Planning Officer – part time

Stroud District Council seeks a part-time Planning Officer (29.5 hours/week) to manage planning applications and provide recommendations in line with local policies. The role involves site inspections and collaboration with various teams. Candidates should have a degree in Town and Country Planning, strong customer service skills, and experience in an office environment. The position offers a hybrid working approach and excellent employee benefits.
Job details

Job reference

REQ0150

Date posted

31/03/2025

Apply by

27/04/2025

Location

Ebley Mill – Stroud

Salary

£37,938 pro rata, per annum

Package

-Excellent pension scheme – Flexi Working Scheme – Hybrid working approach – Employee Wellbeing Offer – For more information please see the benefits section on our website

Contractual hours

29.5

Basis

Permanent

Job category/type

Planning Strategy

Planning Officer – part time

Job description

About us

Stroud District Council covers an area of 175 square miles and has an exceptionally diverse physical, historic and natural environment. Over 50% of the district is designated a National Landscape. It contains over 3000 listed building entries, 41 conservation areas, and internationally and nationally important wildlife sites.

Acting as Local Planning Authority, the council deals with around 2,600 planning applications per year. Our statutory development management function is split into three teams: a major and commercial team, and two area planning teams. This role would be based in one of the area planning teams. The area planning teams determine all non-major planning (and related) applications within their geographical area.

About the role

As Planning Officer you would manage your own caseload of planning applications, pre-application enquiries, planning appeals, and other related activities. Working in a diverse environment, you will have a varied caseload covering both rural areas and our market towns and villages, making recommendations to ensure development meets the requirements of our Local Plan.

A portion of your working time would be spent on site, meeting customers and undertaking site inspections. On occasion you may also have to attend planning committee.

You will liaise with colleagues within the service – such as our specialist arboricultural, biodiversity, enforcement, and heritage officers – to ensure we make reliable, high-quality decisions in line with local and national planning policy and guidance. You will provide support to our technical, business support, and customer services teams and help nurture junior staff in their professional development.

This is a part-time role of 29.5 hours per week.

About you

You will be a highly motivated planning professional, able to effectively manage your time and caseload to meet both performance and quality targets. You will demonstrate strong customer service skills and put the customer at the heart of what you do. You will have an inquisitive approach and be apt at researching alternatives and finding solutions. Attention to detail is critical. You will be a skilled communicator – both in writing and verbally – able to simply articulate your analysis of issues and make clear and balanced recommendations.

You must have a degree in Town and Country Planning (or a related subject) and be eligible for and working towards membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute.

You will need experience of working in an office environment and Microsoft Office programs. You’ll need to demonstrate up-to-date knowledge of planning legislation and policy guidance.

For an informal discussion, please contact Griff Bunce on 01453 766321.

In exchange for your expertise, experience and enthusiasm we provide a range of staff benefits please click here for more information :

https://www.stroud.gov.uk/jobs-and-careers/benefits-of-working-for-us

It is important that our staff reflect the diversity of our community, and we therefore welcome and encourage applications from people of all genders and sexual orientation, those from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds, and people with disabilities.

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding the welfare of vulnerable adults, young people and children. Safer recruitment practices are applied to all job vacancies.

Stroud District has an energy unlike any other place. It’s green and dynamic, climate conscious and motivated, creative and collaborative, rural and urban, and unapologetically ambitious. To find out more about what makes our place, our people and our businesses so special, please follow the link to our dedicated website:

Stroud District – The Natural Place