Town Planner

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Town Planner to work with a developer with an excellent reputation for quality of projects, size of projects and staff retention and welfare. The developer concerned acquires land, obtains planning and completes developments, therefore managing the full life-cycle of their developments.

They not only build apartments and houses, but schools, churches and commercial buildings as part of residential led mixed use developments too with significant involvement in the Build to Rent (BtR) Sector acting for Operator’s and Investor’s.

This company urgently seeks a Town Planner to help with their developments and support the Land and Planning Department. As a key member of the team, you will be involved in sites from acquisition and helping with background research as part of the due diligence to help inform the purchase of sites.

In addition, you will be tasked with assisting on major schemes acquired that are complex in nature and require pragmatic solutions in order to gain planning permission. Therefore, planning expertise, a sound knowledge of the planning system, communication skills and attention to detail are essential.

The role is working in the Land and Planning Team and will involve in reporting to board level and other departments so enabling the suitable person to progress their career on either client side or developer.

Responsibilities for the role include:

Communication

• Assisting the Planning Department in effective working relationships with local authorities, GLA, consultants and agents.
• Regular dialogue and communication with Head of Planning and Planning Manager on day-to-day matters.
• Liaise and negotiate with planning officers, architects, consultants, third parties.

Planning

• Responsibility for preparing planning appraisals for each new potential acquisition.
• Ensure that appraisals are presented in a professional manner with required input from other internal or external parties in line with the Company’s procedures.
• Undertake research and analysis in preparing due diligence for potential acquisition sites including but not limited to planning policy and planning history including on neighbouring sites.
• Assist in the preparation of briefs to architects from feasibility stage through to planning instruction.

Development Management

• Assist with preparing planning applications, including planning statements.
• Assist with coordinating consultant teams from acquisition through to determination of planning applications.
• Prepare responses to consultation drafts of Local Plan, GLA, National Planning documents, legislation and good practice.

Meetings

• Attend Planning Meetings and keep management team fully informed of issues and progress.
• Prepare/make presentations at pre-application meetings, public consultation and planning committees as appropriate.

Skills, Experience and Qualifications required:

• 2 to 4 years’ experience, ideally at Planning Consultancy or Developer.
• MRTPI qualification or in the process of applying for MRTPI.
• London Authority/GLA Experience desirable.
• Residential experience with examples of assisting on schemes which are 150 units plus.
• Be computer literate including Microsoft Office.