Senior Planner
Location: Hestercombe House, Taunton, Somerset.
Terms: Full-time
Role Type: Senior planning consultant, client advisory and fee earning
Salary: £38,000 to £48,000 - depending on experience, capability and expected fee earning contribution.
Benefits: A beautiful working location, with onsite parking, café and access to 45 acres of landscaped grounds. Dog-friendly office. Enhanced Employee Assistance Programme. 20 days’ basic holiday, plus birthday leave, Christmas and New Year closure, and public holidays.
Pension: 8% Workplace Pension
Start: Immediate / by agreement
Bondstones is looking to appoint a Senior Planner to join our rural planning team at Hestercombe House, near Taunton.
This is a salaried planning consultancy role for someone with strong planning knowledge, good judgement and the ability to advise clients clearly.
The role will focus on rural planning, permitted development, change of use, diversification, planning applications, prior notifications, certificates of lawfulness and related development strategy.
You are likely to have around five years’ post-graduation or post-qualification experience, although we are more interested in capability, judgement and fit than years alone. You may already be working in private practice, a rural professional firm, a planning consultancy, or local authority development management with strong rural planning experience.
The role is client-facing and fee earning, but it is not a regional leadership appointment. You will be expected to manage your own work, contribute to high quality planning submissions, support project delivery and work within Bondstones’ Stepping Stones™ methodology.
Terms: Full-time
Role Type: Senior planning consultant, client advisory and fee earning
Salary: £38,000 to £48,000 - depending on experience, capability and expected fee earning contribution.
Benefits: A beautiful working location, with onsite parking, café and access to 45 acres of landscaped grounds. Dog-friendly office. Enhanced Employee Assistance Programme. 20 days’ basic holiday, plus birthday leave, Christmas and New Year closure, and public holidays.
Pension: 8% Workplace Pension
Start: Immediate / by agreement
Bondstones is looking to appoint a Senior Planner to join our rural planning team at Hestercombe House, near Taunton.
This is a salaried planning consultancy role for someone with strong planning knowledge, good judgement and the ability to advise clients clearly.
The role will focus on rural planning, permitted development, change of use, diversification, planning applications, prior notifications, certificates of lawfulness and related development strategy.
You are likely to have around five years’ post-graduation or post-qualification experience, although we are more interested in capability, judgement and fit than years alone. You may already be working in private practice, a rural professional firm, a planning consultancy, or local authority development management with strong rural planning experience.
The role is client-facing and fee earning, but it is not a regional leadership appointment. You will be expected to manage your own work, contribute to high quality planning submissions, support project delivery and work within Bondstones’ Stepping Stones™ methodology.
The person we are looking for
We are looking for a capable planner with sound technical knowledge, clear communication and a practical approach to rural development.
You should be confident dealing with clients, local planning authorities and external consultants. You will need to be able to explain planning risk, policy issues, procedural routes and likely next steps in plain language.
You should be comfortable preparing planning appraisals, planning statements, prior notification submissions, planning applications, certificates of lawfulness and related supporting material.
Experience in rural planning, permitted development, change of use, agricultural development, rural diversification, tourism, equestrian development, renewable energy, replacement dwellings, barn conversions, appeals or enforcement would be valuable.
MRTPI status or eligibility would be advantageous, but it is not essential where you can demonstrate strong planning ability and relevant experience.
You should be confident dealing with clients, local planning authorities and external consultants. You will need to be able to explain planning risk, policy issues, procedural routes and likely next steps in plain language.
You should be comfortable preparing planning appraisals, planning statements, prior notification submissions, planning applications, certificates of lawfulness and related supporting material.
Experience in rural planning, permitted development, change of use, agricultural development, rural diversification, tourism, equestrian development, renewable energy, replacement dwellings, barn conversions, appeals or enforcement would be valuable.
MRTPI status or eligibility would be advantageous, but it is not essential where you can demonstrate strong planning ability and relevant experience.
Package
This is a salaried professional role, with salary set according to experience, capability, independence and expected fee-earning contribution.
The advertised salary range is not an automatic progression scale. Appointment within the range will depend on the candidate’s ability to manage planning work, advise clients, produce high quality written submissions, work efficiently within agreed scope and contribute to recoverable fee income.
The upper end of the range will be reserved for candidates who can operate with limited supervision, manage a suitable caseload, deal confidently with clients and local planning authorities, and demonstrate the commercial judgement expected of a senior consultant.
Salary progression will be linked to professional development, quality of work, recoverable delivery, fee performance and the ability to manage work efficiently within agreed project scope.
The role is not commission-based and is not advertised on an OTE basis. However, the successful candidate will be expected to contribute to fee-earning delivery, manage time properly and work to agreed weekly delivery targets.
The advertised salary range is not an automatic progression scale. Appointment within the range will depend on the candidate’s ability to manage planning work, advise clients, produce high quality written submissions, work efficiently within agreed scope and contribute to recoverable fee income.
The upper end of the range will be reserved for candidates who can operate with limited supervision, manage a suitable caseload, deal confidently with clients and local planning authorities, and demonstrate the commercial judgement expected of a senior consultant.
Salary progression will be linked to professional development, quality of work, recoverable delivery, fee performance and the ability to manage work efficiently within agreed project scope.
The role is not commission-based and is not advertised on an OTE basis. However, the successful candidate will be expected to contribute to fee-earning delivery, manage time properly and work to agreed weekly delivery targets.
Required experience and qualities
Candidates should be able to demonstrate:
- A sound understanding of the English planning system
- Around five years’ relevant post-graduation or post-qualification experience, or equivalent capability
- Experience preparing or managing planning submissions.
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Confidence in client-facing work
- An ability to understand planning risk, policy context and procedural options
- Commercial awareness, including an understanding of scope, time, fee recovery and client expectations
- A practical, organised and methodical approach to workload management
- Professional judgement and attention to detail
- A willingness to work as part of a specialist rural planning and architectural team
Key responsibilities
The role will include:
- Preparing planning appraisals, site assessments, planning reports and feasibility advice.
- Preparing, submitting and managing planning applications, prior notifications and certificates of lawfulness.
- Advising on rural permitted development, including Class Q, Class R, agricultural buildings and related prior approval routes.
- Supporting rural change of use, barn conversion, diversification, tourism, equestrian, renewable energy and rural business projects.
- Researching planning policy, case law, appeal decisions and procedural requirements.
- Assisting with planning appeals, enforcement matters and responses to local planning authority queries.
- Working with architects, surveyors, ecologists, landscape consultants, heritage consultants and other external specialists.
- Attending site visits and client meetings across the South West and wider southern England.
- Preparing clear written advice for clients and internal project teams.
- Supporting the preparation of fee proposals, project scopes and client updates.
- Contributing to Bondstones’ Stepping Stones™ planning methodology and internal knowledge base.
Digital working and systems
Bondstones operates a digital workflow using Microsoft 365, CRM systems, shared project records and standardised planning processes. Training will be provided in our internal systems and Stepping Stones™ methodology.
Experience using planning portals, GIS or mapping tools, document management systems, CRM systems or AI-supported research and drafting tools would be useful.
Experience using planning portals, GIS or mapping tools, document management systems, CRM systems or AI-supported research and drafting tools would be useful.
