Principal Planner

D S D; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 59,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Market Rate Supplement £3,000 per annu

Job summary

Bedford Borough Council is seeking a Principal Planner to join the Planning Service in Bedford. This full-time permanent role offers 37 hours per week and provides a broad spread of planning experience in development management and place-shaping.

You will work within a friendly team with flexible working arrangements, including office and home-working; a market rate supplement of £3,000 per annum is available, and the role requires fluent English for customer-facing duties.

Qualifications

• Motivated and innovative planner with experience in development management.
• Pro-active place-shaping approach and excellent customer service.
• Flexible with hybrid working and home-working options.
• Fluent English required for customer-facing role.

Responsibilities

• Deal with a range of planning applications of varying complexity.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of planning legislation and policy.
• Provide professional planning advice and high-quality customer service.

Job description

Planning/Housing/Building Control - Prof - Planning/Housing/Building Control - Prof

Salary Range (£ pro rata for part time roles)

BBU13 54,143 - 58,546

Contract Type

Full time permanent

Contract Hours

37.00

Job Advert

We currently have an exciting opportunity within the Bedford Borough Planning Service and this is an ideal career opportunity to gain a broad spread of planning experience and knowledge.

We have excellent transport connections to the national rail network and to the national motorway network via the M1 and A1. In addition the Government’s growth programme commits to East-West Rail which will include stops in the south of the borough as well as in the heart of Bedford. This makes the Borough an excellent choice for investment: Universal Destinations and Experiences think so!

Bedford itself is a traditional market town with a range of excellent educational settings and good quality cultural facilities. The River Great Ouse with its formal embankment along with an impressive range of other urban parks and gardens provide a high quality environment in which to live and work. However if you prefer to live in a more rural setting you will not be disappointed as we also have many attractive villages from which to choose.

Bedford Borough Council’s Planning Service
Bedford Borough Council is committed to a major programme of sustainable growth which will shape the Borough for generations to come. This will deliver thousands of new homes, regenerate its town centres and deliver environmental enhancements and an improved transport system.

We offer a fantastic opportunity to develop your planning career with an unrivalled mix of urban and rural development, regeneration schemes and sustainable new settlements. We are a friendly and supportive team, and we have flexible working practices, with a mixture of working in our office and home-working. In return we are looking for a motivated and innovative planner with relevant experience of dealing with a range of different application types, of varying complexity and has a good grasp of planning legislation, ideally in a development management setting. A pro-active approach to place-shaping and excellent customer service skills are essential, as well as being a team player.

If you believe you have these attributes then we would love to hear from you. See what some of our current staff have to say about working in the planning team at Bedford: https://youtu.be/HREFP5SdlDU

Interview dates: 26 & 27 November 26

Additional Vacancy Information

Allowance (pro rata for part time roles)

Market Rate Supplement £3,000 per annum (subject to review)

Work Pattern

Full Time, 37 hours per week

Is this an enhanced DBS role?

No

Is this a politically restricted role?

No

Is this a customer facing role which requires a fluent English Speaker?

Yes

Vacancy Location

Location

Bedfordshire

Location

Borough Hall Bedford

Is this a designated car user position?

Yes

Attachments

• Principal Planner Job Profile.pdf (401 Kb)
• CV Template.docx (16 Kb)

Reference

005219

Closing Date

13/11/2026