Planning Officer / Senior Planning Officer
Salary: Up to £49,282 pa (Plus Essential Car User Allowance up to £1,239 pa)
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Fixed Term until 31 March 2027
Closing date: 20 Oct 2025 12:00
Interview date: W/C 3 Nov 2025
Ref: P1732
About the role:
Horsham District Council is looking for a Planning Officer / Senior Planning Officer (depending on experience) to work within our Development and Building Control department. This is an additional post within the department currently funded for a fixed term period until 31 March 2027 to support the department through a period when we expect to receive a significant number of planning applications.
Horsham is an area with beautiful countryside but also significant housing pressures. We consider around 3,000 applications each year and are anticipating a significant uplift in development in the next two years following the Government’s changes to the NPPF. We work from a modern office building in Horsham Town centre where you will be working with a friendly, supportive and dedicated team.
Planning Officer:
As Planning Officer you will have demonstrable experience in managing a varied caseload of development proposals, from householder applications to equestrian and rural development proposals, small scale housing and commercial developments, and discharge of conditions. You will also have experience of providing pre-application advice and defending the Council at appeal, and be able to offer clear advice to applicants, members and the general public.
Please note for the salary for Planning Officer is £30,024 - £39,862 pa (Plus Essential Car User Allowance up to £1,239 pa).
Senior Planning Officer:
As Senior Planning Officer you will have demonstrable experience in managing a caseload of more complex development proposals, taking ownership of the application process for development schemes from pre-application discussions through to determination and implementation, attending planning committees and defending the Council at appeal as required. You will have an understanding of s106 legal agreements and be able to articulate complex policy considerations in well-structured reports, and be able to offer clear advice to applicants, members and the general public.
Please note for the salary for Senior Planning Officer is £45,091 - £49,282 pa (Plus Essential Car User Allowance up to £1,239 pa).
We work from a modern office building in Horsham Town centre where you will be working with a friendly, supportive and dedicated team.
About you:
To succeed as Planning Officer / Senior Planning Officer, you will be a highly motivated individual who has a willingness to learn and is adaptable to change. The successful candidate will be required to travel around the District, therefore, the role requires a current UK driving licence and access to a car.
For an informal discussion about this role please call Adrian Smith, Major Applications Team Leader on 01403 215460.
About us:
We have a friendly and supportive working environment and being a smaller Council, you can really get to know everybody.
We encourage and support our employees to have a healthy work life balance by offering 28 days’ (207.2 hours) annual leave plus bank holidays (pro-rata), and flexible/hybrid working options where applicable.
We offer a generous benefits package including an online platform offering discounts from online retailers and access to a car lease scheme. Staff are also eligible to join the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), where the Council contributes circa 20% of pensionable salary.
To support employees’ professional development the Council provides reimbursement for professional subscriptions and a number of training opportunities, including extensive in-house learning resources, short courses, Apprenticeships, and qualifications such as Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM), Master of Business Administration (MBA).
Visit our Jobs and careers page to find out more about Working for Horsham District Council and Our employment commitments.
To apply:
If you would like to apply for the role, we highly recommend you show clearly within the ‘Experience Section’ of the application form how you meet the essential criteria detailed within the Role Profile when applying. If you do not make this clear, it is unlikely you will be shortlisted for interview. Please be clear whether you are applying for the Planning Officer or Senior Planning Officer position.
Internal applicants, if you would like to apply for the role, please submit an expression of interest to HR@horsham.gov.uk explaining clearly how you meet the criteria and what you feel you can bring to the role.