Senior Planning Manager

Berkeley Strategic Land is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Berkeley Group.

Leveraging Berkeley’s financial strength and regeneration expertise, Berkeley Strategic Land identifies and secures long-term strategic sites for future development. Working collaboratively with local authorities and stakeholders, it promotes land through the Local Plan process and seeks planning consent for delivery by Berkeley.

With the backing of The Berkeley Group, the team applies a flexible and innovative approach to land acquisition, employing option agreements, freehold purchases, and other structures that align with the interests of landowners.

Based at Berkeley’s Oxford and Chiltern regional head office in Taplow, Buckinghamshire, the role involves regular travel throughout the South East.

The role

Working as part of an ambitious and dynamic multi-disciplinary team, we are seeking an experienced and commercially minded Senior Planning Manager to play a key role in leading the promotion of our extensive strategic land portfolio. The successful candidate will manage the promotion of strategic land opportunities through the development plan process and the preparation and determination of planning applications and appeals. This position offers the opportunity to work on an exciting portfolio of large-scale projects from inception through to allocation and consent.

Reporting to the Planning Directors and other members of the senior management team, the core duties associated with the role include:

• Managing the promotion of sites for allocation in local plans and neighbourhood plans, including the preparation and submission of technical evidence, masterplans and representations, and participation in examinations.
• Preparing, submitting and managing planning applications and appeals, including overseeing technical inputs, design proposals, and EIA processes where necessary.
• Negotiation of planning agreements and conditions.
• Instructing and managing external planning consultants, architects, technical teams, and legal advisers in accordance with agreed budgets and strategies.
• Providing planning advice on existing and new land acquisitions.
• Building and maintaining effective working relationships with local authority officers and Members, stakeholders, landowners, agents, internal teams and Berkeley operating businesses.

Experience required

• Experience working for a housebuilder, land promoter or planning consultancy with significant experience of strategic land promotion.
• Member of the RTPI or RICS (Planning and Development).
• Proven track record of managing complex planning projects and securing allocations and planning consents.
• Commercial awareness and ability to assess development potential and planning risk.
• Strong knowledge of planning legislation, policy, and the plan-making process.
• Excellent project management, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Confident communicator with strong negotiation and influencing skills.
• Capable of working independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to build positive relationships with local authorities, stakeholders, landowners and their representatives.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel across the South East region.

Why join us?

• 25 days annual leave, increasing with service to 33 days.
• Health and wellbeing benefits including Private Medical Insurance.
• Lifestyle benefits including access to an online discount platform.
• Berkeley Foundation volunteer day.
• Private pension plan.
• Group life assurance.

The standard default full-time working hours in the office are 8am-5pm with core working hours 9am-4pm.