Job Purpose:

To provide professional guidance with the development and implementation of planning policy. Advise on all land use planning matters with specific reference to minerals and waste issues across the Shared Service’s client Planning Authorities.

Principal Accountabilities

To analyse, assess and negotiate on applications for a wide range of minerals and waste development proposals, including the most complex and controversial cases, and formulate recommendations for delegated and committee decisions.

Investigate the need for and instigate enforcement action and/or prosecution proceedings to ensure compliance with statutory requirements. To provide sound and timely professional and technical advice to all those involved in the planning process and monitor all types of developments to achieve compliance with relevant approved plans and conditions attached to planning permissions.

Implement each of the Local Planning Authorities’ statutory functions in accordance with all relevant legislation, guidance and advice.

Prepare evidence for and appear on behalf of the Authorities as an expert witness in connection with appeals and other proceedings and in addition represent the Authorities at all working groups and other fora such as Liaison Committees as required.

Provide professional guidance and direction as and when necessary to other staff, e.g., graduate planners/planners, technicians and administrative support staff and staff members from within Flintshire and the client authorities.

To assemble and interpret relevant information and to assist in the formulation, monitoring review and implementation of Development Plan Policies and Proposals to ensure that the plans are kept up to date and correctly monitored and consistent with Government Policy, across all client planning authorities.

Monitor and review mineral and waste sites and advise on methods by which working practices may be improved. To negotiate such improvements where direct control through legislation does not exist. Provide advice and support for other projects including energy and renewable energy installations.

Manage complaints received from the public with regard to operations at minerals and waste sites and develop and maintain relationships with the public and operators to ensure that problems are resolved quickly and effectively.

Undertake research using statistical and other techniques, collect and analyse information and data on land use planning, technical and other issues to formulate recommendations and to control, monitor and review development.

Deputise for the Minerals and Waste Planning Manager (North Wales) when representing the Region as and when required to include the preparation of reports and recommendations to the client Planning Authorities’ Committees, Member Task Groups and Panels.

As and when required, to contribute to Regional policy development, associated working groups and reporting.

Assist in the organisation and presentation of planning proposals for public consultation and to answer queries from the public and interested organisations on matters relating to mineral land reclamation and waste issues at public meetings and other fora such as Liaison Committees.

To prepare and in some cases lead and direct, specific projects and initiatives to protect and enhance the natural environment in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.

To supervise, guide and develop other junior staff within the Shared Service and provide them with guidance in undertaking their tasks, meeting objectives and deadlines.

Job Context

The North Wales Shared Service for Minerals and Waste Planning was established in 2010 in response to the need to make this very specialist Planning Service much more resilient, particularly in the context of financial constraint within the public sector. It has been developed in direct support of the Welsh Assembly’s ‘Making the Connections’ initiative and the vision of the North Wales Regional Partnership Board to use collaboration to improve services and make them more efficient, whilst retaining local democratic choice and accountability.

The service scope is based around:

Policy development in respect of Minerals and Waste Planning;

Processing planning applications for minerals and waste sites across the North Wales region; and Monitoring, Compliance and Enforcement of Mineral and Waste sites.

These functions are backed by administrative and technical support teams which provide day to day assistance and which are also capable of responding to meet specific requirements or changes in work related priorities. The Shared Service will continue to be operated in a manner which responds positively to the economic, social and environmental needs of the communities across its client authorities.

The grade of Senior Planner (Minerals and Waste) was created to ensure the right level of experienced professional planning staff was available to provide the high degree of expertise necessary in the formulation and implementation of planning policy and the carrying out of the minerals and waste activities within the Planning function.

Increasingly the development industry and those representing environmental groups are employing more sophisticated approaches to securing their objectives and it is important that the Service is able to respond on a sufficiently experienced level. The principles of sustainable development underpin the work of the Service.

Flintshire County Council

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