Senior Conservation & Planning Officer

Job purpose: Monitoring and enforcement of prescribed regulatory areas, which will include but not limited to, recommendations regarding infringement, resolution advice, event based activities. Provision of services of a technical, vocational or specialist operational nature to internal and external customers. To provide legal / regulatory /statutory monitoring and enforcement support within a specific work area.

The overall responsibilities of the service/function are:

The Development Management service is both statutory and regulatory and is responsible for controlling new development and preventing or taking action against unauthorised development in line with a prescribed set of planning acts, procedure notes, central and local planning policy guidance and regulations. While some of the decision making process is subjective, there is a high degree of legal and prescriptive procedure which has to be followed to avoid a challenge to the process or decision. Certain organisations are 'statutory' which have to be consulted on some types of application but not others, i.e. the Environment Agency and Parish and Town Councils. The service is a key part of the Council's ability to deliver the aims of its business plan, in providing the employment opportunities and new housing that residents require.

Working alongside the communities in Wiltshire, and many statutory stakeholders i.e. Environment Agency, Historic England and Town and Parish Councils, this role is required to preserve and enhance the natural and built environment whilst working within the planning framework at national level, and in accordance with the locally adopted Core Strategy. The team is responsible for determining between 6000 - 8000 planning applications each year, with accountability to the DCLG for the performance of these applications.