Senior Town Planner

NHS Property Services is seeking a Senior Town Planner to join its award-winning town planning team, which is unique within the NHS. The role involves providing town planning advice, engaging with stakeholders, and managing a diverse portfolio of around 3,000 properties. Candidates should be chartered professionals with approximately five years of relevant experience. Responsibilities include advising on planning matters, overseeing applications, and collaborating with health organisations. The position offers a competitive salary, generous leave, and opportunities for professional development. NHS Property Services is committed to social impact and creating an inclusive work environment.

We’re looking for a Senior Town Planner to join our award-winning NHS Property Services Town Planning team. NHS Property Services has the only dedicated professional town planning team of scale in the NHS. This is an important role supporting the provision of town planning advice across NHSPS and the wider NHS estate, delivering town planning opportunities for health, and engaging with internal and external stakeholders.
We’re seeking enthusiastic candidates who are interested in working across our wide ranging workstreams, including:
Planning Application Projects
Planning Policy & Site Promotion
Developer Contributions (S106/ CIL)
Building for Health (Planning for Health)
About the role:
Our portfolio, one of the largest in the UK, comprises circa. 3,000 properties across England, representing approximately 10% of the total NHS estate. It features GP Surgeries, Grade I listed buildings and award-winning, state-of-the-art integrated health facilities. We manage new builds, development projects and property disposals.
The successful candidate will be a highly motivated town planner, and will work within the town planning team, in the Advisory Service directorate. You will be a chartered built environment professional through membership with the RTPI or RICS, with c.5 years experience in a town planning or surveying role.
Your ability to adapt work outputs to evolving policy and political environments, having a desire to take responsibility for your tasks, adopting a positive attitude to facilitate new ways of thinking on complex challenges, and embracing a collaborative mindset will be valued and encouraged within the team.
You will play a key role in driving forward town planning opportunities, and ensure that a consistent and forward-thinking approach is applied to the team’s key work areas such as:
Advising on a range of town planning matters that affect NHSPS and the wider NHS estate through technical advice and support
Acting as an informed client on built environment matters that affect the NHSPS estate and NHS partner organisations, particularly on-site disposal, development proposals, and funding opportunities
Collaborating with internal and external teams across NHSPS to champion and rally support for town planning projects and opportunities for health
Supporting key partnerships with health organisations such as Department of Health & Social Care, NHS England, NHS Trusts, NHS Commissioners, and health boards and partnerships.
Preparing planning appraisals and planning strategies.
Help oversee planning applications, projects, and the strategic site promotion workstream
Supporting the developer contribution workstream through reviewing and preparing S106/CIL funding opportunities and requests
Responsibility for monitoring and responding to local, regional, and national planning policy consultations that impacts on the NHSPS estate and wider NHS partner organisations
Supporting the delivery of wider strategic policy initiatives that enable the effective management of the estate and related assets. This includes supporting the development of our emerging building for health workstream, ensuring that new polices and developments effectively plan for health and wellbeing
Preparing summary documents, reports, and presentations (eg providing policy updates) to NHSPS team, and wider NHS partners at meetings, working groups, and forums.
Complying with NHSPS professional standards and attend regular CPD events to maintain accreditation
Supporting and upskilling graduates and planners in the town planning team
What we can offer you:
We understand how important life is outside of work so, as well as a competitive salary we will also offer:
27 days annual leave+ 8 days bank holiday with the option to buy additional weeks leave.
A Smarter Working Policy, empowering you to choose the location of how and where you work according to your daily activities.
Training and development opportunities, providing opportunities for our colleagues to develop and progress their careers at all levels through our Professional Excellence Framework.
Company-wide Colleague Referral Scheme
SMART Pension contribution into which the company will contribute up to 6%
A range of flexible benefits including NHS retail discounts and Cycle to Work Scheme.
We have a great Colleague Assistance Programme and offer support for all areas of life.
An organisation with a passion
We are an organisation with a passion for giving back. Putting money back into the NHS, raising £150,000 over 3 years for our charity partner Young Lives vs Cancer, supporting colleagues to volunteer within their local communities, and being committed to creating a sustainable working environment on our pledge to become net zero carbon by 2050. We understand that it’s important to feel like the work you do is having a meaningful impact on society, and through our approach to being a responsible business, we make sure that every colleague is given the opportunity to make a difference. We celebrate diversity, and we are working hard to create an inclusive environment where people love to work and can fulfil their potential.For full details of the role, please see the attached role profile. We would encourage all applicants to apply as soon as possible as we may close vacancies early should we receive a high number of applications.
Thank you for your application!