Planning Officer / Senior Planning Officer

At Bracknell Forest we have an excellent opportunity for someone who wants to undertake a degree in town planning to develop their career in planning and progress to a Senior Planning Officer. If you join us as a Planning Officer you will have the option to be sponsored and supported to undertake your Chartered Town Planner Degree, via the Bracknell Forest apprenticeship scheme, to enable progression to a Senior Planning Officer.

Bracknell Forest is a great place to be a planner there are high levels of development activity making this is a very varied role. We are a Unitary Authority with continuing growth ambitions. There are large housing developments underway, and we have a regenerated town centre with new retail outlets, homes, restaurants and leisure facilities and attractive Green Belt countryside. Joining our planning team will give you the chance to gain valuable experience and contribute to shaping a borough we can be proud of.

What it's like working in our team...

The Development Management Team is a friendly and busy team, mainly dealing with householder planning applications, smaller housing and commercial schemes and planning enforcement matters. The work can be challenging but the team shares issues and experience to deliver positive results and creative solutions. The weekly applications meetings are a great opportunity to deal with any concerns and input your own ideas on a huge range of applications and every day is different.

You will be supported to carry out the following duties, responsibilities and training...

You will be supported to carry out the following duties and responsibilities:

• Processing and evaluating planning and related applications, dealing with any associated appeals.
• Provide advice to those using our services, particularly responding to enquiries from members of the public in relation to householder and smaller commercial developments.

The successful candidate will work in the Development Management Team and gain valuable experience in dealing with sites through the whole process from pre-application to appeal. There will also be opportunities to present some of your cases to the Planning Committee.

Progression to Senior Planning Officer level will be available on achieving full membership of the RTPI or relevant qualification(s) to meet requirements for RTPI membership and substantial relevant experience.

The benefits you will experience are...

• Career development and learning experiences through a range of training courses and learning methods including sponsorship of your Chartered Town Planning Degree, if required, and salary progression.
• Flexible working opportunities including a flexi-time scheme.
• A great office location next to travel links and the town centre.
• Internal sports and social club events.
• Discounted leisure centre and gym membership.
• An interest free loan for a rail season ticket.
• We will pay your annual subscription to a professional body.

What we're looking for...

We are looking for an enthusiastic, self motivated, reliable individual with good communication skills (both written and oral) and a strong focus on customer service who is keen to further their career in planning.

Interview date

Interviews will be held face to face at our offices in Bracknell on Tuesday 21st March 2023.

Want to ask us a question?

For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact:

Basia Polnik, Development Management Team Manager

Tel. : 01344 351134 or email: Basia.Polnik@bracknell-forest.gov.uk or

or

Max Baker, Assistant Director: Planning

Tel.: 01344 351902 or email: Max.Baker@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

As part of the Council’s ongoing commitment to redeployment, please note that this vacancy may be withdrawn at any stage of the recruitment process if a suitable redeployee is identified.

Any candidates wishing to apply who would require sponsorship can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the role by assessing their circumstances against the relevant criteria.

No agencies please.

Equal Opportunities

Bracknell Forest Council – Working for Equality. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

How to apply

Please note, we do not accept CVs submitted without a fully completed online application form.