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Planning Officer

Employer
South Oxfordshire District Council & Vale of White Horse District Council
Location
Didcot, Oxfordshire
Salary
£31,471 to £37,185 per annum
Closing date
25 Apr 2021

Job Details

Are you a dynamic and enthusiastic town planner with experience in local plan-making? We are looking for an ambitious planning policy officer excited about working on good place-making, zero carbon and nature recovery in an area of the country experiencing fast planned housing and jobs growth. If you are committed to high quality customer service, innovative public engagement, and are ready for an exciting new challenge, this could be the role for you.

The team works across two Councils and is responsible for delivering a new joint Local Plan between South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse, as well playing an active role in the Oxfordshire Plan 2050 (one of only a few joint strategic plans in the country) and projects like CIL updates and SPDs. You can expect to assist with topics or sections in the plan and evidence base, and work with our neighbouring authorities on cross-boundary issues and initiatives in the OxCam Arc. It’s an opportunity to help shape tomorrow and be part of a growing team.

Planning Officer Responsibilities:

• Assist in the production of documents making up the local development framework.
• Assist in the carrying out of research into a variety of topics as part of the work on the preparation of the LDF and other policy documents.
• Assist in the writing of briefs for consultants and in managing their contracts for specialist work and projects
• Assist in the preparation of draft sections of the LDF and supplementary planning documents and papers and reports on the LDF and other planning policy issues, including consultation documents for officers and Members. Attend meetings (including evening meetings when requested).
• Assist in the preparation and conduct of consultations on the LDF and other planning policy documents including attendance at exhibitions and meetings.
• Assist in the preparation and presentation of evidence supporting the Council’s case at Examinations, Hearings and Public Inquiries.
• Provide professional advice (in written form, by email, over the phone and in person) and training on planning policy and development matters to the public, Members and other professionals.
• Provide professional advice and input into other Council policy documents and initiatives and to the Development Management Team on minor planning and other applications, where planning policy issues are involved.
• Assist in other aspects of the team’s work including input into county and other larger than local planning arrangements, management of the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, nature conservation and transportation matters.
• Assist in monitoring planning policies.
• Present at Cabinet Member Briefing and Round Table Session

Planning Officer Requirements:

• Some experience of working in planning
• Good interpersonal skills with customers and stakeholders, demonstrating an understanding of individual needs
• Able to provide readily understood professional advice to customers and stakeholders, using tailored language specific to their level of understanding needs
• Able to communicate ideas and expectations clearly and succinctly, using plain language
• Good negotiating skills, actively listening to others’ viewpoints
• Good, accurate written communication skills
• Experience of working within a customer focused environment dealing with the public
• Ability to research concepts / projects, use own initiative and carry out activities with minimal supervision
• Able to demonstrate the ability to successfully deliver complex and challenging programmes of work
• A basic knowledge of planning policy and planning legislation
• Experience in preparing purchase orders
• A degree or post graduate degree in Town Planning, a related discipline or equivalent level of experience
• Some experience of working in planning
• Working towards RTPI Student/ licentiate member expected

About the councils:

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils are forward-thinking local authorities, based in one of the most attractive areas of the country. They are looking for a competent and enthusiastic person who can communicate well at all levels. An excellent benefits package is on offer including annualised hours (flexible working) and a career average pension scheme.

Salary: £31,471 to £37,185 per annum
Duration of role: Fixed Term, 12 months

Hours per week: 37 hours
Location: Milton Park, Didcot

Closing Date: 25th April 2021

The benefits we offer:

• 24 days annual leave per annum rising to 29 days after 5 years, plus bank holidays and time off between Christmas and New Year
• Salary pay awards – we review salaries each April
• A generous career average pension scheme which includes life insurance of three times your salary
• No car park costs as there’s ample free parking available
• A childcare voucher scheme
• The opportunity to purchase a bike through the tax efficient Cyclescheme
• A salary sacrifice car lease scheme – a fully inclusive driving package for a fixed monthly cost
• Various schemes to keep you healthy (reduced gym membership, free swims, contributory medical schemes, wellbeing appointments, free eye tests for DSE users, after work sports clubs and more)
• We give you two days per year to volunteer within the local community.

Under Government guidelines, many of our employees are being asked to undertake their roles from home. This will be discussed in more detail during this roles interview process where required.

You may have experience of the following: Town Planner, Local Authority, RTPI, Project Management, Planning Officer, Planner, Policy, Legislation, Royal Town Planning Institute etc.

Ref: 97974

Company

As a district council we collect council tax on behalf of other organisations, such as the county council and the police, and we use around ten per cent of what we collect to help pay for services we provide such as:

To find out more about South Oxfordshire and where you live, you can click on the information about your area section of our home page or for more detail about the district you can head to our where I live page

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