Countywide (On-Site)
Permanent, Full time
£46,731 opportunity to progress to £51,802 pa
Job Title: Principal Planning Projects Officer
Starting Salary: £46,731 opportunity to progress to £51,802 pa - pay award pending
Hours: 37.0
Location: Stevenage - hybrid working
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Growth & Environment
About the team
This role sits within the Spatial Planning Unit dealing with policy and decision-making matters in a variety of technical fields. The Unit is comprised of experienced town planners and associated support staff to ensure the statutory and discretionary functions are implemented appropriately.
The Unit has Development Management responsibilities for minerals and waste development and the county council's own development (schools, care homes, etc). It is also preparing a new Minerals and Waste Local Plan to replace the adopted Minerals Local Plan and Waste Development Framework. The Unit feeds into strategic planning matters as well as responding on the council's behalf to large scale developments in technical fields such as aviation, HS2 and renewable energy production, either by engaging with major planning applications or Development Consent Orders.
The work of the team involves collaboration with developers, operators, property colleagues, agents, consultants, internal and external technical experts, legal officers and partnering agencies, amongst others.
The Spatial Planning Unit is part of the Growth and Environment Directorate. Together this brings together a wide range of planners and other specialist professionals with involvement in all forms and scales of development across Hertfordshire.
About the role
The role will involve taking the lead on a number of the council's priority projects. The projects will combine traditional policy and DM work and will range from local to strategic in their nature across a number of specialist technical subjects.
There will be opportunities to lead the development and defence of a Local Plan evidence base. The council is looking to publish a Regulation 19 Minerals and Waste Local Plan with a view to submitting it to the Planning Inspectorate later in 2025. This will include opportunities to represent the council at Examination Hearings to support the council in its aim to adopt a new Local Plan.
There will be opportunities to engage with large scale applications, including Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. The council expects applications to be submitted related to nearby airports and airspace, as well as large scale renewable energy schemes. The council will be expected to engage with these proposals to represent Hertfordshire residents and to ensure any impacts from development are acceptable and are mitigated by the benefits of development.
There will be opportunities to engage with Strategic Planning. The recent Planning and Infrastructure Bill sets out that upper tier authorities will be given responsibilities to progress with Spatial Development Strategies in advance of devolution and local government reorganisation. This could incorporate developing a Strategy that takes account of housing requirements, emerging Industrial Strategies, the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, infrastructure requirements and other topics of a strategic nature and scale.
The role will cover the entire county and will impact the lives of a significant portion of the county's population due to the nature of the subject matters that we operate in. It will allow for home working with the need to visit sites, as appropriate, and also meeting colleagues as part of the council's collaborative working practice.
About you
Essential:
This job role is within the Technical Services, level TEC12 job profile. Please locate this via:
Job profiles: Technical services
To hear more about this opportunity please contact paul.donovan@hertfordshire.gov.uk for an informal discussion about the role.
Interview Date: TBC
Benefits of working for us
How to apply
As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.
Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
Driving required
You'll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.
English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.
Starting Salary: £46,731 opportunity to progress to £51,802 pa - pay award pending
Hours: 37.0
Location: Stevenage - hybrid working
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Growth & Environment
About the team
This role sits within the Spatial Planning Unit dealing with policy and decision-making matters in a variety of technical fields. The Unit is comprised of experienced town planners and associated support staff to ensure the statutory and discretionary functions are implemented appropriately.
The Unit has Development Management responsibilities for minerals and waste development and the county council's own development (schools, care homes, etc). It is also preparing a new Minerals and Waste Local Plan to replace the adopted Minerals Local Plan and Waste Development Framework. The Unit feeds into strategic planning matters as well as responding on the council's behalf to large scale developments in technical fields such as aviation, HS2 and renewable energy production, either by engaging with major planning applications or Development Consent Orders.
The work of the team involves collaboration with developers, operators, property colleagues, agents, consultants, internal and external technical experts, legal officers and partnering agencies, amongst others.
The Spatial Planning Unit is part of the Growth and Environment Directorate. Together this brings together a wide range of planners and other specialist professionals with involvement in all forms and scales of development across Hertfordshire.
About the role
The role will involve taking the lead on a number of the council's priority projects. The projects will combine traditional policy and DM work and will range from local to strategic in their nature across a number of specialist technical subjects.
There will be opportunities to lead the development and defence of a Local Plan evidence base. The council is looking to publish a Regulation 19 Minerals and Waste Local Plan with a view to submitting it to the Planning Inspectorate later in 2025. This will include opportunities to represent the council at Examination Hearings to support the council in its aim to adopt a new Local Plan.
There will be opportunities to engage with large scale applications, including Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. The council expects applications to be submitted related to nearby airports and airspace, as well as large scale renewable energy schemes. The council will be expected to engage with these proposals to represent Hertfordshire residents and to ensure any impacts from development are acceptable and are mitigated by the benefits of development.
There will be opportunities to engage with Strategic Planning. The recent Planning and Infrastructure Bill sets out that upper tier authorities will be given responsibilities to progress with Spatial Development Strategies in advance of devolution and local government reorganisation. This could incorporate developing a Strategy that takes account of housing requirements, emerging Industrial Strategies, the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, infrastructure requirements and other topics of a strategic nature and scale.
The role will cover the entire county and will impact the lives of a significant portion of the county's population due to the nature of the subject matters that we operate in. It will allow for home working with the need to visit sites, as appropriate, and also meeting colleagues as part of the council's collaborative working practice.
About you
Essential:
- A Degree or Master's Degree in Town Planning, or membership of RTPI or extensive knowledge and experience in a relevant field,
- Knowledge of Local Plan production and experience developing and defending Local Plan evidence bases.
- Knowledge of planning application decision-making processes and the variety of technical subject matters that are relevant to large scale proposals.
- Ability to work collaboratively with other professionals from organisations such as councils, government agencies and councillors.
- Team working abilities across the department, wider council, and beyond,
- Ability to communicate well, including skills of diplomacy, with Councillors, developers and members of the public.
- Able to present to committees, hearings, public inquires, and other ad hoc groups.
- Knowledge and experience of technical subjects including mineral and waste planning, aviation, or renewable energy production but applicants must be able to demonstrate they are able to apply their knowledge and experience of wider town planning processes and procedures to technical subjects.
This job role is within the Technical Services, level TEC12 job profile. Please locate this via:
Job profiles: Technical services
To hear more about this opportunity please contact paul.donovan@hertfordshire.gov.uk for an informal discussion about the role.
Interview Date: TBC
Benefits of working for us
How to apply
As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.
Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
Driving required
You'll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.
English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.
Closing date: Sun 18/05/2025 at 01:00
Job reference: HCC27765