Role Summary & Benefits

lanning Technical Assistant

£27,254 – £28,598 per annum | Full Time | Permanent

We are a small but mighty team who work together to achieve the goals of the Planning and Building Control Department and the wider Council. We are ambitious for our staff, our customers and our Council, so that we can help shape the District for future generations, to make Torridge a great place to live, work and visit.

Are you passionate about development management? Looking for a career change? Or do you want to get that step on the ladder for future career progression? Do you demonstrate self-awareness and a strong sense of responsibility combined with the desire to deliver excellent customer service? If so, we can support you in taking the next steps in your career. We have an empowering culture, a focus on wellbeing and a dynamic and innovative approach.

The Role:

We are looking for a Planning Technical Assistant to join us in our committed and busy Planning Support Team. You will play a key role in the Council’s handling of planning applications, pre-application queries, appeals, and planning enforcement complaints, and assist with the day to day running of the Service. The role involves dealing with a variety of related and sometimes complex enquiries and activities. We are therefore looking for a candidate who is confident working with a wide range of data and has skills to accurately and reliably check information in a timely manner. You will already have proven communication and IT skills and a commitment to providing excellent and empathic customer service within tight deadlines. In addition, your desire to manage your workload and work closely with all our customers, using tact and diplomacy, will enable you to make a difference.

The Planning Technical Assistant role includes responsibility for the receipt and validation of planning applications, and the triage and allocation of enforcement cases, and requires an up-to-date working knowledge of planning legislation and experience of working in a planning related role.

For a confidential, informal discussion about this role, please call Jen Slade, Performance and Monitoring Team Leader on 01237 428781.

For more information about this role or to complete an online application form, please visit our careers website https://careers.torridge.gov.uk

Closing Date: 09 November 2025

Interview Date: 25 November 2025