Job Profile for Planning Enforcement Compliance Officer

Job Details

Job title: Planning Enforcement Compliance Officer

Salary/Grade: Grade 3

Service: Planning and Economic Growth

Reports to: Enforcement Manager

Job purpose

• To assist in providing an effective and efficient Planning Enforcement Service in accordance with statutory requirements, approved policy and the Council’s policies, procedures, and targets.
• To proactively monitor the compliance of planning conditions.

Principal Accountabilities

• Investigation of alleged breaches of planning control in accordance with Council policies, procedures, and targets.
• Undertaking site investigations and evidence gathering.
• Where required, undertake out-of-hours inspections, surveys, surveillance or investigations.
• Cautioning suspects as appropriate.
• Taking statements under caution.
• Carrying out recorded interviews under caution.
• Liaise with key stakeholders as required.
• Make informed recommendations and determine the need for formal action.
• Maintain accurate and up to date records.
• Preparing, issuing, and serving legal documentation.
• Report regularly to the Enforcement Manager as to the result of any inspections, meetings and investigations, presenting documentation as and when requested.
• To update customers and Members in accordance with Council policies, procedures and targets to maintain a high level of customer service.
• Provide cover and support for other Officers within the team, during periods of absence.
• To liaise with the Planner (Conditions and Monitoring) within the Housing Delivery & Growth team over the monitoring of compliance with planning conditions, associated with large-scale strategic sites across the District.
• To monitor compliance of planning conditions for all other planning permissions, reserved matters approvals, and consents (including listed building consents and advertisement consents), as required.
• Prepare Reports, Enforcement Notices, and other evidence, and recommend the action to be taken.
• To prepare evidence for written representation appeals and to represent the Council at Informal Hearings and Public Inquiries, and at Court, in relation to cases relative to role and experience.

Corporate Accountabilities

• To take responsibility for maintaining own health and attendance.
• To support, contribute and comply with quality and governance procedures as directed by management.
• To apply and actively promote the principles of the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy in all areas of employment and service delivery.
• Any other associated duties detailed by Head of Service or his representative.
• To advise Line manager if, at any time, the above duties and responsibilities cannot be performed.
• Any other duties as required to support the business, including maintaining business continuity and during civil emergencies.
• To apply and actively promote the principles of the Council’s Safeguarding Procedure in all areas of employment and service delivery.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

(Tested at application and interview stage)

Experience and Qualifications

Desirable:

• Experience in a range of Planning Enforcement work (within LPA or private sector).
• Understanding of the technical and legal requirements of enforcement work.
• Qualification recognised by the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Essential:

• A good standard of education, including Maths and English Language to GCSE Level.
• Experience in working in an Enforcement Environment.
• Previous experience of working within a customer focused environment.

Skills and Knowledge

Desirable:

• Understanding of Planning Law and National Planning policies/guidance relating to Planning Enforcement.
• Understanding of Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, Police and Criminal Evidence Act, Criminal Procedure & Investigations Act, The Human Rights Act, and General Data Protection Regulations.
• Awareness of the National Planning Policy perspective.
• Awareness of the range of planning conditions imposed on large-scale planning permissions.
• Experience in the use of IT hardware and software, including Uniform, IDOX DMS, and IDOX Enterprise.

Essential:

• An interest in the built and natural environment.
• Ability to interpret plans and understand related information.
• Ability to prepare clear written reports, statements, and correspondence.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Excellent negotiation skills.
• Able to manage conflict.
• Current UK Driving Licence and access to a car.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams.
• Decisive, self-motivated, and able to work with minimal supervision.
• Excellent communication, report writing, and customer service skills, as well as the necessary motivation to deliver high performance and the ability to manage a diverse caseload and work to tight deadlines.
• Experience with enforcement under the Town & Country Planning Act.
• Ability to work in a paperless working environment with the use of tablets and a Mobile Working App to undertake site visits across the District.

Competencies

We test this at interview stage

Communicating Effectively 

Demonstrate the effective use of the range of communication methods available: written, spoken, electronic, and use these methods in appropriate ways suitable to the context and situation.

• Present spoken communication in a polite, friendly and respectful manner seeking to ensure mutual understanding.
• Listen well and seek clarification and understanding, avoiding jumping to conclusions or making assumptions.
• Present information and ideas in a clear and understandable way which avoids jargon.
• Seek to understand the communication needs of colleagues and customers, being mindful of equality issues and the diverse needs of the range of people we work with.
• Choose the most appropriate method of communication for the situation, seeking to avoid using one fixed style or approach.

Performing efficiently and effectively 

Promote good performance, developing clear, structured and efficient ways of managing workload and delivering results. Staff should challenge themselves and others to perform well, and to adhere to the Council’s performance management systems.

• Ensure that all work carried out by you is in line with business and service plans and supports the overall aims and ambition of the Council.
• Plan your workload effectively, reporting achievements, and problems to appropriate managers and project leaders.
• See tasks and objectives through to completion.
• Approach challenges with drive and enthusiasm.
• Strive for continuous improvement in your work and manage your learning and development to enable you to perform to the best of your ability.

Using and managing resources efficiently and effectively 

Demonstrate the effective and efficient use of the full range of resources used in and by the Council including time, finances, staffing, equipment, information, materials, buildings, etc.

• Take responsibility for managing your time, seeking efficient ways to carry out your work, maximising your output and minimising wastage.
• Use and acquire materials effectively and efficiently minimising wastage, recycling where possible, and striving for cost effectiveness.
• Seek out ways to improve the use of resources.

Engaging with the customer

Understand the needs and requirements of their customers, to provide excellent customer service, and to involve customers in the improvement of services.

• Provide a helpful and friendly service to customers both internally and externally.
• Take responsibility for following up on enquiries and solving customer issues.
• Make efforts to fully understand the customer’s needs and avoid assuming that “we know best”.
• Ensure that you have a full understanding of the needs and requirements of the customer.
• Seek feedback from internal and external customers on the effectiveness and efficiency of the service you provide.

Working well together

Actively foster good working relationships with colleagues and customers in order to collectively achieve the Council’s direction and ambition.

• Co-operate and work well with colleagues at all levels of the organisation seeking collective responsibility for the achievement of goals.
• Demonstrate consideration, and respect for other’s feelings and opinions and avoid judging and making assumptions.
• Maintain positive working relationships with external contacts in order to maintain the reputation of the Council.
• Seek to actively solve problems and avoid passing the issue on to others or leaving the problem unresolved.
• Demonstrate self-awareness of your style of working and develop flexibility and adaptability in order to work well with others.

Other conditions

• This post doesn't require a DBS check 
• This post isn't politically restricted
• This post is entitled to a lease car, subject to scheme criteria
• This post is entitled to a casual car allowance

Job profile update June 2022

Values and Behaviours

Braintree District Council has corporate values and behaviours that set the standard for the organisation and all our staff. These are integrated in all we do including recruitment, induction, performance review, apprenticeships and all our learning and development programmes.

We call them PRIDE:

• P - Perform well and get things done
• R - Respect and value customers and staff
• I - Improve and learn
• D - Deliver that bit extra
• E - Efficient and effective

P, Perform well and get things done

R, Respect and value customers and staff

I, Improve and learn

D, Deliver that bit extra

E, Efficient and effective