Principal Planning Officer

Vacancy Summary

Employer: Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
Salary: £38,760 per annum
Location: Town Hall
Contract: Permanent
Working Pattern: Full Time
Hours: 37 hours per week.
DBS Check: No
Closing Date: 25/11/2019 at 12:00 PM
Reference: PP/19/106222

Vacancy Description

Planning Services at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council operates on a positive and “open for business” approach, with good working relationships with elected Members. A key part of this approach is the coordination and joint working between the Planning Policy and Development Management departments: whether that is Development Management officers assisting with Local Plan planning policy formation, or Policy officers playing important roles in pre-application discussions.

As a result of the retirement of several long-serving senior officers and internal promotions, we are looking to recruit two Principal Planning Officers, and are interested in hearing from positive, energetic and conscientious candidates from either a Planning Policy or Development Management background. There is a need for experienced officers in both departments, and the relevant teams will be organised to maximise the skill sets of the successful candidates and existing staff, and to meet the operational requirements of the service.

This flexible approach reflects the overall culture of the TWBC Planning Services, which is one of supporting staff as they develop, providing opportunities to broaden and deepen their experience and skills, and to progress their careers within the Service.

These are very exciting times for both departments:

• in Development Management there are current and future applications/pre-applications requests for significant major development to be lead by Principal Planning Officers, and
• in Planning Policy very recent Regulation 18 consultation has been undertaken on a full Draft Local Plan, and progress is now being made on preparing the Pre-Submission version, with key areas of work to be driven forward by Principal Planning Officers.

Furthermore, a new, small team is being set up to lead on the strategic sites and infrastructure requirements proposed in the Draft Local Plan, and there will be a need for all Principal Planning Officers to work closely with this team. The Principal Planning Officers at TWBC (whether in Development Management or Planning Policy) play a fundamental role in securing high quality development.

As above, providing the support and opportunities for development is a key aspect of TWBC Planning Services, and there is an aspiration to appoint Deputy Development Managers and a Planning Policy Manager in the next few years from the Principal Planning Officer cohort. As such, these posts are ideal for experienced planners in either the public or private sectors who are looking to make the next steps in their career.

For more information about the role and person specification please see the documents below. For an informal discussion, please contact Peter Hockney (Development Manager) on 01892 554406 or Steve Baughen (Head of Planning) on 01892 554482.

Interviews: 3rd December 2019

How to apply

We only accept online applications. If you require access to a computer and/or the internet, you can use our facilities free of charge at the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Gateway Please follow the link below to submit your application.