Job opportunity: Planning Support Officer
Vacancy reference
ECR000599
Salary
Grade 7, £31,537 to £33,699 per annum
Hours
37 hours a week - hybrid working
Contract
Fixed term contract - up to 2 years
Location
Castle House , Newcastle-under-Lyme
About the job
The borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme is situated in North Staffordshire on the border of Shropshire and Cheshire.
The council is proud of its record in the determination of applications with high levels of performance at deciding applications in time and we are looking for a highly motivated support officer to join our team.
You should have good time management and communication skills, be able to prioritise potentially conflicting tasks, sustain attention to detail and work to deadlines.
We are looking for a Support Officer to join us on a full time basis, working 37 hours per week within the core service hours.
You will provide technical and administrative support to the planning officers and other members of the team but also to applicants and agents seeking to make planning applications or enquire about development.
The post will also involve validation and processing of planning applications and Tree Preservation Order and Trees in Conservation Areas applications, providing factual information to applicants and agents over the telephone or in writing in connection with such planning applications, processing of enforcement complaints, planning appeals and providing advice to people to help them on development matters and support the efficient operation of the service.
You will be expected to assist the Planning Service and collaborate with colleagues across the council in processing datasets including Conservation Areas, Listed Buildings, TPOs, and Article 4 Directions to meet the requirements of the Planning Digital Improvement Project and the One Digital Planning programme.
The post allows for some homeworking and equipment for this will be provided for the post holder. There is an expectation for 3 days a week working in the office to be part of regular team meetings and catch up sessions.
Requirements
- Experience of working in an administrative/technical role.
- 5 GCSEs at grade 4 (or above) including English and Maths.
- Experience of working with a range of ICT products will be of assistance and a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office is essential.
Why work for us?
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a borough with big ambitions. We’ve already started our transformation, however, we still need to find better ways of doing things because we are determined to do the very best we can for our communities.
If our vision is to be the best, then we need the best people working for us. Our people are at the heart of what we do and have the freedom to innovate, grow and develop. We recruit people who share our vision and values and people who have the drive to deliver our ambitious council plan.
Our historic borough is a place of marked contrasts. We are the home of a world class University at Keele, a leading light known internationally for its research and sustainability record, which stands side by side with former mining communities including some which register amongst the most deprived areas in the country. Our borough is also a mixture of urban centres, affected by some of the same social issues facing our neighbouring city, Stoke-on-Trent, but also outstanding rural landscapes in our less populated villages. Our plans and priorities aim to address the needs of all our communities.
Our People offer
We reward our people with a competitive range of benefits including;
- access to the local government pension scheme
- minimum 24 days annual leave plus 5 extra days after 5 years' service
- flexible working options and family friendly policies
- local and national high street discounts
- free car parking
- wellbeing support including £12.50 per month Jubilee2 membership
- green travel scheme including cycle to work and electric car salary sacrifice
- free employee 24 hour employee assistance and counselling services, flu vaccination service and health checks
- development and training opportunities
Contact
For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Sarah Jones, Technical Support Team Manager, or Rachel Killeen, Development Manager (01782) 717717.
Closing date
5pm on 13 July 2026
Should we receive a large number of applications, then this post could close sooner than the date stated.
Shortlisted applicants will be contacted within two weeks of the closing date.
Interview date
20 July 2026
While we value diverse backgrounds and experiences, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship. Applicants must be able to prove they have the Right to Work in the U.K.
Supporting documents and information
Download the job description and person specification
We are committed to making our recruitment process as accessible as possible for everyone. This includes making adjustments or changes for disabled people, neurodiverse people or people with long-term health conditions. If you would like us to do anything differently during the interview or assessment process please contact our People team (humanresources@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk)
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council is committed to the employment and career development of disabled people, armed forces and care leavers. As such we offer an interview guarantee scheme where you meet the minimum criteria for the role. By minimum criteria we mean you must provide us with evidence in your application and supporting information which demonstrates that you generally meet the level of skills and experience defined in the person specification and as indicated by the Disability Confident symbol.
Need help completing the online application form?
Our application form has recently been updated to make it easier to apply, please be aware that you are not able to save your application part way through so please ensure you have all information to hand;
- Make a note of the details of the post you are applying for.
- Read through the job description and person specification.
- Review our values and behaviours.
- Ensure that you have relevant job application information to hand i.e. employment details, qualifications and training, professional memberships (if applicable) and the details of two referees.
- If you have a CV you can cut and paste information easily into the form.
- The supporting information section of the application is your opportunity to share with us your key achievements and highlight any relevant experience. We’d like you to tell us; who you are, your values and strengths, why you feel you are suitable for the role and finally, your career goals.
- We’d suggest typing your supporting information firstly to a Word document and then copy and paste to the supporting information section of the online application. This way you won’t lose valuable information if the page times out.
- At the end of the form you can choose to save a copy of your application, we advise doing this.
- If you are interested in more than one role, you will need to submit a separate form for each job.
Contact our People team if you have any questions regarding the online application form or require further support (humanresources@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk)