Planning Officer

Salary

£33,119 – £39,481 (Plus Premia Payment of £2,500pa, and Essential Car User Allowance of £1,239pa)

Contractual hours

• 37
• Basis
• Full time
• Package
• 28 days paid AL pro rata for part time staff, Flexi Scheme available for most positions, Excellent contributory pension scheme, Cycle to work, Health & Wellness checks, Store discounts, gym membership discount

Date posted

14/10/2026

Job reference

DEVY26N008

Are you looking for a new career opportunity or to broaden your planning experience with the challenges of working in a District which not only has a thriving economy and pressures for growth, but also covers part of the South Downs National Park, the natural beauty of the Chichester Harbour National Landscape and a rich and varied heritage, including the historic city of Chichester?

Chichester District is a highly attractive place to live and work, home to many historic towns and villages, surrounded by beautiful countryside. Centred on the historic cathedral city of Chichester, it is a large district stretching from the south coast to the Surrey border and includes a large part of the South Downs National Park and the tranquil Chichester Harbour National Landscape.

The Council has a busy planning service dealing with a varied range of development management and planning enforcement work. This includes providing planning advice; dealing with planning applications and appeals; and planning enforcement. We have three area application teams, including a team that deals specifically with sites within the South Downs National Park (SDNP); a separate enforcement team; and a central administration team. All of the applications teams deal with a range of major and minor developments.

About the role

As a Planning Officer within one of our two area Development Management teams that covers the district outside of the National Park you will deal with a range of customer enquiries, pre-application enquiries, planning applications, and related appeals. The team handles both major and minor applications and you will be given the opporutnity to support senior colleagues dealing with complex major applications.

We are looking for planning professionals with a positive attitude who can be tasked with securing the highest quality development while meeting the growing needs of our communities. You will be joining a team of committed and enthusiastic planners, with a wealth of knowledge and experience to share. You will be expected to demonstrate a high regard for performance and customer care, while securing high quality development.

So, if you enjoy working with people; have a passion for finding solutions; and want to make a positive difference to people’s lives and our beautiful district, then please get in touch.

For an informal discussion please contact Fjola Stevens (Divisional Manager) [email protected] 01243 534557 or John Saunders (Development Manager) [email protected] 01243 534574

Employee benefits include

Excellent defined benefits Pension Scheme

Minimum 26 days holiday going up to 31 days after 5 years (or before with previous service) plus paid Bank Holidays

Flexi-time (available for most positions) - potential to build up an extra 12 days leave a year

Flexible working arrangements including working from home and 9-day fortnight options

Employee Assistance Programme for staff and their relatives

Cycle to Work Scheme/Car and Cycle Loan Scheme/discounted city centre parking/ Lease Car Scheme

Health & Wellbeing initiatives including free health checks and free eye tests plus subsidised leisure centre membership

Payment of your main professional subscription fee.

Training and development opportunities – including funding of professional qualification training

Staff Awards Scheme

Chichester District Council has a commitment to Equality of Opportunity in Employment. If you have a disability which makes it difficult for you to complete our application form please contact the HR team to assist you.