£30,000 - £40,000

Reports To
In-House Planning Lawyer

Location
Finedon Road Industrial Estate, Wellingborough, NN8

Job Overview
Tingdene Parks Limited, a member of the long-established, Wellingborough based, Tingdene group of companies, is a niche but nationally prominent developer and operator of residential park home estates, offering and providing lifestyle-focused housing solutions to active retirees and those who wish to be.
 
With a growing portfolio of established, expanding, and new or prospective parks; and with sister companies active in allied lifestyle sectors focused upon marina and holiday lodge development, the company has identified a need for additional specialist in-house development control facing capacity, both to support the most effective implementation of existing (sometimes historic) planning permissions and to secure new consents.
 
Job Purpose

• To assist and support the company’s in-house planning lawyer in identifying and advising directors upon planning and allied regulatory constraints to development projects.
• To assist in securing new planning permissions, the timely discharge of conditions imposed under new permissions, the effective response to consultee objections (including by procuring expert consultancy input where necessary), and the negotiation/creation of related planning obligations where required.
• To assist and support the company’s in-house planning lawyer in making applications for certificates of lawful established or proposed use and to identify cases where such applications might be in the interest of the company to make.
• To assist and support the company’s in-house lawyer in making statutory appeals against refusals of planning permission and certificates of lawful established or proposed use, and in identifying settling the grounds for such appeals.    

Responsibilities and Duties

• With the support of the company’s in-house planning lawyer, to become familiar with the company’s park home development and business model (especially in connection with key legal/planning considerations around caravan based residential development and associated site licensing).  
• To research Local Planning Authority policies and planning register records when necessary, in order to identify key policy constraints and planning history components in relation to prospective and existing project sites.
• To research Local Planning Authority committee and case officer delegation reports when necessary, in order to identify apparently wrong or challengeable application of development plan policies or analysis of material planning considerations.
• To liaise with Local Planning Authority officers in connection with the accountabilities above.
• To research and identify National Planning Policy Framework and National Planning Practice Guidance provisions as may enable or constrain company development proposals.
• To correspond with LPA planning officers and their consultee bodies to resolve or minimize objections to development proposals.
• To assist in negotiating and settling the content of planning obligations and planning conditions, including by researching and identifying relevant development plan policies.
• To assist the company’s in-house planning lawyer in researching and identifying case-law and Planning Inspectorate appeal decisions that support achievement of the company’s development project aims. 
• To assist in compiling and progressing applications for planning permission, certificates of lawful established or proposed use, and to discharge planning conditions, including by commenting upon and/or suggesting improvements to supporting statements or grounds prepared by external consultants in order to be compatible with the company’s business model.
• To assist in instruction of and liaison with external consultants providing specialist development project related services in order to enable timely and effective delivery of commissioned work.
• To assist in monitoring live applications and appeals in order to identify and enable response to objections or other material considerations or queries raised by decision makers or consultees within relevant timeframes.    

Qualifications

• Essential:
  • Knowledge and practical experience of development control procedures, regulation, and decision making both by Local Planning Authorities (at first instance) and by the Planning Inspectorate (at appeal)
  • Degree/post graduate town planning and/or regulatory legal qualification; or equivalent substantial vocational experience gained in a Local Planning Authority development control or district council legal service
  • Experienced user of Microsoft Outlook, Word, Adobe Reader, and internet accessed search engines (both general and subscription or public body hosted)
  • Experienced communicator with development facing professionals, able to write or converse appropriately and, where necessary, able to comprehend technically specific language relevant to development control matters
• Desirable:
  • Commercial awareness
  • Organisational/administrative skills
  • Appreciation of regulatory requirements around information management and general company/corporate compliance
  • A full driving license

To apply for this position please send your CV and a supporting covering letter to recruitment via the 'Enquire/Apply' button below.