Graduate Development Management Planner Ref: 48-24

Salary: Grade 9, (£24,916 - £30,873 per annum)
Hours: Full time, 37 hours per week
Place of Work: Dereham (remote-enabled)
Basis: Permanent

Would you like a job where what you do:

• Makes a difference to the communities within Breckland.
• Allows you to shape the environment within which you and the residents of Breckland live, work and play.
• Creates opportunities to learn and grow within a close team to develop your experience and expertise.

We are seeking a Graduate Development Management Planner to work as part of a team of development management specialists helping deliver an effective and efficient planning service through the determination of a varied caseload of planning applications ranging from householders to major development proposals.

We regulate the use of land in the public interest. Providing a framework for the delivery of sustainable homes and jobs for Breckland residents in the long term.

You will:

Manage a personal caseload of Planning applications including:

• Assessment of the need for planning permission/permitted development
• Pre-application assessments
• Planning applications, predominantly householder and those considered to be minor in nature to include prior approvals
• Appeals primarily relating to householder developments and other minor applications
• To attend Planning Committee and present applications, as required
• To attend Chairmans Panel and present applications, as required
• To provide support and assistance to colleagues within the Planning Enforcement and Technical Support Teams, as required
• To keep up to date with current legislation and policy changes
• To deal with all aspects of the Development Management processes to include site visits, consultations and negotiations
• To provide timely, well written reports and recommendations to the managers of the development management and enforcement teams
• To provide professional advice on planning matters to clients, the public, Members of the Council, and others, as necessary
• To ensure excellent customer service to all our customers by phone, e-mail and face to face
• Have good communication skills and ability to work with limited supervision on tasks
• Comply with Health and Safety rules for the safety of yourself and others
• Provide support to the Planning Committee Usher (with Planning Committee and Chairman's Panel), as necessary in the preparation of the agenda/presentations, liaising with Elected Members, Planning Agents, Parish Councils and Members of the Public about speaking at Planning Committee and notifying people of the applications that are being presented at Planning Committee. 
• Provide support the Lead Officer with Appeals which will include Registration of Planning/Planning Enforcement Appeals, acting as liaison between the Council and the Planning Inspectorate, arranging hearings/inquiries including the booking of venue(s), informing interested parties and carrying out the administration at hearings/inquiries as required.

The above list is not meant to be an exhaustive range of tasks and responsibilities and is subject to change The precise nature of the work will depend on the post-holder's experience and potential.  The job offers excellent experience for an enthusiastic and ambitious person aspiring to a career in planning.

About you:

The right candidate will have the following characteristics.

Collaborative

• I look for ways to work in partnership and listen supportively to the ideas of others, building on their ideas, while sharing my views and knowledge.
• I recognise the skills, talent and experience of others and reach out to them for their contribution and input

Ambitious

• I always ask myself 'How could we do this better?'
• I take ownership of change and help others to understand, adapt, implement, and embed it.
• I have an open mindset, take risks and explore new ways of doing things.
• I am a proud ambassador, taking pride and responsibility for the work we do and encouraging others to do the same.

Results-driven

• I make sure I am clear on what I need to achieve, keeping a focus on results and solutions.
• I am driven, showing courage and resilience even when things don't go to plan.
• I am flexible ensuring I provide the best possible service, wherever and whenever is best for the customer

Empowering

• I ask for help and support when needed
• I take responsibility if things don't go well, learning from it for my own and for the organisation's development

Supportive

• I treat others as I would want to be treated myself, ensuring that I am welcoming, friendly and approachable.
• I give time to colleagues who need help or support
• I treat everyone with kindness, dignity and respect, valuing their thoughts, background and experience

OK, I'm interested...but is it really the job for me?

As our Graduate Development Management Planner you will have:

• A degree in Town and Country Planning/another relevant Degree or experience working in a Planning environment
• A desire to work towards membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute
• Some knowledge of current legislation relating to planning
• The ability to prioritise and manage a workload, and to work flexibly to meet the needs of the Local Authority
• The ability to deliver good customer service
• To be able to work under pressure to produce timely and high quality work
• The ability to work as a team player and support colleagues
• Hold a current driving licence and access to your own vehicle

We will encourage you to use your own initiative within a supportive framework to solve challenges and find solutions.

You will need to enjoy working with internal and external stakeholders and have experience of dealing with customers through various communication media. 

Closing date: 9am, Monday 16 December 2024

What's it like to work for us?

We are passionate about our people and pride ourselves on being a great place to work, we genuinely care and know that a happy workforce is a productive and motivated one! If you're still not sure, here are some stats from our 2023 staff survey to convince you..

• 94% of our staff said they felt valued
• 99% of staff recommend Breckland as a great place to work
• 90% said they have had opportunities to learn and grow in the last 12 months
• 97% think Breckland provide positive action on health and wellbeing
• 98%  said they felt supported by their Manager

If you STILL need convincing, here's what some of our staff say...

• "Breckland is a fantastic employer, lots of opportunities and support"
• "Having only just started, it is a great place to work, everyone says hello, is smiley and chatty. I like the groups that are on, like carers shed and neurodiversity"
• "We are encouraged to take regular breaks and there are mental health first aiders and a wide range of good promotional aspects of healthy living and wellbeing."
• "In times of need the council offers excellent support."
• "BDC really does seem to care about the wellbeing and happiness of their staff."

At Breckland Council we have embraced the Government's agenda to modernise local government. Our approach is to lead change rather than follow it, and to add the best value we can to our communities. We achieve this by developing our employees to their full potential, providing them with the relevant knowledge, equipment, and authority to carry out their duties.

We are a dynamic and innovative organisation that is always testing and learning as we seek to continually improve. We have never stood still in response to the emergence of new opportunities, changing customer demands, and ongoing funding challenges. We have exciting plans for how to deliver the best possible services to our residents and businesses.

Breckland as a district is a special place nestled in the heart of rural Norfolk, spanning over 500 square miles of beautiful countryside and forest, with five Market Towns and over 140,000 residents. We care, we listen, and we support people and businesses within our district. We have big ideas and we are innovative in our approach, coming up with ways to meet the needs of the local communities that we serve. Through our actions, we want to make things better.

But we know that we can't do it alone. We are a collaborative organisation and we work together with others to make a greater impact. We are also an organisation where our employees can grow and develop and are empowered to achieve and succeed. We are proud of our area, and by driving investment and enabling opportunities, we can maximise its full potential. We want to inspire aspiration to live, work, visit, or do business here: we want our district to be one of choice.

We will support and enable growth and change in our thriving, welcoming places where people and businesses choose to be, knowing their ambitions can be not just fulfilled but exceeded. By listening to people, by understanding what they need and by working together, we can shape what we have to offer. By doing so, we can benefit those who are already here and those who choose to come to live, work, visit, or do business.

We offer excellent conditions of service, including:

• A local government pension scheme (14 per cent employer contribution).
• Attractive holiday package (25 days increasing after three years' continuous Local Authority service by one day per year up to the maximum of 28 days, plus bank holidays)
• Free car parking.
• Remote-enabled working arrangements.
• A newly refurbished office. See what it is like working here by watching this short film: 
  

Our commitment to talent development, on the job learning and upskilling, training and professional memberships, will keep your knowledge and skills up to date.

Job summary

Description of duties

Primary Functional Objectives of the Role

Manage a personal caseload of Planning applications including:

• Assessment of the need for planning permission/permitted development
• Pre-application assessments
• Planning applications, predominantly householder and those considered to be minor in nature to include prior approvals
• Appeals primarily relating to householder developments and other minor applications
• To attend Planning Committee and present applications, as required
• To attend Chairmans Panel and present applications, as required
• To provide support and assistance to colleagues within the Planning Enforcement and Technical Support Teams, as required
• To keep up to date with current legislation and policy changes
• To deal with all aspects of the Development Management processes to include site visits, consultations and negotiations
• To provide timely, well written reports and recommendations to the managers of the development management and enforcement teams
• To provide professional advice on planning matters to clients, the public, Members of the Council, and others, as necessary
• To ensure excellent customer service to all our customers by phone, e-mail and face to face
• Have good communication skills and ability to work with limited supervision on tasks
• Comply with Health and Safety rules for the safety of yourself and others
• Provide support to the Planning Committee Usher (with Planning Committee and Chairman's Panel), as necessary in the preparation of the agenda/presentations, liaising with Elected Members, Planning Agents, Parish Councils and Members of the Public about speaking at Planning Committee and notifying people of the applications that are being presented at Planning Committee. 
• Provide support the Lead Officer with Appeals which will include Registration of Planning/Planning Enforcement Appeals, acting as liaison between the Council and the Planning Inspectorate, arranging hearings/inquiries including the booking of venue(s), informing interested parties and carrying out the administration at hearings/inquiries as required.
• The precise nature of the work will depend on the post-holder's experience and potential.  The job offers excellent experience for an enthusiastic and ambitious person aspiring to a career in planning.
• The above list is not meant to be an exhaustive range of tasks and responsibilities and is subject to change

Primary Line/Performance Management Objectives of the Role

• Work as part of a team of development management specialists helping deliver an effective and efficient planning service through the determination of a varied caseload of planning applications

Primary Leadership Objectives of the Role

N/A

This job description is not an exhaustive range of tasks and responsibilities and is subject to the changing requirements of the Council.

The job description outlines the current position and will be subject to review in the light of development within the service, in consultation with the post holder as detailed in your Contract of Employment.

Experience and Knowledge

Essential

• A degree in Town and Country Planning/another relevant Degree or experience working in a Planning environment
• A desire to work towards membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute
• Some knowledge of current legislation relating to planning
• The ability to prioritise and manage a workload, and to work flexibly to meet the needs of the Local Authority
• The ability to deliver good customer service
• To be able to work under pressure to produce timely and high quality work
• The ability to work as a team player and support colleagues
• Hold a current driving licence and access to your own vehicle

Desirable

• The ability to use your own initiative to solve challenges working as part of a team and under direction
• Experience of dealing with customers by phone, e-mail and face to face

Qualifications

Essential

• A degree qualification in Town and Country Planning or working towards a formal qualification or demonstrable experience of working as a Planning Officer

Desirable

• Membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute or a desire to work towards membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute

Behaviours

Collaborative

• I look for ways to work in partnership and listen supportively to the ideas of others, building on their ideas, while sharing my views and knowledge.
• I recognise the skills, talent and experience of others and reach out to them for their contribution and input

Ambitious

• I always ask myself 'How could we do this better?'
• I take ownership of change and help others to understand, adapt, implement, and embed it.
• I have an open mindset, take risks and explore new ways of doing things.
• I am a proud ambassador, taking pride and responsibility for the work we do and encouraging others to do the same.

Results-driven

• I make sure I am clear on what I need to achieve, keeping a focus on results and solutions.
• I am driven, showing courage and resilience even when things don't go to plan.
• I am flexible ensuring I provide the best possible service, wherever and whenever is best for the customer

Empowering

• I ask for help and support when needed
• I take responsibility if things don't go well, learning from it for my own and for the organisation's development

Supportive

• I treat others as I would want to be treated myself, ensuring that I am welcoming, friendly and approachable.
• I give time to colleagues who need help or support
• I treat everyone with kindness, dignity and respect, valuing their thoughts, background and experience

Health & Safety (exposure to risk)

• The postholder is part of a small team and therefore the post holder needs to demonstrate ability to deal with frequent interruptions and demands on a daily basis.

Breckland Council's Terms and Conditions are in accordance with the National Joint Council for Local Government Services Administrative, Professional, Technical & Clerical Services (APT&C). These are collective agreements negotiated between the council and APT&C. The exception are those conditions affecting salary, which are subject to a locally negotiated salary structure.

Other Terms and Conditions may be implemented following collective agreements negotiated and agreed with the Trade Union recognised by Breckland Council for collective local bargaining purposes. The Principal conditions are set out below:

If you would like an informal chat regarding this role please contact Richard Laws - Principal D M Planner - Richard.laws@breckland.gov.uk or Chris Hobson - Principal D M Planner - chris.hobson@breckland.gov.uk

Closing date - 9am Monday 16 December

APPLY ONLINE

Equal Opportunities

We are committed to being an Equal Opportunities employer, recognising the benefits of sustaining a workforce which reflects the diversity of the community we serve. We welcome applications from anyone who feels they meet the requirements of our vacancies - these are listed as essential requirements on the person specification (within the Recruitment Pack).