Associate Town Planner / Associate Partner (£50k-£70k + bonus)
Location: Saffron Walden / Chelmsford, Essex
Sector: Planning Consultancy
Level: Associate Town Planner / Associate Partner
Experience: 5–10+ years’ planning experience
Working Pattern: Full-time / Hybrid
The Opportunity
An established and growing planning consultancy is looking to appoint an experienced Associate Town Planner / Associate Partner to join its team in the Saffron Walden / Chelmsford area.
This is a senior position suited to a planner with 5–10+ years’ professional experience who is looking to take the next step in their career and develop both their technical and leadership responsibilities.
The successful candidate will work across a diverse portfolio of residential, commercial and public-sector projects, taking responsibility for planning applications, appeals and wider strategic planning instructions.
Alongside project delivery and client management, there is scope for the successful candidate to develop into a line management and team leadership role, supporting junior and mid-level planners and helping to shape the continued growth of the office.
Key Responsibilities
Planning & Project Delivery
- Lead and manage a varied caseload of planning projects across Essex, Cambridgeshire and the wider region.
- Manage planning applications from initial feasibility and strategy through to determination.
- Prepare and oversee planning statements, applications and supporting documentation.
- Manage and advise on planning appeals, including written representations, hearings and public inquiries where appropriate.
- Provide strategic planning advice to landowners, developers, businesses and public-sector clients.
- Undertake planning appraisals and development potential assessments.
- Advise clients on planning policy, development management and emerging planning issues.
- Interpret national and local planning policy and provide commercially focused advice.
- Liaise and negotiate with local planning authorities, statutory consultees and other stakeholders.
- Coordinate multidisciplinary consultant teams and ensure projects remain on programme.
- Assist with Section 106 negotiations, planning conditions and other planning obligations.
Sector Exposure
The role will provide exposure to a broad range of development projects, including:
Residential
- New-build housing schemes
- Strategic housing sites
- Urban extensions
- Rural residential development
- Affordable housing
- Mixed-use developments
Commercial
- Employment and commercial development
- Industrial and logistics
- Offices
- Retail and leisure
- Mixed-use schemes
- Change-of-use and redevelopment projects
Public Sector
- Local authority-led development
- Public-sector land
- Community and infrastructure projects
- Regeneration
- Strategic planning initiatives
- Development proposals involving public-sector stakeholders
Planning Appeals
A strong understanding of the appeals process is desirable, with responsibilities potentially including:
- Assessing prospects of appeal following planning refusal.
- Developing appeal strategies.
- Preparing appeal statements and written representations.
- Coordinating evidence from specialist consultants.
- Liaising with Planning Inspectors and local authorities.
- Representing clients at hearings and public inquiries where appropriate.
- Advising clients on appeal outcomes and subsequent planning strategies.
Client & Stakeholder Management
The successful candidate will be expected to develop strong, long-term relationships with clients and professional partners.
Responsibilities will include:
- Acting as a senior point of contact for key clients.
- Attending client meetings and site visits.
- Providing clear and commercially minded planning advice.
- Managing expectations, programmes and project budgets.
- Preparing fee proposals and scopes of work.
- Building relationships with developers, landowners, architects, survey