorate cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates, we do not hold a Visa sponsorship licence.

Disability Confident Interview scheme/Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service values diversity and offers equal opportunities. We have a Disability Confident Interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the job's minimum criteria. We will also provide reasonable adjustments to all where possible. For more information please see Reasonable Adjustments , Civil Service Careers.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Hannah Bishop
• Email : PINS.Recruitment@planninginspectorate.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : PINS.Recruitment@planninginspectorate.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact in the first instance: The Vacancy Manager via the Recruitment Team (PINS.Recruitment@planninginspectorate.gov.uk).

If you are not satisfied with the response, you receive you should then contact, Chief People Officer, via the Recruitment Team (PINS.Recruitment@planninginspectorate.gov.uk).

If you are still not satisfied with the response you receive from the Planning Inspectorate, you can contact the Office of the Civil Service Commission. https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitme…

Attachments

EVP(Great_Place_To_Work) Opens in new window (pdf, 534kB)Candidate Pack_Band 1 Planning Inspector Opens in new window (pdf, 663kB)