ArTown Planner (North) - Development Management & Planning Policy

About the Trust

We're one of the UK’s biggest charities and we care for 2,000 miles of canals, rivers, docks and reservoirs because we believe life is better by water. We're looking for people who support our cause and want to make a difference for future generations. Could this be you?

Along with our waterways we also manage museums, archives and the country's third largest collection of historic buildings, as well as the nature and wildlife that calls our canals home. All of this enables us to provide wellbeing opportunities for millions of people each year.

Join Our Team: Area Planner (North) opportunity

Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive.

Our National Spatial Planning Team has a significant role to play in this by using the planning system to protect the Trust's assets, championing the many benefits that our waterways offer, generating value, and creating sustainable and accessible places where people want to live, visit, work and invest. The diverse nature of the Trust’s assets, our activities, users, and stakeholders present a variety of opportunities for planners within our high performing spatial planning team.

We are looking to appoint another Area Planner to join our North West and Yorkshire & North East team. You will use your skills and knowledge of the planning system to help the Trust secure great waterside places, which maximise the benefits of our waterways, ensure the protection of their heritage and environmental value and safeguard the integrity of critical infrastructure. You will encourage greater use of our waterways and towpaths as sustainable transport, healthy and recreational routes and spaces, promoting their significant benefits for wellbeing.

Working Hours & Location

The role will be based working from home, with the allocation of a nearby Hub for collaborative working in Leeds, Ellesmere Port & Burnley. This is a regional role and there will be an expectation that the successful candidate will be able travel to attend meetings or fieldwork throughout the Yorkshire & North East waterway network and occasionally further afield.

Role Overview

The post holder will be responsible for managing a diverse and high-volume workload of planning consultations and planning policy matters in their geographical area. With a focus on customer service, you will engage with a number of Local Planning Authorities, Parish Councils, interested parties and communities, along with a wide range of specialists and business areas within the Trust.

In the Trust’s capacity as a Statutory Consultee, you will comply with our “duty to respond” on consultations which vary in scale from EIA scale development to “minor” and “householder”. As part of your varied caseload, you will be responsible for negotiating the imposition of planning conditions and / or obligations to address issues, reduce potential liabilities and will be expected to represent the Trust in the appeal process. There may also be the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Trust to nationally significant infrastructure projects.

The planning policy element of the role will require you to develop relationships with local planning authorities to ensure that the opportunities of our network are recognised in the early stages of strategy formation and plan making, respond to consultations on Local Plans, Neighbourhood Plans and other planning policy related documents to support the work of the Trust. This may include representing the Trust, as necessary, at any relevant examination of the plan.

For this opportunity, we are seeking a qualified planning professional with significant experience of the development management process to work in a highly diverse and increasingly customer focused organisation. It would be preferable for you to have some experience of planning policy matters.

You’ll be required to:

Manage effectively your constant and challenging workload. Complete tasks to a high standard, in accordance with the Trust’s processes and procedures and within the set timescales. Comply with the Canal & River Trust standards and procedures. Comply with the Canal & River Trust’s Health & Safety policy and standards Travel from time-to-time to site visits, meetings or to other Trust offices.

Skills & Qualifications

For this opportunity, we are seeking a qualified planning professional with significant experience of the development management process and planning policy matters to work in a highly diverse and increasingly customer focused organisation.

Technical:

A chartered Town Planner (or eligible) with a relevant Masters, Diploma or Degree level qualification. Knowledge and experience of the TCPA &/or DCO regimes including appeals and enforcement system in England and Wales. Sound knowledge of planning, heritage and environmental law and regulations. Understanding of Government reforms & policy objectives, planning policy, procedures & regulations in England & Wales. Appeal experience ideally including public inquiries as expert witness and informal hearings. Knowledge and experience of the national planning policy framework, sub-regional spatial plan, local and neighbourhood plan preparation and review processes including examinations. Ability to build effective working relationships with Local Planning Authorities, Town & Parish Councils, other statutory consultees, internal and external stakeholders. Political awareness, extensive experience in public, charity &/or private sector planning.

General:

Advanced negotiation, influencing, presentational, verbal, and written communication skills. Ability to interact with the public, customers, and neighbours, including engaging in difficult conversations. Political awareness, extensive experience in public, charity &/or private sector planning. Experience in use of GIS based systems.

Contact & Application

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at [email removed - click apply for more details]. We encourage early applications as we may close the vacancy once we receive enough suitable candidates.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient suitable applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

What we offer

In addition to your salary of £40,000 - £43,395 + £425 per month Car Cash Allowance (Full Time Equivalent), you will benefit from a competitive pension scheme, increasing holiday entitlement, and a range of employee benefits. For a full breakdown of our benefits, check out our brochure here: EVP - 1.

We operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role. You are considered disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. We recognise not everyone who is classified as disabled under the Equality Act personally identifies this way, or with this definition of disability. Please do not let this discourage you from applying under the scheme.