We are looking for a Planning lawyer…

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Senior Planning Solicitor

Band G including market supplement enhancement £41,732 – £46,476 per annum plus lease car cash equivalent (currently £238 per month)

Full time permanent contract

Are you a Qualified Solicitor or Barrister (Supreme Court of England and Wales/English Bar) or Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives or do you have equivalent relevant experience?

Do you enjoy, and have experience in, the areas of planning and regional development?

If you have answered yes to these questions, our Senior Planning Solicitor vacancy might be the role for you!

What are we looking for?

As our new Senior Planning Solicitor, you will lead on all planning legal matters for the Council, as well as external clients (as required). You will have line management responsibility for one team member, so previous line management experience or an eagerness to step into a management role, is required.  As a senior member of the legal team, you will assist and support the Legal Services Team Manager and Head of Legal and Commercial Services in areas of corporate governance, as well as building strong and lasting internal and external relationships.

What can we offer to you? 

This is a fantastic opportunity for a specialist planning lawyer to take a step up into a more senior role, taking on new challenges and management responsibilities.  Your development is important to us, so we will support you throughout as you take this next step in your legal career.

We have put together a generous salary package including a car allowance (with cash equivalent) plus the following additional benefits:

  • Agile working scheme with a combination of home and office working
  • 33 days holiday (including bank holidays) increasing to 37 days after 5 years
  • Attractive Local Government Pension Scheme with at least 25% employer’s contribution
  • Employee benefits programme’ including payback on medical, dental and optical expenses
  • Continued training and development opportunities

Are we right for you? 

We are a solution-focussed council.  Through listening and fair and balanced decision-making, we strive to do the best we possibly can for our community.

Legal Services play a vital role in ensuring good governance and helping officers find solutions to problems with a ‘can do’ approach.  The Legal Services team has an existing external client base of 32 clients, with plans to grow it even further.

You will be joining a Lexcel accredited team of specialist lawyers, each with their own areas of expertise, including contracts and procurement, property, regulatory and enforcement.  Our structure enables everybody to focus on their own specialisms whilst also being exposed to other areas of law through close working relationships with colleagues.

You will be supported by a first-class administration and practice management team, as well as working closely with information governance colleagues as needed.

As a Council we are embracing flexible working, acknowledging that the old days of 9-5 at the office do not need to be the norm.  This job is classed as a hybrid role, recognising that there may be times when you need to attend the offices (for example, to attend a committee meeting) but outside of that, as long as it works for us and our customers too, we are happy for you to take a flexible approach to your working arrangements through a combination of home and office based working.

Are you right for us? 

We want you to succeed in this role.  To do so, you will need to be able to undertake work in areas of planning and regional development; S106 agreements; planning enforcement; permitted development; and compulsory purchase orders.  You will also need to be comfortable acting as an advisor of or to the Council’s planning committee and as an advocate at public/planning enquiries and in courts.

You will need to be able to advise in the context of local government law and therefore experience of this is desirable but not essential, as we would hope that this will develop over time.

To fit in well with the team you need to be proactive, a quick learner, able to work flexibly and someone who can bring enthusiasm to the role both working individually and as part of the team.

If you would like to know more about the job feel free to contact Kate Hiller, Legal Services Team Manager on 01530 454379 or by email to kate.hiller@nwleicestershire.gov.uk

You can apply for any of our posts online at https://www.nwleics.gov.uk/pages/jobs_and_careers

Applications must be made using the on-line application process.

Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job will be guaranteed an interview.

We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Closing Date: Sunday 26 February 2023

We are looking for a Planning Lawyer…

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Senior Planning Solicitor

Band G plus 4 market supplements, £38,553 – £43,570 per annum

36.25 hrs per week, £2,856 per annum car allowance and £3,000 per annum ‘Golden Hello’ (payable annually for the first 3 years subject to satisfactory performance)

Full time permanent contract

Are you a Qualified Solicitor or Barrister (Supreme Court of England and Wales/English Bar) or Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives or do you have equivalent relevant experience?

Do you enjoy, and have experience in, the areas of planning and regional development?

Are you ready to step into a management role or do you have existing management experience that you would like to develop further?

If you have answered yes to these questions, our Senior Planning Solicitor vacancy might be the role for you!

What are we looking for?

As our new Senior Planning Solicitor, you will lead on all planning legal matters for the Council, as well as external clients (as required).  You will have line management responsibility for one team member, so previous line management experience or an eagerness to step into a management role, is required.  As a senior member of the legal team, you will assist and support the Legal Services Team Manager and Head of Legal and Commercial Services in areas of corporate governance, as well as building strong and lasting internal and external relationships.

What can we offer to you? 

This is a fantastic opportunity for a specialist planning lawyer to take a step up into a senior role, taking on new challenges and management responsibilities.  Your development is important to us, so we will support you throughout as you take this next step in your legal career.

We have put together a generous salary package including a car allowance (with cash equivalent) and a ‘golden hello’ payable for your 3 years, plus the following additional benefits:

  • Agile working scheme with a combination of home and office working
  • 33 days holiday (including bank holidays) increasing to 38 days after 5 years
  • Attractive Local Government Pension Scheme with at least 20% employer’s contribution
  • Employee benefits programme’ including payback on medical, dental and optical expenses
  • Continued training and development opportunities

Are we right for you? 

We are a solution-focussed council.  Through listening and fair and balanced decision-making, we strive to do the best we possibly can for our community.

Legal Services play a vital role in ensuring good governance and helping officers find solutions to problems with a ‘can do’ approach.  The Legal Services team has an existing external client base of 32 clients, with plans to grow it even further.

You will be joining a Lexcel accredited team of specialist lawyers, each with their own areas of expertise, including contracts and procurement, property, regulatory and enforcement.  Our structure enables everybody to focus on their own specialisms whilst also being exposed to other areas of law through close working relationships with colleagues.

You will be supported by a first-class administration and practice management team, as well as working closely with information governance colleagues as needed.

As a Council we are embracing flexible working, acknowledging that the old days of 9-5 at the office do not need to be the norm.  This job is classed as a hybrid role, recognising that there may be times when you need to attend the offices (for example, to attend a committee meeting) but outside of that, as long as it works for us and our customers too, we are happy for you to take a flexible approach to your working arrangements through a combination of home and office based working.

Are you right for us? 

We want you to succeed in this role.  To do so, you will need to be able to undertake work in areas of planning and regional development; S106 agreements; planning enforcement; permitted development; and compulsory purchase orders.  You will also need to be comfortable acting as an advisor of or to the Council’s planning committee and as an advocate at public/planning enquiries and in courts.

You will need to be able to advise in the context of local government law and therefore experience of this is desirable but not essential, as we would hope that this will develop over time.

To fit in well with the team you need to be proactive, a quick learner, able to work flexibly and someone who can bring enthusiasm to the role both working individually and as part of the team.

If you would like to know more about the job feel free to contact Kate Hiller, Legal Services Team Manager on 01530 454379 or by email to kate.hiller@nwleicestershire.gov.uk

You can apply for any of our posts online at https://www.nwleics.gov.uk/pages/jobs_and_careers

Applications must be made using the on-line application process.

Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job will be guaranteed an interview.

We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Closing Date: Sunday 21 August 2022

Accelerated Planning Green Paper

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by Meera Patel, Trainee Solicitor and Sima Odedra, Senior Solicitor

The Government seeks to implement procedural improvements to accelerate the time taken to make decisions on planning applications. The Green Paper will set out proposals for improving the process for granting planning permissions and, in doing so, the service provided to both homeowners and commercial developers.

In particular the Green Paper will look at solutions for speeding up the decision-making process for planning applications, as well as taking into account the recent review of the planning appeals process which made recommendations to reduce the time taken to conclude planning appeal inquiries. 

So what are some of the proposals and future benefits?

  • The implementation of a new tiered planning system which will help simplify the current out-dated system. This efficient system will allow for a user friendly approach making it a faster, fairer system which works for both homeowners and businesses alike
  • Work alongside the vision of reducing the carbon footprint and in turn cut emission in new homes by 2025. New homes will be introduced with the latest generation of technology including air source heat pumps and cutting edge solar panels reducing carbon emissions in new homes by 80% and lowering household energy bills
  • Review application fees so that council planning departments have the resources they need to provide up to date high quality decisions within a reduced timeframe, for instance by allowing more qualified planners to process applications for new homes and other proposals
  • Refund more fees if councils take too long in making a decision on certain types of planning applications in an attempt to encourage councils to work faster and more efficiently
  • Reduce the number of planning conditions by a third given that planning conditions are sometimes perceived as slowing up the planning process
  • To consider allowing homes to be built above existing properties so that the governments initiative to increase the housing supply by 2020 is met
  • To consider demolishing old commercial buildings allowing for new housing to be developed in its place and revamping high streets

The Accelerated Planning Green Paper will be published sometime in November 2019. The question at the moment is how the government’s proposals will come to fruition.

Community Infrastructure Levy

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by Sima Odedra, Principal Planning Solicitor

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a planning charge that has been in force since 2010 via The Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010 (“2010 Regulations”). It has recently been subject to a government consultation and the outcome of this consultation has resulted in the Community Infrastructure Levy (Amendment) (England) (No.2) Regulations 2019 (“2019 Regulations”) being laid before parliament on 4 June 2019. Subject to approval by parliament the 2019 Regulations will come into force on 1 September 2019.

At this stage the following amendments to the 2010 Regulations may be of particular interest to local planning authorities. This is not an exhaustive list as a number of other changes have also been made:

  • Being able to calculate CIL where a section 73 permission leads to an increase or decrease in CIL liability – Regulation 5.
  • Imposing a surcharge on developers if they fail to provide a commencement notice instead of CIL reliefs being lost – Regulation 6.
  • Inserting Regulation 121A and Schedule 2 which will require local authorities to publish an annual infrastructure funding statement setting out how much CIL is collected, how much is spent and what it is spent on for CIL charging authorities and similar provision in relation to planning obligations pursuant to section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 – Regulation 9.
  • Inserting Regulation 121B requiring parish councils to report the amount of CIL receipts it has received – Regulation 9.
  • Amending Regulation 122 to allow provision for monitoring fees in section 106 agreements – Regulation 10.
  • Removing Regulation 123 which currently restricts the number of planning obligations which a local authority can enter into in relation to the funding of relevant infrastructure – Regulation 11.

Departure from statutory consultee responses

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The Secretary of State has recently dismissed an appeal against a refusal of planning permission for a site at Land at Ware Park, Wadesmill Road, Hertford, Hertfordshire (APP/M1900/W/17/3178839) on the basis that the proposed development would result in an unacceptable risk to a public drinking water supply, amongst other reasons.

The appeal was made against the decision of Hertfordshire County Council pursuant to an application to extract sand and gravel from the proposed development site over a period of 10 years, with phased restoration and aftercare for five years. As well as Hertfordshire County Council a local resident’s action group also opposed the appeal on the ground that although the appellant acknowledged that without adequate mitigation the proposed development posed an unacceptable risk of pollution to an important watercourse, the appellant failed to show adequate mitigation measures would be provided. Both the residents action group and the council were not satisfied that the mitigation measures proposed by the appellant would not cause a risk that could be avoided if the appeal was dismissed.

The appellant heavily relied on the response of the Environment Agency, a statutory consultee to the application, who raised no objections to the application and the case of Shadwell Estates Ltd v Breckland DC [2013] EWHC 12 (Admin) where it was held that cogent and compelling reasons would be required if the decision maker sought to depart from the views of a statutory consultee. In response it was argued that there were cogent and compelling reasons to depart from the Environment Agency’s response on the basis that the Environment Agency did not have the expertise to carry out necessary enquiries into the mitigation measures proposed, and witness evidence heard at the Inquiry provided reasons to move away from the Environment Agency’s response.

The Inspector dismissed the appeal on the basis that, amongst other reasons, there was no convincing reason to support the assumptions made by the appellant for the schemes mitigation proposals. In the Inspectors view the assumptions made by the appellant could not reasonably be relied on given the doubt raised on the methodology for the mitigation proposals. Further uncertainty was cast on the proposals given that the Environment Agency could not provide any assistance with the appellants assumptions nor the way in which they were reached either. As such, the current scheme as it was would pose an unacceptable risk to an important public water supply.

Impact on decision making authorities

This decision highlights the importance in carefully analysing the responses of statutory consultees alongside proposals made by the applicants. Even where statutory consultees have raised no objections to an application, decision makers can depart from their views provided there are cogent and compelling reasons to do so.