Planning Officer

• Planning_Officer_-_Job_Description

Closing date: 13 July 2025
Interview date: Week commencing 21 July 2025

Please apply via Winchester City Council's website or send your CV and covering letter to hrrecruitment@winchester.gov.uk.

Are you interested in developing a career in planning or are you already an experienced Town Planner looking for a new challenge?

Winchester City Council has an exciting career opportunity for a Planning Officer within its Planning Department. This is a key role in ensuring our service remains high quality and efficient. We are seeking an enthusiastic candidate to join our skilled Planning Development Management Service and help shape our charming city, historic towns, villages and countryside. Our emerging Local Plan is ambitious and focussed on meeting the challenge of climate change.

Winchester is a unique place. A place of history and heritage that today is home to a vibrant and diverse cultural scene, a strong local economy, and is set within a beautiful landscape with 40% of the district inside the South Downs National Park. It’s a destination that attracts visitors from across the world. It should come as no surprise that it’s a place where expectations and ambitions are high. That’s what makes this role such an exciting professional opportunity.

The Role

The role of Planning Officer is an ideal opportunity to build your career as a planner. We are looking for candidates with a keen interest in the built, rural and natural environments who can demonstrate initiative and good judgement in making recommendations on a wide range of planning matters. Ideally you will have a degree in Planning, but we will consider those who have an alternative relevant degree. Support and training will be provided to enable you to carry out your role and develop your career.

You will be a highly motivated, well organised worker and a strong team player who can make a positive contribution to the team. You will have excellent, communication, assessment and negotiation skills and the ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines and contribute to delivering a high-quality service to our customers. You will need to have some experience of working in an office and in a customer focussed role.

What Winchester Offers

Our offices are based in the heart of Winchester’s Historic Cathedral City. Winchester and our market towns have a wealth of beautiful historic and contemporary developments, and we have a reputation for facilitating high quality planning outcomes in this context by working collaboratively with stakeholders and the community.

Successful candidates for this post will benefit from:

• Employer paid health cash plan
• Cycle to Work and Car Benefit salary sacrifice schemes
• Competitive annual leave; up to 13 days additional flexi leave per year
• Flexible working arrangements
• Option to buy up to 5 days additional annual leave
• Free parking
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Discounted membership at the two leisure centres in the district
• Confidential Employee Advice and Support Programme
• Employee retail and shopping discounts
• Season Ticket Loans
• Excellent working environment
• Support for continuous professional development

Please note: previous applicants for this role need not apply.

If you are interested in working for Winchester City Council, please contact Simon Avery, Principal Planning Officer – Team Leader North on 01962 848572 or Lorna Hutchings, Service Lead: Built Environment on 01962 848290 for an informal chat about the roles available.