Planning Officer

Malvern Hills District Council; West Midlands Combined Authority; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in the West Midlands is seeking a Planning Officer to manage planning applications and engage with a variety of stakeholders. The role requires a recognised qualification in town planning, strong communication skills, and the ability to attend meetings and site visits. This position offers a competitive salary and attractive benefits, including professional development support and flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Excellent pension scheme

Generous annual leave entitlement

Payment of professional membership subscription

Onsite nursery with staff discount

Health and Wellbeing support

Employee Discounts with a range of companies

Qualifications

• Experience in dealing with minor and other category planning applications.
• Comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of planning law and practice.
• Ability to manage a caseload of applications.
• Full Royal Town Planning Institute membership or willingness to work towards it.
• Flexibility and a full driving license.

Responsibilities

• Process and assess a caseload of varied planning applications.
• Engage with stakeholders including applicants, agents, and public members.
• Attend regular Planning Committee meetings.
• Conduct site visits across districts.

Skills

Communication skills

Planning law knowledge

Caseload management

Computer literacy

Presentation skills

Education

Recognised qualification in town planning

Full Royal Town Planning Institute membership

Job description

Job Introduction

Planning Officer

37 hours per week

Permanent

£37,280 - £40,777 per annum

Wychavon and Malvern have an ambitious growth strategy and will be building over 20,000 homes and 300 hectares of employment land over the next 15 years. The strategy includes the delivery of the major new settlements at Worcestershire Parkway for 10,000 homes and Throckmorton for 5,000 homes. Combined with ambitious strategies to regenerate our existing centres such as Evesham and Droitwich this is your chance to help shape the future of some of the fastest growing Districts in the West Midlands.

In this role you will process and assess a caseload of varied planning applications, which will include site appraisals, negotiations, report writing, presentation at Committees and appeal work.

You will be in regular contact with applicants, agents, members of the public and elected members. Great communication skills and an ability to engage with a range of stakeholders is therefore essential along with a commitment to delivering an outstanding service to all our customers.

This is a great opportunity for an experienced planning professional to grow your CV and cement your planning experience in a supportive and ambitious shared service.

About You

For the role of Planning Officer, you will need:

• Experience of dealing with minor and other category planning applications as well as householder applications
• Comprehensive and up to date knowledge of planning law and practice
• A recognised qualification in town planning or substantial experience gained within the Town Planning field.
• Full Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI) membership, or willingness to work towards full membership, and be able to demonstrate a commitment to continual professional development (CPD).
• Good computer literacy
• The ability to manage a caseload of applications.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills
  
  

The Councils are keen to support with the development of its employees and therefore will help with training requirements which are needed for the role. This may also include support towards obtaining recognised qualifications relevant to the post.

You will be required to attend regular Planning Committee meetings and undertake site visits so flexibility, a full driving licence and use of a car is essential. You will also need to be able to travel throughout the districts.

What We Can Offer

Our staff are at the heart of what we do, and as a result we are always looking to recruit, develop and retain the very best talent we can find. So, as well as a rewarding career, we offer a range of attractive benefits, such as:

• Excellent pension scheme with employer contributions
• Generous annual leave entitlement with options to purchase additional annual leave
• Committed training programme and development opportunities
• Payment of one professional membership subscription e.g. RTPI.
• Onsite nursery with 20% staff discount
• Discounted Gym and swim membership
• Health and Wellbeing support and a Free Employee Assistance scheme including access to counselling services
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Employee Discounts with a range of companies including EE and the Kaarp discount scheme.
  
  

We are an employer that supports agile working and values face to face communication, collaboration and connection, therefore all our roles have an office-based requirement as part of the role.

To discuss the post or for further information, please call Simon Jones on 01684 862424 or email

Closing date: Monday 25 August 2025

Interview date: Thursday 4 September 2025

Please note if we experience a high intake of applications, we may close the role and interview for the position sooner than advertised.

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