Planning Officer

About Us:

If you are an agency worker, a contractor or employed by Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), Hammersmith and Fulham (H&F) or a partner organisation of Westminster City Council please apply via this link.

The Role:

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF SERENA’S VISION

The Growth, Planning and Housing directorate in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories. Where innovative and open-minded people bring everything to the cause. Even expertise from surprising places. Take Serena. She is an absolute force of nature at the heart of our Church Street regeneration. And she puts the residents first in everything. Serena’s vision is clear. Regeneration isn’t just about bricks and concrete. It’s about communities. It’s about the environment. It’s about the lives of people and how they feel about where they call home. Serena is their advocate, making sure residents’ voices aren’t just heard, but drive the changes we’re making. The future is safe in her hands.

Please view the extraordinary story of Serena’s Vision here.

About You:

As a Planning Officer in one the area teams you make your own powerful contribution. With a high-profile remit, the Place Shaping and Town Planning Services team work collaboratively with partners and the wider community to ensure Westminster maintains its reputation as a world-class place in which to live, work and visit. You will be dealing with a range of planning applications and appeals, pre-application inquiries and providing One Stop Duty Officer advice.

You will have the confidence to steer applicants and key stakeholders such as major landowners and developers round to your way of thinking – plus the tact to produce correspondence relating to complex and sensitive issues. From defending the Council at appeals, via written representations, informal hearings, and public inquiries through to assisting with the consideration of planning applications. This is a uniquely varied role in which you will have the scope to make a considerable impact on the future of Westminster.

This is an exciting opportunity to make your mark in a progressive team. You will need exceptional communication skills and a team-player attitude. On a practical level, you will have a relevant degree. This post is suitable for a newly graduated planner starting out in their career or for someone who has some experience in development management with a track record in dealing with a range of applications, including applicant negotiations and appeals. Crucially, your stakeholder management skills will extend to acting as a trusted partner to residents, businesses, and contractors.

Please refer to the Job Description for more information

What We Offer:

Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to over 250,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. Westminster City Council’s strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city’s future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe.

At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit https://www.westminster.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/public-health-strategy-policies-and-reports/equality-duties

As a forward thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.

The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application , we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.