Senior Planning Officer & Planning Officer

Senior Planning Officer: HC08 £33,945 - £38,403 ( 1 position available )

Planning Officer: HC05 - HC07 £23,893 - £33,945 ( 2 positions available ) depending on qualifications and experience

About the role

Our Development Management team are looking to recruit ambitious town planners/graduates into Senior Planning Officer and Planning Officer roles working alongside a team of friendly, experienced and supportive officers in one of our two area teams.

As a motivated and well organised planner you would manage your own caseload of some of the more complex and significant applications (Senior Planning Officer) or otherwise a wide range of householder and other smaller scale applications (Planning Officer). You will also handle  pre-planning submissions, appeals and the Senior Planning Officer will assist with guiding and mentoring Planning Officers within the teams. There are also ongoing opportunities to broaden your knowledge and experience in order to facilitate career progression. Candidates for the Senior Planning Officer role should have recent and relevant experience in Development Management with experience with appeals and presentations, as attendance at Planning Committee will also be required. For the career graded Planning Officer roles, we would like to hear from graduates (or those leaving University/college this year) with a Planning or related degree. However these roles would also be suitable for the right person who has a positive attitude and shows potential and who can learn quickly on the job.

Herefordshire is rich in biodiversity, landscape and heritage value including two National Landscapes, Conservation Areas and many listed building buildings. Not only is the area diverse, the applications are too. With a wide range of rural and urban applications including residential development, tourism based uses, retail, commercial and agriculture. As a Unitary Authority we benefit from working closely with our colleagues in the Built and Natural Environment team who are on hand to provide support for the launch of BNG and assist with the Councils progressive approach to Nutrient Neutrality and mitigation. We also have the benefit of working closely with other internal consultees and technical experts such as Highways and Environmental Health. The successful applicants would be joining us at an important time during consultation on our new Local Plan and will be well placed to help shape the future of the County.

Our offer to you

We offer a fully flexible working environment and encourage a mix of home and office based working from our modern Council offices in Plough Lane. There is a good office presence helping to maintain strong and positive working relationships within Planning Services and with our consultees. The team regularly conduct Peer Review and Lunch & Learn Sessions to share experience and support professional growth. We also have offices available in the market towns for added convenience. The positions are full time roles (37 hours per week) and a full driver’s license is essential

Ideally the candidate will be a member of the RTPI or eligible for membership but the Council is willing to support and assist the successful candidate in working towards this goal. The offer includes the payment of RTPI membership fees. There are also a range of other benefits including 31 days annual leave (plus Bank Holidays),  generous Local Government pension, volunteering opportunities, staff benefit scheme and employee assistance programme.

If you are interest in working for Herefordshire Council please contact Andrew Banks (01432 383085) or Simon Withers (01432 260612) for an informal chat about the roles available.

Benefits of working for Herefordshire Council:

• A competitive salary, generous holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:
• Pension Scheme Enrolment in the Local Government (LGPS)
• Generous Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum
• Flexible working: flexi-time, job-share, part-time hours and, in some instances, home working
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
• Payment of professional membership fees
• Pick your perks – our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.

We welcome applicants whatever their personal characteristics or social identity. All requests for flexible working arrangements and reasonable adjustments will be considered.

The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:

•Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme;

•Those who indicate in their supporting statement that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant;

•Those who indicate in their supporting statement that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.   

Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification for more details of this role.

To apply, please submit your CV and complete the supporting statement within the application form, referring to the job description & person specification, detailing how you meet the specific requirements of the role.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you would like to obtain details regarding feedback on your application please contact Hoople Resourcing at: enquiries@hoopleresourcing.co.uk