Principal Planner Strategic Planning

We currently have an opportunity for a highly motivated individual to join our innovative Planning Service as a Principal Planning Officer.

Derbyshire County Council Planning Service has recently won awards for Excellence in Plan Making, particularly for its joint and collaborative working with its local planning authority partners on climate change and planning policy. The County Council, Derby City Council and the eight district and borough councils in Derbyshire, have a long and successful track record of working together to achieve shared objectives through the ‘Duty to Co-operate’. More recently, the County Council has become a member of the East Midlands Mayoral Combined Authority.

Derbyshire is an area of high quality natural and built heritage, incorporating the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and adjoining the Peak District National Park. The intrinsic importance of these assets is recognised in conjunction with their contribution towards quality of life, tourism and the economy. The County is covered by five Housing Market Areas, which illustrates the complexity of the housing market geography as well as the close relationships between neighbouring authority areas. The County is geographically, economically and socially diverse incorporating heavily built-up areas as well as sparsely populated rural areas, with contrasting levels of economic performance. Parts of the County are covered by four strategically important areas of Green Belt.

The County Council has an ambitious programme of investment and the Planning Service plays an important role in considering future infrastructure such as schools, cycle routes, new roads, libraries and bridges.

This is an exciting time to join our team, giving you the opportunity to have a strong influence on how we deliver our services. So, if you’re looking to work for a forward thinking and innovative authority, joining our team could be the perfect opportunity for you to make a difference.

At Derbyshire County Council, we recognise that our workforce is our greatest asset, and we are currently looking for inspired and proactive people who are committed to new ways of thinking and working. We positively encourage staff to expand and grow their experience in the Service. In return, you will enjoy an excellent range of benefits at Derbyshire County Council.

Key responsibilities

• As Principal Planning Officer in the Strategic Planning team, you will be expected to deal with a wide-range of strategic planning and infrastructure matters, including coordinating the County Council’s developer contributions process; assisting with the preparation of the Council’s Minerals and Waste Local Plans; coordinating the strategic planning consultation process on national planning and infrastructure consultations, planning applications referred by district and borough councils and consultations on district and borough Local Plans; and assisting with the County Council’s input to Development Consent Orders for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
• You will assist the Planning Managers and be able to provide effective leadership to ensure strategic planning is handled in accordance with legal requirements, Government and County policy and sound professional practice.
• The role will require attendance at Cabinet Member meetings, as necessary, and other meetings with senior elected members to brief members on planning policy and infrastructure matters; drafting reports for Cabinet and Cabinet Member meetings; and meeting with officers from across the other County Council departments on complex and potentially contentious planning policy and infrastructure matters.
• Derbyshire has an excellent and well-established network of Planning Officer Groups with our local authority partners, which are facilitated and coordinated by the Planning Service. You will have the opportunity to become an integral member of these groups to share knowledge, experience and good planning practice with our partners. You will also have the opportunity to represent the County Council on other specialist officer technical groups established by our local planning authority partners.
• Having the required qualifications and experience, you will have a detailed understanding of planning and infrastructure policy at a national, strategic and local level. You will also have a genuine interest in planning policy, infrastructure planning, wider planning matters and the environment.  Additionally, there will be opportunity for you to assist in the development management process and other planning related work areas, such as specific project coordination groups.

What skills and experience do you need to have:

• A relevant degree and / or diploma granting eligibility for full membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
• You will be able to demonstrate a knowledge and / or interest in national, strategic and local planning policy, and infrastructure planning and development, supported by excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• You will need to be confident in dealing with people to ensure that a good quality customer service is provided to all customers and have excellent IT skills.
• You will also be able to demonstrate experience of collaborative working, particularly with local authority partners and other organisations.

These lists are not exhaustive, take a look at our comprehensive job profile for more detail.

What we offer you: 

• Flexi-time, allowing flexible working hours and up to an additional 2 days of leave per month
• Generous local government pension scheme
• Guaranteed incremental annual pay increases
• Cycle to work scheme
• A supportive working environment, including wellbeing programmes and employee networks
• Commitment and investment in your continuing professional development. 
• Our Derbyshire Rewards discounts and cashback platform and discounts at selected county leisure centres
• and much more!

Our Planning Team has offices in Matlock, Derbyshire, but we work on a flexible basis which includes options for home working.

Derbyshire County Council is going through a period of positive development and transformation so it’s a great time to join and drive change.

For an informal discussion about this role please contact Steve Buffery steven.buffery@derbyshire.gov.uk

Come and join us if you’d like to learn more about our current opportunities, meet the team and ask any questions. We look forward to meeting you.

To find out more about our Planning Service visit; www.derbyshire.gov.uk/planningservicesrecruitment 

How to Apply:

We are accepting CVs for this position so it’s easier than ever to apply! Just click on “Apply for this job”, register and upload your CV. Please include a covering letter outlining the reasons for your interest and your skills, knowledge and experience, taking account of the requirements set out in the job and person profile, we kindly ask that each document is no more than 3 sides of A4, font size 12 for each document.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse work environment. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and communities and with different abilities. We believe that diverse perspectives and experiences enhance our ability to address complex challenges and drive meaningful change.

Closing date for applications: 26th January 2025

Provisional interview date: week commencing 3rd February 2025