Job Title Area Planner

Canal & River Trust; Burnley; Remote; GBP 40,000 - 44,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading charity focused on waterways is seeking an Area Planner to join their North team. The role involves managing planning consultations, engaging with local authorities, and promoting the benefits of waterways for community wellbeing. This part-time position offers a competitive salary, flexible working hours, and the opportunity to make a significant impact on local environments.

Benefits

Competitive contributory DC Pension scheme

Great holiday entitlement

Salary sacrifice benefits

Qualifications

• Significant experience in development management and planning policy.
• Knowledge of planning, heritage, and environmental law.
• Ability to build effective relationships with Local Planning Authorities.

Responsibilities

• Manage planning consultations and policy matters in the geographical area.
• Negotiate planning conditions and represent the Trust in appeals.
• Engage with Local Planning Authorities and communities.

Skills

Negotiation

Communication

Customer Service

Education

Chartered Town Planner qualification

Relevant Masters, Diploma or Degree

Tools

GIS systems

Job description

Job Purpose

Internal job title: Area Planner

Contract: Part time

Working hours: ** 22.2 hours. Days per week flexible **

Salary: £40,000 - £43,395 FTE + car cash allowance (£425 per month) pro rata + benefits

Location: Remote (home), with regular travel for collaborative meetings at an North West (Ellesmere Port/Burnley) or Leeds Hub.

The Canal & River Trust’s work is focused on making life better by water. The Trust is the charity who look after and bring to life 2000 miles of canals & rivers across England and Wales.

Our waterways contribute to the health and wellbeing of local communities and economies, creating attractive and connected places to live, work, volunteer and spend leisure time. These historic, natural, and cultural assets form part of the strategic and local green-blue infrastructure network, providing linear habitats and connecting urban and rural communities. Our waterways are on the doorstep of nine 8 million people and reach some of the most deprived communities within the UK. By caring for our waterways and promoting their use we believe we can help to improve the wellbeing of our nation.

Our National Spatial Planning Team has a significant role to play in this by using the planning system to protect the Trust's assets, championing the many benefits that our waterways offer, generating value, and creating sustainable and accessible places where people want to live, visit, work and invest. The diverse nature of the Trust’s assets, our activities, users, and stakeholders present a variety of opportunities for planners within our high performing spatial planning team.

We are looking to appoint another Area Planner to join our North team.

You will use your skills and knowledge of the planning system to help the Trust secure great waterside places, which maximise the benefits of our waterways, ensure the protection of their heritage and environmental value and safeguard the integrity of critical infrastructure. You will encourage greater use of our waterways and towpaths as sustainable transport, healthy and recreational routes and spaces, promoting their significant benefits for wellbeing.

Have a look at our website if you’d like to find out more about our planning work: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/specialist-teams/planning-and-design

Location and coverage

The role will be based working from home, with the allocation of a nearby Hub for collaborative working in Ellesmere Port, Burnley & Leeds.

This is a regional role and there will be an expectation that the successful candidate will be able travel to attend meetings or fieldwork throughout the regional waterway network.

See our network here (https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network).

Knowledge, Skills/Qualifications & Experience

The post holder will be responsible for managing a diverse and high-volume workload of planning consultations and planning policy matters in their geographical area. With a focus on customer service, you will engage with a number of Local Planning Authorities, and Parish Councils, interested parties and communities, along with a wide range of specialists and business areas within the Trust.

In the Trust’s capacity as a Statutory Consultee, you will comply with our “duty to respond” on consultations which vary in scale from EIA scale development to “minor” and “householder”. As part of your varied caseload, you will be responsible for negotiating the imposition of planning conditions and / or obligations to address issues, reduce potential liabilities and will be expected to represent the Trust in the appeal process. There may also be the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Trust to nationally significant infrastructure projects.

The planning policy element of the role will require you to develop relationships with local planning authorities to ensure that the opportunities of our network are recognised in the early stages of strategy formation and plan making, respond to consultations on Local Plans, Neighbourhood Plans and other planning policy related documents to support the work of the Trust. This may include representing the Trust, as necessary, at any relevant examination of the plan.

For this opportunity, we are seeking a qualified planning professional with significant experience of the development management process to work in a highly diverse and increasingly customer focused organisation. It would be preferable for you to have some experience of planning policy matters.

You’ll be required to:

• Effectively manage your constant and challenging workload.
• Complete tasks to a high standard, in accordance with the Trust’s processes and procedures and within the set timescales.
• Comply with the Canal & River Trust standards and procedures.
• Comply with the Canal & River Trust’s Health & Safety policy and standards
• From time-to-time travel to site visits, meetings or to other Trust offices.

About you

For this opportunity, we are seeking a qualified planning professional with significant experience of the development management process and planning policy matters to work in a highly diverse and increasingly customer focused organisation.

Technical:

• A chartered Town Planner (or eligible) with a relevant Masters, Diploma or Degree level qualification
• Knowledge and experience of the TCPA & DCO regimes including appeals and enforcement system in England and Wales.
• Sound knowledge of planning, heritage and environmental law and regulations.
• Understanding of Government reforms & policy objectives, planning policy, procedures & regulations in England & Wales.
• Appeal experience including public inquiries as expert witness and informal hearings.
• Knowledge and experience of the national planning policy framework, sub-regional spatial plan, local and neighbourhood plan preparation and review processes including examinations.
• Ability to build effective working relationships with Local Planning Authorities, Town & Parish Councils, other statutory consultees, internal and external stakeholders.
• Political awareness and commercial acumen, extensive experience in public, charity &/or private sector planning.

General:

• Advanced negotiation, influencing, presentational, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Ability to interact with the public, customers, and neighbours, including engaging in difficult conversations.
• Political awareness and commercial acumen, extensive experience in public, charity &/or private sector planning.
• Experience in use of GIS based systems.

To Apply:click on the "Apply for this job" button and follow the process - complete the application form & upload current CV.

If you have any questions about the role please contact [e-mail]

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient suitable applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

What We Offer

In addition to your salary of £40,000 - £43,395 FTE + £425 per month Car Cash Allowance (pro-rata), you will benefit froma competitive contributory DC Pension scheme arrangement, great holiday entitlement and numerous other employee benefits, including several salary sacrifice benefits, all of which can be found here (https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/work-for-us/our-benefits).

At the Trust we care passionately for our waterways, and as importantly, for those who look after and use them. We strongly believe that a diverse workforce brings with it a diversity of ideas, thinking and ways of working which enhances what we do as a Trust. We are striving to represent the diverse communities that we are a part of and welcome applicants from across all sectors of the community.

All candidates will be treated on the basis of their merits, skills and abilities and solely by being assessed against the requirements for the job.

When you join the Canal & River Trust you become a member of an engaged team working to preserve our heritage for future generations. Come and share your passion and knowledge with a team that makes a difference to millions of people every day.

Find out more about us on our website:https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us