Senior Planning Officer - Castle Point Borough Council
Castle Point Borough Council
Temporary, Full Time
£45.00 ph (umbrella)
Location: Castle Point
Closing Date: 30th April 2025
Why Castle Point? Castle Point Borough Council is a statutory body responsible for employing nearly 350 staff, and delivering over 150 council services, both statutory and for the community's well-being and benefit. Castle Point Borough Council aims to provide high-quality and financially sustainable services while prioritising outstanding customer service, transparency in decision-making, and promoting local democracy. Additionally, the council seeks to transform, modernize, and improve its performance, as well as support and enable the communities within its jurisdiction to be strong, healthy, and thriving.
Our values: Trust, Respect, Improving and Learning, and Customer Focus
The Opportunity
This is a temporary opportunity for an experienced Senior Planner to join the team on a 3–6-month basis. This role involves assessing a range of complex planning applications and ensuring the continued delivery of high-quality developments that meet the needs of the borough. The Senior Planning Officer liaises with various stakeholders across the industry and Local Government to ensure seamless service delivery and promote the high-quality Development Management service that Castle Point has to offer. To be successful in this role you must have previous experience of major planning applications.
Please note this role requires 1-2 days on site working per week.
Accountabilities
- To consider and determine a range of applications as well as to provide pre-application advice.
- Alongside the Planning Manager and Principal Planner, working with developers to negotiate S106 agreements and to actively achieve the appropriate contribution for the Borough, maximise development benefits and achieve agreed timescales.
- To assess and process planning applications and other statutory forms of planning application and consultation, including but not limited to checking the validity of applications, undertaking site inspections, commissioning appropriate consultations, analysing and preparing reports, assessing development viability and BNG, seeking contributions, negotiating S106 agreements and presenting cases at Development Management Committee meetings.
- To ensure that the best quality of development is secured that meets the objectives of planning policy, the needs of the borough, delivers infrastructure and makes a positive contribution to local communities.
- To assist in representing the Council on appeals.
- To provide advice to other officers, councillors and members of the public as appropriate.
- To assist and mentor junior team members in coordination with the Planning Manager and Principal Planning Officer.
- Assist in providing Development Management input into the preparation of the Castle Point Plan and supplementary planning guidance, and on the preparation of new Residential Design Guidance, site planning briefs and master plans.
The Experience You Will Bring
- A planning degree or post graduate qualification as recognised by the Royal Town Planning Institute, or relevant experience
- Significant knowledge of best practice in relation to all aspects of Development Management
- Extension knowledge of planning legislation and other legislation as it is relevant to Development Management.
- Ability work largely under own initiative and manage a varied caseload including major planning applications
- Ability to deal with unexpected problems and take decisive actions/decisions to resolve them
Castle Point Borough Council is proud to be a disability confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.
Castle Point Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email louise.butler@essex.gov.uk