Planning Validation Officer

Review planning applications to ensure they meet local and national requirements, calculate application fees, communicate with applicants and provide administrative support for the planning approval process.

About the Role:

As a Planning Validation Officer, you’ll be responsible for receiving and checking new planning and related applications to ensure they contain the relevant information, as per national and local validation requirements, as well as calculating any required fees.

You will liaise with customers to obtain missing information and handle a range of customer enquiries, as well as preparing written correspondence on matters relating to whether proposals need planning or related permission.

Hybrid working offers the opportunity to both work from home and work alongside colleagues in the office.

You will be fully supported in learning the role and it is envisaged that the initial period of the appointment will require the post holder to attend the office for one-to-one training and collaboration with colleagues.

About the Candidate:

Experience of working in a Planning department or have a Town Planning Degree would be desirable, but not essential to this role.

We would welcome recent graduates from related disciplines, such as geography. You should be keen to learn and able to adapt to changing demands and situations. You will demonstrate an understanding of Development Control and the role it plays in the planning system.

With a good standard of education, you’ll be a confident and organised Administrator and have excellent customer service skills along with the ability to effectively prioritise your own workload and remain calm under pressure.

In addition, excellent IT skills are required with the ability to quickly learn and navigate new systems. You must be able to work on your own initiative and as part of a team and have good attention to detail.

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates. For this vacancy, candidates must have an existing right to work in the UK before commencing employment. Skilled Worker visa sponsorship is not available for this post. Eligibility to work in the UK will be verified in the final stages of the selection process. 

If you’re already a Wirral Council employee, as part of our Talent Strategy, we’re committed to strengthening opportunities for our people to learn, grow, progress and thrive. For many of you, this may be preparing and applying for your next role with us, and we're passionate about ensuring you feel supported throughout your internal recruitment experience.

Working at Wirral

You’ll also want to know what it’s like to work here so, as a start:

Our values are more than just pieces of paper on our walls! We’ve all played a role in developing these, so they reflect the immense pride we have in what we do, what matters to us, what inspires us and inform how we think, approach things and behave.

We believe in ensuring staff are well looked after, staff wellbeing is a priority for us. We’re serious about recognising and rewarding people for the great things they do. You’ll benefit from our track record of developing, growing and investing in our people.

We have a range of staff benefits including staff discounts, an excellent pension scheme which includes a generous employer contribution rate, immediate life cover and ill-health protection. We have a strong flexible working approach, hybrid working, family-friendly employment initiatives and an annual leave package starting with 28 days leave plus public holidays.

We have an inclusive, engaged culture, everyone has a voice, everyone is valued for their contribution and understands the role they play in delivering our strategic priorities.

Each voice is heard, each contribution valued. We embrace diversity in our workforce and recognise it is critical to our success. We support an inclusive culture that champions differences and nurtures a sense of belonging. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds, who share our values and our commitment to inclusion to apply for roles with us.