Town Planner

Essar Oil Limited; Ellesmere Port; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Private medical insurance

Holiday purchase flex benefits

Employee Assistance Programme with DIS

Free on-site car parking

Job summary

Essar Energy Transition operates from Stanlow and is delivering a portfolio of major energy and industrial projects. We seek a Town Planner to join the Regulatory Planning team, working client-side on complex planning and consenting across TCPA and NSIP regimes at Stanlow, Ellesmere Port.

You’ll support and lead planning activities, develop strategies, coordinate multidisciplinary teams, and navigate local authorities and regulators to secure approvals.

Qualifications

• Degree in Town/Urban Planning, Architecture, Environmental Science or related discipline.
• Experience on significant elements of complex planning applications.
• Experience developing consenting strategies with multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong understanding of the UK planning system (TCPA, NPPF, local policy).
• Exposure to Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and post-consent delivery.

Responsibilities

• Support and lead planning and consenting activities for major projects.
• Develop and manage planning strategies from development to delivery.
• Coordinate TCPA and DCO/NSIP activities and EIA workstreams.
• Manage submissions, ensure high-quality documentation and programme delivery.
• Identify risks and craft practical consenting solutions; deputise for the Regulatory Planning Manager.

Skills

Degree in Town/Urban Planning

Experience supporting/planning complex

Experience coordinating multi-discipin

Education

Town/Urban Planning degree

Chartered RTPI desirable

Job description

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TOWN PLANNER | MAJOR ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

Mid-level to Senior / Principal level | Stanlow, Ellesmere Port

Employment Type: Site Based Full Time Role 5 days per week Monday-Friday

• 25 days holiday, increasing with service
• Private medical insurance
• Additional flex benefits, including holiday purchase
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme with exclusive access to a range of Discounts
• Free secure on-site car parking

At Essar Energy Transition (EET), we’re delivering an ambitious programme of major energy and industrial infrastructure projects at the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex, and we’re looking for a talented Town Planner to join our Regulatory Planning team.

This is an opportunity to work client-side on complex planning and consenting, across projects progressing through both Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA) and Development Consent Order (DCO) / Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) regimes.

We’re open on experience level. You might be a mid-level planner looking to build your career in major infrastructure, or an established Senior / Principal Planner looking for greater ownership and influence. What matters most is your planning expertise, ability to navigate complex development and ambition to work on large-scale industrial infrastructure projects from planning strategy through to delivery.

ABOUT ESSAR ENERGY TRANSITION

At Essar Energy Transition, we’re transforming Stanlow into one of Europe’s leading energy transition hubs, building on almost a century of industrial heritage.

Across the complex, we have an exciting pipeline of major infrastructure projects spanning low-carbon hydrogen production, a new hydrogen-ready Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant, carbon capture, sustainable aviation fuels and new energy infrastructure, alongside the continued transformation and decarbonisation of the refinery.

With Stanlow at the heart of HyNet, our ambition is to combine existing industrial capability with new technologies and infrastructure that will help shape the future of the complex and support the wider decarbonisation of industry across the North West

ABOUT THE ROLE

Working across a multi-billion-pound portfolio of energy, infrastructure and industrial development projects, you’ll play a key role in securing the planning permissions and consents that turn ambitious projects into reality.

You’ll work closely with the Regulatory Planning Manager and collaborate with project teams, engineering and environmental specialists, consultants, local authorities, regulators and community stakeholders.

You’ll take ownership of key planning and consenting workstreams, helping to navigate complex planning requirements, manage risk and support projects through consenting and into delivery. You’ll also have the opportunity to deputise for the Regulatory Planning Manager, contributing to the wider planning strategy for Stanlow.

Key Responsibilities

• Support and lead planning and consenting activities for major energy, infrastructure and industrial projects.
• Develop and manage planning and consenting strategies from early development through to delivery.
• Coordinate TCPA applications, DCO/NSIP consenting activities and Environmental Impact Assessments, working with multidisciplinary teams and external advisers.
• Manage planning submissions, ensuring documentation is high quality, coordinated and delivered to programme.
• Work with project and technical teams to identify planning risks and develop practical consenting solutions.
• Support post-consent delivery, including the discharge of planning conditions and ongoing consent requirements.
• Manage external planning consultants and build strong relationships with local authorities, regulators, statutory bodies and community stakeholders.
• Contribute to the Stanlow Site Master Plan, future Local Development Order ambitions and the wider planning portfolio, with opportunities to deputise for the Regulatory Planning Manager.

ABOUT YOU

You’ll be a planning professional who is excited by the opportunity to work client-side, close to the projects themselves, and play a direct role in delivering complex infrastructure.

Your background could be in planning consultancy, energy, utilities, infrastructure, industrial or brownfield development, engineering or local government. You don’t need to have done everything on the list. We’re interested in people with strong planning foundations and the potential to grow with our programme.

You’ll ideally bring:

• A degree in Town/Urban Planning, Architecture, Environmental Science or a related discipline
• Experience supporting or leading significant elements of complex planning applications
• Experience developing consenting strategies and coordinating multidisciplinary teams
• A strong understanding of the UK planning system, including TCPA, NPPF and local planning policy
• Experience or understanding of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
• Exposure to post-consent delivery, including planning conditions and associated consent requirements
• Strong project management, analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
• The confidence to engage with project teams, consultants, regulators, local authorities and other stakeholders
• A proactive, collaborative approach and the ability to manage several priorities in a fast-moving project environment

Particularly valuable

Experience of DCOs and UK Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) would be particularly valuable, especially for candidates operating at Senior or Principal level.

Chartered membership of the RTPI is also desirable, or you may be actively working towards chartership.

This is an opportunity to move beyond advising on individual planning applications and become part of the team delivering major infrastructure projects from the inside.

You’ll work across a varied portfolio, gain exposure to projects at different stages of the consenting lifecycle, and collaborate directly with the people responsible for engineering and delivering them.

For an ambitious planner, it offers something genuinely different: the chance to help shape the future of one of the UK’s most important industrial complexes while building your career in major energy and infrastructure planning.

Application Process

We encourage applications as early as possible. The vacancy will be advertised for a minimum period of two weeks and will remain open until a suitable candidate has been appointed. We therefore reserve the right to close the vacancy once an offer has been made and accepted.