Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Urban Planning Officer

🎯 Role Definition

The Urban Planning Officer is a professional role responsible for assessing, managing and shaping development proposals, implementing planning policy and delivering place-making outcomes that balance growth, sustainability and community needs. This role combines technical planning assessment, statutory decision-making support, stakeholder engagement, and cross-disciplinary coordination with transport, housing, environment and heritage teams to deliver high-quality, lawful, and deliverable planning outcomes.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Planning Assistant / Graduate Planner
GIS Technician or Spatial Analyst with planning exposure
Policy Officer or Planning Enforcement Officer

Advancement To:

Senior Planner / Principal Planner
Planning Team Leader / Development Manager
Planning Policy Manager or Development Control Manager

Lateral Moves:

Transport Planner
Environmental / Sustainability Planner
Regeneration or Housing Program Manager
Heritage / Conservation Officer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Assess and process planning applications (outline, full and reserved matters) against national and local planning policy, producing clear, evidence-based written recommendations and conditions for decision-makers.
Prepare comprehensive planning reports, committee reports and officer recommendations that articulate the planning balance, statutory tests, material considerations and recommended conditions or obligations.
Provide timely, technically robust pre-application advice to developers, architects and members of the public, including written guidance on deliverability, policy constraints and contribution expectations.
Negotiate planning obligations, developer contributions and Section 106/CIL agreements to secure affordable housing, infrastructure, biodiversity net gain and other mitigation measures necessary to make development acceptable.
Undertake site inspections and planning compliance checks to verify application details, assess on-site impacts, and monitor implementation of planning conditions and approved schemes.
Lead or contribute to planning appeals and public inquiries by preparing statements of case, proof of evidence and presenting technical evidence in support of the council’s position.
Support the preparation, review and implementation of Local Plans, neighbourhood plans and supplementary planning documents, including evidence base preparation, site assessments and public consultations.
Liaise with statutory consultees (e.g., highways authority, environment agency, conservation officers) to coordinate technical responses on transport, flooding, ecology, heritage and contaminated land matters.
Apply knowledge of relevant legislation (e.g., Town and Country Planning Acts, National Planning Policy Framework or regional equivalents), case law and circulars to ensure lawful decision-making and risk management.
Undertake environmental and heritage impact assessments, coordinating specialist reports (e.g., ecological surveys, heritage statements, transport assessments) and advising on mitigation measures and conditions.
Use GIS (ArcGIS/QGIS) and spatial data to analyse land use patterns, prepare maps, site appraisals and visualisations that inform site allocations, planning decisions and policy development.
Monitor housing land supply, employment land, and infrastructure needs; prepare and maintain planning monitoring reports and help to identify land availability and delivery constraints.
Engage local communities, councillors and stakeholder groups through public consultations, exhibitions and stakeholder workshops to gather views and build consensus around planning proposals.
Advise elected members at planning committee meetings, present complex planning issues in plain language, and respond to member queries with professionally grounded advice.
Develop and implement planning conditions and legal agreements to manage construction impact, biodiversity enhancement, tree protection and long-term site management, ensuring enforceability and clarity.
Identify and prioritise enforcement cases, prepare evidence for enforcement notices, injunctions and prosecutions where necessary, and manage follow-up compliance activity.
Coordinate cross-disciplinary project teams on major developments and regeneration programmes, ensuring integration of planning, transport, housing and sustainability objectives.
Review and comment on highways, drainage and transport proposals to ensure development integrates with local transport strategies, mitigates traffic impacts and supports active and sustainable travel.
Assess climate resilience and sustainability credentials of proposals, advising on low-carbon design, energy efficiency, sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), and biodiversity net gain measures.
Prepare design guidance, masterplans and urban design reviews to secure high-quality place-making, inclusive public realm and streetscape improvements in line with local design codes.
Provide expert advice on land use options, zoning and planning constraints for landowners, developers and internal teams to support site feasibility, acquisition and regeneration strategies.
Maintain accurate case management records, update planning databases and ensure statutory timetables are met for validation, consultation and decision-making.
Assist in preparing funding bids, grant applications and delivery plans for regeneration projects, aligning planning outputs with funding requirements and delivery milestones.
Support training, coaching and development of junior planners, interns and technical staff; provide quality control of draft reports, recommendations and technical submissions.

Secondary Functions

Maintain and analyse planning performance data, KPIs and appeals outcomes to drive continuous improvement in decision-making and service delivery.
Contribute to the authority’s spatial data and evidence base by capturing and reporting GIS outputs, growth trends and infrastructure needs to inform strategy and policy.
Support cross-department workstreams such as housing delivery programmes, climate action plans, and transport strategy development to ensure planning alignment.
Participate in corporate projects, partnership boards and external stakeholder forums, representing planning interests and promoting integrated place-based solutions.
Research best practice in urban design, climate adaptation, biodiversity and housing delivery and incorporate innovative solutions into policy advice and project briefs.
Provide occasional out-of-hours support for planning enforcement or urgent development consultations where statutory timelines require rapid input.
Assist with public-facing information, website content and FAQs to improve transparency and accessibility of planning services.
Support procurement of specialist consultants (e.g., arborists, flood risk consultants) by preparing briefs, assessing proposals and managing appointed advisers.
Mentor and provide technical feedback to junior staff, participate in recruitment panels and help maintain a learning culture within the planning service.
Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives including digitisation of casework, enhancement of e-planning services and improved customer journey mapping.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

In-depth knowledge of planning legislation, statutory instruments and national policy frameworks relevant to the jurisdiction (e.g., NPPF) and practical experience applying them to casework.
Development management experience including validation, consultation, assessment, decision-making and appeals management for residential, commercial and mixed-use schemes.
Experience preparing planning committee reports, legal agreements (Section 106/CIL) and enforceable conditions that withstand legal scrutiny.
Strong GIS skills (ArcGIS, QGIS or equivalent) for mapping, spatial analysis and producing professional cartography to support site appraisals and evidence bases.
Competence in assessing technical inputs such as transport assessments, flood risk assessments, ecological surveys, heritage statements and noise/contamination reports.
Familiarity with planning policy preparation, Local Plan processes, site allocation methodologies and housing land supply monitoring.
Proficient report writing and documentation skills with the ability to produce clear, concise and persuasive planning statements, committee reports and technical evidence.
Experience with planning case management systems (e.g., Uniform, Land & Property Services, or other e-planning platforms) and MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Understanding of urban design principles, masterplanning, place-making and the ability to critically appraise design and layout proposals.
Negotiation and developer liaison experience including securing planning obligations, affordable housing provision and infrastructure contributions.
Knowledge of sustainability and climate resilience measures (SuDS, renewable energy, fabric-first approaches) and how to translate them into planning conditions.

Soft Skills

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to explain technical matters simply to members, applicants and the public.
Strong stakeholder engagement and public consultation skills with the ability to build consensus and manage conflicting views.
High level of political awareness and diplomacy when advising elected members and responding to sensitive or high-profile cases.
Sound commercial awareness and pragmatic problem-solving aptitude to find deliverable planning solutions.
Organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple complex caseloads to statutory deadlines and maintain attention to detail.
Resilience and adaptability to cope with changing priorities, public scrutiny and occasional out-of-hours demands.
Team player with coaching and mentoring experience, supporting development of junior colleagues and multidisciplinary teams.
Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret technical evidence, quantify impacts and apply professional judgment.
Customer-focused approach with commitment to improving service delivery, access to information and transparency.
Ethical integrity and commitment to regulatory compliance, fairness and the public interest.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning, Town Planning, Geography, Architecture, Civil Engineering or a closely related discipline.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Urban Planning, Spatial Planning or equivalent professional qualification.
Membership of a recognised professional body (e.g., RTPI, AICP) or studies toward chartered/chartered-equivalent status.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Urban and Regional Planning
Geography and Spatial Analysis
Urban Design and Landscape Architecture
Environmental Planning and Sustainability
Civil Engineering (with planning modules)
Public Policy / Real Estate / Housing Studies

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years of planning experience in development management, policy or regeneration.

Preferred: 3–7+ years’ experience with demonstrable track record in processing planning applications, negotiating planning obligations, preparing committee reports, and contributing to plan-making; local government experience strongly preferred.

Skills and experience that strengthen an application: chartered planner status, proven GIS mapping and analysis, experience of major applications and appeals, demonstrable project management of regeneration programmes, and experience of multi-disciplinary stakeholder coordination.