Location: Chorley Council
Contract: Full time (36.25 hours per week) / Permanent
Salary: £27,694 - £33,699 (Career Graded)
Closing Date: 1 July 2026
We are looking for an enthusiastic and committed Planning Assistant to join our Development Management team. This is a career grade post, offering an excellent opportunity for professional development and progression as your skills and experience grow. This is a newly created role to assist the busy Development Management team.
You will play a key role in delivering an efficient, high‑quality Development Management service, helping to shape places and communities across the borough.
What you’ll be getting up to
At Level 5 you will:
- Assist in the planning process with regard to planning and other applications, including registration, validation, notifications and other associated processes and procedure.
- Assist in the notification procedures for Planning Committee and Planning Appeals.
- Respond to customer contact including phone calls,
- Utilise and update records on the Council’s IT systems
- Record the progress of planning and other applications and provide accurate information in relation to performance indicators,
- Record planning appeals and provide accurate data to the Head of Planning and Enforcement
At Level 7, you will additionally:
- Manage householder and minor planning applications
- Prepare reports and provide planning advice
- Assist with planning appeals and public inquiries
- Support investigations into breaches of planning control
- Work closely with colleagues to deliver a responsive, customer‑focused service
You will be supported to develop your skills and progress within the grade.
Who we’re looking for:
Qualifications
- Level 7: Degree or Diploma in Town Planning
Experience
- Providing high standards of customer service
- Experience using IT systems and software packages such as Uniform, DMS, GIS
- Administrative or technical support experience
- Experience of working in a Local Authority planning department (desirable)
Skills & Knowledge
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage a wide range of audiences
- Sound judgement and decision‑making skills
- Ability to negotiate, problem‑solve and manage complex or sensitive issues
- Strong relationship‑building skills with internal and external stakeholders
Other requirements
- This role requires some travel around our boroughs. You should have a valid driving licence or the equivalent mobility.
Our Benefits
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (and Christmas shutdown)
- Hybrid/agile working from day one
- Local Government pension
- Healthcare Cash Plan for cash back on health treatments
- Cashback website access for savings on brands you love
- Volunteering days
- Free parking
Many of our colleagues work flexibly for us. We’re always open to conversations around different working arrangements. If you’re interested in part-time, compressed hours or any other working arrangement, please get in touch with us through the “Contact Us” form on our careers website.
Chorley Council is dedicated to providing first-class services and promoting the well-being of the local community. Our staff are our greatest resource, at the heart of everything we do, and are crucial to the delivery of excellent services for our residents. At Chorley Council, we’re always striving to make our borough the best to live, work and visit.
Working Together
We share a number of our services with South Ribble Borough Council. This allows for improved resilience across both councils and provides numerous benefits to our operations. Whilst some staff and back-end processes are shared between the Councils, both Councils still retain sovereignty and have separate strategies and corporate plans.
Additional information
Applicants are advised to apply early. We reserve the right to close a vacancy prior to the closing date.
Equal Opportunities
We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. We are committed to the elimination of unfair and unlawful discrimination and prejudice in all our policies, procedures, and practices.
We’re committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and accessible to everyone. This includes making adjustments for disabled people, neurodiverse people or people with long-term health conditions. If you would like us to do anything differently during the recruitment process, please contact us via the "Contact Us" page on our website.
If you are disabled or your last employer was the armed forces, and you meet all the essential criteria of a post, you will be guaranteed an interview.
