Senior Planning & Development Manager / Senior Planning Consultant

Job Description

We are a growing property investment, development and management business with a varied portfolio of residential properties, HMOs, development sites and children’s residential care homes.

We are looking for an experienced, commercially minded Senior Planning \& Development Manager / Senior Planning Consultant to take ownership of planning and development matters across our existing portfolio and future acquisitions.

This is not simply a role for someone to complete planning application forms. We need someone who can be given a property, development opportunity or planning problem, establish the best planning strategy and take responsibility for progressing it from initial assessment through to determination.

Our work ranges from HMO planning and Certificates of Lawfulness through to children’s residential homes, enforcement and appeals, extensions, conversions and new\-build residential development.

The successful candidate will become our principal internal planning resource, working directly with directors, architects, Local Planning Authorities and specialist consultants.

Key Responsibilities

Planning Strategy \& Property Due Diligence

Assess properties before acquisition and throughout ownership to establish what can realistically be achieved from a planning and development perspective.

This will include reviewing:

• Existing and historic lawful uses


• Full planning history


• Local and national planning policy


• Article 4 Directions


• Development constraints


• Previous applications and refusals


• Relevant appeal decisions and nearby precedents


• Conservation and heritage considerations


• Access, highways and parking


• Neighbouring amenity


• Development potential


• Planning risk before acquisition

We want someone capable of identifying planning problems before we purchase a property or incur significant development expenditure.

HMO Planning

A significant part of our portfolio consists of HMOs. Relevant experience should ideally include:

• C3 to C4 changes of use


• C4 HMOs


• 7\+ person / Sui Generis HMOs


• Increasing existing 5/6\-bedroom HMOs to 7, 8, 9\+ occupants where appropriate


• HMO density and concentration assessments


• Article 4 Direction areas


• Retrospective applications and regularisation of historic HMO use


• HMO Management Statements


• Amenity standards


• Parking and highways


• Waste, recycling and cycle storage


• Travel Plans


• Extensions and loft conversions associated with HMOs

You should understand that HMO licensing and planning are separate regimes and be able to advise on both where they interact.

Certificates of Lawfulness

You should be comfortable advising upon and managing Certificates of Existing and Proposed Lawful Use or Development, including cases involving historic HMO use.

This includes assessing and compiling evidence such as:

• Council Tax records


• HMO licensing history


• Historic tenancy and occupancy evidence


• Rental records


• Historic photographs and property particulars


• Statutory declarations / statements of truth


• Planning and enforcement records

You must be able to construct a clear and persuasive evidential case rather than simply submitting whatever documentation is available.

Children’s Residential Homes / C2 Planning

Another important part of our business involves children’s residential care homes.

You will advise on the appropriate planning strategy, including:

• C3/C4 to C2 change\-of\-use applications


• Children’s residential care homes


• Small\-scale family\-style care models


• Certificates of Proposed Lawfulness


• Assessing whether an operation constitutes a material change of use


• Operational Management Statements


• Staffing and shift arrangements


• Numbers of children and staff


• Visitors and professional attendance


• Parking and vehicle movements


• Waste arrangements


• Residential amenity


• Noise and disturbance


• Supporting evidence required by LPAs

You must be capable of analysing the facts and operational model of each property rather than assuming every children’s home requires the same planning route.

New\-Build Residential Development

The role will also involve identifying and progressing development opportunities involving rear gardens, side plots, infill sites, large gardens, separate parcels of land, redevelopment, extensions and entirely new dwellings.

You will be expected to assess sites and answer:

What could realistically be built here, and what is the strongest route to obtaining permission?

Responsibilities may include:

• Initial development feasibility


• Site capacity assessments


• Planning policy and precedent research


• Advising on number and type of dwellings


• Concept development


• Briefing and coordinating architects


• Reviewing layouts, scale, massing and design


• Access, highways and parking


• Refuse and servicing


• Private amenity requirements


• Privacy, overlooking and separation distances


• Daylight/sunlight considerations


• Trees and arboricultural matters


• Ecology and Biodiversity Net Gain where applicable


• Drainage and flood risk


• Heritage/conservation matters


• Pre\-application discussions


• Full planning applications


• Planning conditions and discharge of conditions

You will not necessarily produce architectural drawings yourself, but must have sufficient experience to brief, coordinate and challenge architects and other professionals.

Preparing \& Managing Planning Applications

You will take responsibility for applications from initial strategy through to determination, including:

• Pre\-application enquiries


• Planning and change\-of\-use applications


• Retrospective applications


• Certificates of Lawfulness


• Planning Statements


• Design \& Access Statements


• Operational and HMO Management Statements


• Travel Plans


• Supporting evidence


• Coordinating drawings


• Planning Portal submissions


• Validation requirements

You must ensure applications, drawings, operational information and supporting documents are accurate, comprehensive and consistent before submission.

Local Authority Liaison

You must be confident dealing directly with Local Planning Authorities, including:

• Contacting allocated case officers


• Building professional relationships


• Arranging site visits and meetings


• Chasing applications


• Responding to further\-information requests


• Understanding officers’ concerns


• Negotiating amendments


• Responding to consultee and neighbour comments


• Working with highways and other departments


• Seeking solutions during the application rather than waiting for refusal

Where appropriate, you should be prepared to professionally challenge an officer’s interpretation using policy, evidence, precedents and appeal decisions.

Enforcement, Refusals \& Appeals

You should be comfortable dealing with planning enforcement investigations and notices, retrospective development, unauthorised changes of use or alterations, refused applications and Certificates of Lawfulness, resubmissions, remedial solutions and planning appeals.

Following a refusal, you should be able to analyse the reasons and advise whether the strongest strategy is to amend, resubmit, negotiate, seek pre\-application advice or appeal.

Research \& Planning Precedents

Research is an important part of this position. You will investigate comparable applications, nearby approvals/refusals, officer reports, appeal and Planning Inspectorate decisions, Local Plan policies, SPDs, Article 4 Directions and emerging policy.

Our applications should be evidence\-led and properly researched, particularly where we are pursuing an unusual or challenging planning position.

Managing External Professionals

You will coordinate and, where necessary, manage architects, architectural technicians, highways consultants, arboricultural consultants, ecologists, drainage and heritage consultants, planning barristers/solicitors and other specialists.

Quality control is an important part of the role. You must be capable of identifying weaknesses, omissions or inconsistencies in consultants’ work before submission.

Portfolio Management

You will maintain oversight of all live planning matters across the portfolio through a clear planning tracker covering application details, case officers, submission/validation dates, consultation and determination deadlines, outstanding information, risks, enforcement/appeal deadlines, consultants, next actions and responsibilities.

Directors should be able to request an update on any property and immediately understand its position and next steps.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for someone who is:

• Experienced in UK town planning


• Commercially minded and solution\-focused


• Highly organised and proactive


• Confident dealing with Local Authorities


• Strong at planning research and interpreting policy


• Comfortable challenging professional advice


• Experienced in managing multiple applications


• Able to identify problems before they become refusals


• Comfortable working independently and taking ownership

Experience involving HMOs, Sui Generis, Article 4, Certificates of Lawfulness, children’s homes/C2, residential development, new builds, retrospective planning, enforcement and appeals would be highly advantageous.

Previous experience working for a Local Planning Authority would be particularly attractive.

An RTPI\-accredited qualification and/or MRTPI status is desirable, although strong practical experience will also be considered.

What Success Looks Like

We are not looking for somebody who waits for us to provide completed drawings and asks which application we want submitted.

We want someone who can be given an address and an objective and come back having researched it properly:

**“I’ve reviewed the planning history, policy, restrictions and comparable decisions. This is what I believe we can achieve, these are the risks, this is the evidence we need, and this is the strategy I recom

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