Principal Planning Enforcement Officer

at  Stroud District Council

ABOUT US

Stroud District Council covers an area of 175 square miles and has an exceptionally diverse physical, historic, and natural environment offering infinite variety and interest. Over 50% of the district is designated a National Landscape. Our district contains over 3000 listed buildings, 68 scheduled ancient monuments, 41 conservation areas, and internationally and nationally important wildlife sites.
The Planning Enforcement team receive around 600 enquiries per year. We are a small, friendly, but busy team committed to investigating and resolving alleged breaches of planning control, either through informal negotiation or our statutory planning enforcement powers.
We recently approved our new Planning Enforcement Protocol and part of a programme of investment and improvement, which has included a major overhaul of our IT systems.

As Principal Planning Enforcement Officer you would investigate the most complex breaches of planning control to resolution, including formal enforcement and court action. You would also provide day-to-day leadership and coaching of the team, managing case allocation and closures, and providing professional guidance and supervision. The professional development of the team is one of our current key priorities, and you would bring about a programme of learning.
This is a key role for the whole Development Management service. It is a varied and active role with time regularly spent on site combined with management responsibilities. You need to have an aptitude for gathering information from various sources, interpreting technical documents, problem solving, diplomacy, and making clear, logical, and well-founded decisions. You also need great communication skills – both written and verbal – to explain your decisions in easily understood language to different audiences.
In this role you will need good time and people management skills, and the ability to manage and prioritise a mixed caseload at various stages of the process. As Principal Planning Enforcement Officer you will engage and build a rapport with colleagues and stakeholders, including partner agencies, complainants, developers, and elected Members.