Graduate Planner

Why Lancaster?

We’re an award-winning, kind and responsible council, and we’re incredibly proud of our district and communities that reach from the coast to the mountains, including the historic City of Lancaster, Morecambe, Carnforth and many other beautiful places.

The Role

Lancaster City Council is pleased to offer a great opportunity for an enthusiastic and self-motivated individual to commence or progress their planning career in the Council’s planning applications team. It is one of the highest performing planning application teams in the country, dealing with a range of planning related applications across the District, meaning that the workload remains varied and engaging.

You will gain valuable experience of determining householder planning applications and dealing with associated enforcement matters throughout the Lancaster District.

You must have a degree or equivalent, be a strong communicator, be able to work independently and as part of a team, and have an interest in the built environment and place making.

The Lancaster District is:

• An ambitious district, reflected in the Council’s exciting development programme which includes delivering the next Eden Project in Morecambe and a new Garden Village settlement at South Lancaster.

• A collaborative district, with officers who are empowered to work with partners on unique projects such as the Health Innovation Campus, which aims to develop sustainable solutions for the important health and care challenges that we face as a society.

• A diverse district, including the internationally protected Morecambe Bay; the City of Lancaster, which is one of the premier heritage destinations within the England’s Heritage Cities Consortium; 2 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a vibrant arts and cultural community.

• A responsible district, which recognises how it can lead by example and influence others to address the local challenges that global climate change brings.

• An accessible district, with the breathtaking scenery of the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales only 30 minutes away, and which is served by London and Scotland-bound West Coast Mainline rail services. Three junctions of the M6 lie within the district, providing an immediate gateway to the rest of the country. 

A full current UK driving licence is essential, as the post holder will occasionally be required to undertake site visits. The hours of work for this position are 37 hours per week, working Monday to Friday, and you will be based at Lancaster Town Hall. The Council currently operates a Flexible Working Hours Scheme which applies to this post and encourages hybrid working.

About You

You will identify with our organisational values of Pride, Ownership, Working Together and Ambition.

Our Benefits

Lancaster is a great place to work, as well as being part of something special you will also benefit from:

• Generous annual leave allowance
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• A range of employee benefits including discounted gym membership, cycle to work scheme, the opportunity to purchase extra time off, as well as discounts on days out, activities and retail.

Lancaster City Council has unanimously declared a climate emergency and will therefore work towards reducing carbon emissions to net-zero by 2030. As part of this role, you will be expected to participate and work towards reducing both carbon emissions and the impacts of climate change.

We are an Investor in People, Forces Friendly employer, and an Armed Forces Covenant committed organisation. We welcome applications from defence reserves and other members of our armed forces community. We are an inclusive employer and welcome applications from all parts of our community.

At Lancaster City Council we aim to have a diverse workforce that is representative of the district that we serve, and provide a working environment where each employee feels able to bring their whole self to work. We welcome applications from all sections of our community and provide several supportive and inclusive workplace networks and safe spaces for employees to feel connected. Our workplace wellbeing strategy drives our commitment to staff wellbeing initiatives and ensuring that our organisation is a great place to work for all.

We are a disability confident committed employer.

For further details of each new role, please visit www.lancaster.gov.uk/jobs , or for an informal conversation regarding these opportunities contact Mark Potts, Service Manager – Development Management on 01524 582362 or mpotts@lancaster.gov.uk

Please note that due to the volume of applications we receive we are unable to update all applicants individually. If you do not receive a response from us within 2 weeks of the closing date then your application will have unfortunately been unsuccessful in progressing to interview.

Interview date: TBC