Senior Town Planner

Senior Town Planner

If you want to know about the requirements for this role, read on for all the relevant information.

Location: Studley, West Midlands

Sector: Housebuilding / Residential Development

Employment Type: Full-time

Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience

Reporting to: Planning Director / Head of Planning

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Senior Town Planner to join a successful housebuilder based in Studley, West Midlands. This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious planning professional to take responsibility for a portfolio of residential development projects, from initial site identification and promotion through to planning approval and delivery.

Working closely with land, technical, development and commercial teams, you will play a key role in shaping the planning strategy for new housing schemes across the region. The role offers significant exposure to strategic land, planning applications, local authorities, consultants and other stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the planning process for a portfolio of residential development sites.
• Develop and implement planning strategies to secure planning permissions and maximise development potential.
• Manage the preparation, submission and progression of planning applications, including major and complex residential schemes.
• Coordinate external planning consultants and multidisciplinary project teams.
• Liaise effectively with local planning authorities, statutory consultees, parish councils, local communities and other stakeholders.
• Provide planning advice to the Land and Development teams during site appraisal, acquisition and feasibility stages.
• Assess emerging planning policy, local plans, housing requirements and other relevant planning matters to identify opportunities and risks.
• Monitor and manage planning conditions, Section 106 obligations and other planning agreements through to discharge and completion.
• Prepare planning appraisals and provide clear recommendations on the planning prospects of potential development sites.
• Represent the company at planning committees, public consultations, appeals and other relevant meetings where required.
• Monitor planning performance, programmes, costs and risks across allocated sites.
• Keep up to date with changes to national and local planning policy, legislation and case law.
• Support junior members of the planning team and provide guidance on planning matters.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal teams, consultants, local authorities and other external stakeholders.

About You

You will be an experienced planning professional with a strong understanding of the UK planning system and, ideally, experience within residential development or housebuilding.

You should have:

• A degree in Town Planning or a related discipline.
• MRTPI qualification, or significant progress towards chartership, would be advantageous.
• Proven experience in a planning role within housebuilding, residential development, consultancy or a local planning authority.
• Strong knowledge of the English planning system and current planning policy.
• Experience managing residential planning applications and working with local authorities.
• A good understanding of planning policy, Section 106 agreements, planning conditions and the development management process.
• Strong commercial awareness and an understanding of the relationship between planning, land acquisition and development viability.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills.
• The ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines effectively.
• A proactive, commercially minded approach and the confidence to make informed planning recommendations.
• Strong report-writing, analytical and organisational skills.
• A full UK driving licence, with the ability to travel to sites and local authority offices as required.

What We Offer

• A key role within an established and growing housebuilder.
• The opportunity to work on a diverse portfolio of residential development projects.
• Significant involvement in strategic land and the full development lifecycle.
• A collaborative working environment with close interaction across Land, Technical, Development and Commercial teams.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunities for professional development and career progression. xwzovoh
• A role offering genuine autonomy and responsibility within the planning function.