Job Description

How you'll make a difference:
We are determined that South Gloucestershire will be a great place to live and work, and the Strategic Planning and Housing division brings together planning policy, development management and specialist professional officers to deliver sustainable development. Joining our Strategic Planning team, we're looking to recruit two Planning Assistants to work on minor planning applications and queries. What you will be doing:

• You will play an important role in processing and evaluating planning and related applications.
• Daily, you will deal with general enquiries, giving pre-application advice relating to planning legislation, site histories, current applications and other planning matters.
• Undertaking site inspections and negotiations, you will support in the preparation of reports for the committee and written appeal statements.
• Having your own caseload of planning applications, with supervision, you will be responsible for the planning and management of these.
• Working with other sections within the council in connection with development management and unauthorised developments, you will liaise with colleagues and Enforcement Planning Officers.

What we need from you:

• It is essential that you are educated to degree level or hold an NVQ Level 3 in town planning or a related field.
• You must be able to demonstrate knowledge and experience of development control objectives, procedures and planning law and be open to further training.
• Given the elements of the role, you will feel confident in managing a caseload of planning applications, producing accurate work, determining your own priorities and meeting deadlines.
• We require you to have good customer skills, with well-developed communication, presentation and negotiation skills.
• It is preferred that you are able to understand and use scaled drawings and maps and have a knowledge of legislation and current issues facing planning.

What you need to know:
Interviews are to be held on the 22nd October 2025. How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different:

• What's special here is the strength of the team ethos, the support and the training.
• As part of our benefits package you will receive generous annual leave , employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities.
• We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work.

Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here.

• We're building and shaping communities which people are proud of
• We're working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life
• We're investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential.

We've achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference.
We're making a difference, be part of it!
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Skills Required