Planning Consultant

Andy File Associates Limited is working as a Recruitment Agency on behalf of our client with regards this permanent position.

Salary: dependent on experience and in line with the local market rate

Location: Bristol

Our client is looking for an energetic and confident planner with a genuine interest in progressing their career through to RTPI Chartership with long-term ambitions to grow and expand their skills and responsibility within the company. Our client provides excellent opportunities for staff, with training opportunities including a mentoring scheme for chartership through the L-APC process with excellent first-time success rates to enable staff to develop quickly with over 25% of the staff having worked for the company for longer than 10 years. Their Planning Team currently consists of 10 planners, of which 7 are chartered based across the Bristol, Sheffield and Manchester Offices and they continue to grow.

They are a supportive friendly team with a mix of levels, ages, genders. Our client is active in multiple sectors, focused in Net Zero infrastructure (an active and growing sector as they advance towards the legally binding 2050 target) – including renewable energy development (solar, wind, battery energy storage), nuclear, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, EV charging, advanced waste management facilities (waste to energy & waste to fuels), plus a range of work in the residential and leisure sectors.

Our client’s client base continues to grow and diversify with a strong pipeline of projects coming forward. Employees here have multiple opportunities to learn from experienced colleagues and take on projects of their own including extensive opportunities to work with internal technical teams to deliver multi-disciplinary projects – having autonomy and ownership over their own projects with strong support from senior team members so that staff can develop in a structured environment at their own pace. This sets them apart from larger consultancies, where employees can often feel bogged down in a role as a report writer with a lack of autonomy to take on management of their own projects and clients. They provide genuine career progression opportunities.

The candidate should ideally live in or around Bristol and will be keen to attend networking events and get involved in the planning and development scene in Bristol. The Bristol Central office is in its infancy – so there is a genuine opportunity for a planner to join the team at the start of the curve but with support from a well-established nationwide planning team and be central to the Bristol office growth and so grow their own career and standing in the south-west.

• Office is a vibrant space with state-of-the-art facilities.
• Preferred work pattern is Hybrid working 4 days in the office and 1-day WFH

Great work atmosphere and chance to get involved in community events. Situated in a bustling part of the city with many planning & development sector businesses.

Your role includes

Reporting on a weekly basis to the Planning Directors and instructing/working with others in the team or multi-disciplinary project teams, as required; being responsible to the Planning Directors for technical and business performance; assisting with business development; liaising with others in the environmental team as well as with other Environmental Specialists in other company offices and actively participating in networking opportunities.

As a Planning Consultant you will form a key individual in the Planning team working closely with the Planning Directors in addition to managing your own planning projects. Working within a team of planning consultants you will be responsible for delivering a wide range of planning applications and appraisals across a wide spectrum of sectors, for example: Renewable Energy, EV Charging Infrastructure, Tourism, Commercial, Residential, Utilities and Waste.

Your brief will include

• Preparation and co-ordination of Planning applications.
• Input into the preparation of EIA documents.
• Preparation of Planning feasibility reviews.
• Preparation and submission of planning representations for site identification within Local Development Plans.
• Preparation of discharge of Planning Condition submissions.
• 1-2 years’ experience of working in this type of role preferably within consultancy.
• Preparation of Proposal development, writing and management.
• Be working towards becoming a member of MRTPI, if not already a member.

Additional

• The candidate must be able to drive and ideally has use of a car for site visits and travelling to other offices.

• Eligibility to work and reside in the UK.

Benefits

• 24 days annual leave plus bank holidays.

• Annual leave increases by one day for every three years of service.

• Healthcare scheme with Benenden health

• Life Insurance (three times annual salary).

• Access to Wider Wallet Benefits scheme.

• Paid professional subscriptions (Max £750 per year)

• Employee referral scheme.

• Pension scheme (4% employer contribution).

• Drive Electric car scheme

• Long service rewards

• Pool car available and car hire available