Compliance Assistant

Do you have a passion and vision to help shape future growth and planning in South Norfolk and Broadland District Councils?

Role Snapshot

Could you assist the planning team in the investigations of alleged breaches of planning control? Are you interested in assisting with tasks related to the collection of evidence and progression of enforcement action? If this interests you, please read on

What you could be part of

We are an ambitious organisation and a dynamic, forward thinking, and proactive multi-disciplinary Development Management team; seeking to deliver against the growth agenda, shaping and creating sustainable communities and protecting and enhancing our rich cultural heritage and landscape.

Covering two council areas around the city of Norwich we have a large growth agenda to deliver against. The two Councils receive circa 4000 planning applications year, covering a diverse area including urban areas, rural areas and vibrant market towns, and serve approximately 260,000 residents and 10,000 businesses across 161 parishes. Our work therefore encompasses both urban and rural planning, residential, retail, commercial and agricultural development.

Working as part of the Development Management team, you will be investigating alleged breaches of planning control and where necessary collect evidence and progress enforcement action. See the What You ll Be Doing section for more information on the variety of interesting tasks you d be involved with.

Working at the Council enables you to be part of an organisation which is proud to deliver high-quality, customer focussed services. Our success comes from us being commercially astute and business-like. Continuous improvement is also vital and we challenge ourselves to develop new and innovative ways to improve the services that make a real difference to people s lives.

What you ll be doing

• Maintaining an up-to-date record of all complaints into alleged breaches of planning control.
• Investigating alleged breaches of planning control and assemble the necessary evidence.
• Assisting the compliance officers and compliance manager in drafting the necessary documentation/notices in liaison with the councils legal advisors.
• Monitoring compliance with planning conditions as deemed appropriate by the compliance manager.
• Preparing evidence on behalf of the councils for any court hearing related to an enforcement matter.
• Ensuring that all parties are kept informed of the progress of enforcement matters.
• Liaising with other council services and agencies on enforcement matters as required.
• Dealing with enforcement matters in accordance with the councils adopted planning enforcement policy.

You must have

• Numeracy and literacy skills equivalent to A level standard.
• Recent experience in planning enforcement and investigating complaints.
• Experience of negotiating.
• IT skills.
• Accurate and organised record keeping skills.
• Able to prepare and present credible evidence.
• Able to work on a variety of alleged breaches of planning control.
• Good observation skills, able to identify and gather relevant and necessary evidence.
• Comfortable working to agreed performance objectives.
• Able to make decisions within defined procedures/legislation.
• Ability to remain calm and focussed during confrontational and pressured situations.
• Full UK driving licence
• 46-55% of this role s time will be spend on external communication.

What s in it for you

Why Work For Us?

Do you want to know more about why our staff work for us? Our website has a fantastic why work for us section where our staff tell us what makes working for the Councils so special.

What Flexible and Hybrid Working Arrangements do we Offer?

The Councils understand the importance of operating a work life balance in the modern world. The Councils operate a flexible working policy and hybrid working options are available for employees where operationally possible.

Where Are We Located?

Plan your travel route and find out where the Council office sites are located?

Our website has an amazing interactive map showing all our Council sites and the travel and route plan for each.

What Roles Do the Councils Offer?

The Councils operate a vast and diverse number of services for our residents, so with this comes a vast and diverse amount of job roles within the Councils. Our website has a great graphic showing all our job families and roles within the Councils. From here you can plan your career with the Councils or get some ideas on other roles that you may be interested in.

What Benefits do our Employees Receive?

View all our amazing staff benefits on offer for our employees. Our website has a brilliant benefits section allowing you to see the range of discounts, exclusive offers and total rewards our employees receive. Make sure you stop by to find out more information.

What Employer Accreditations do we Hold?

The Councils have a range of employer accreditations that we have worked very hard to achieve. Our website has a full descriptive list of all our current accreditations and what this means for our employees.

What Wellbeing Support do our Staff Have Access to?

The Councils want to ensure all our employees have a safe comfortable place to work, ensuring that employees feel empowered to actively manage their own wellbeing both at work and at home. The Councils have a large wellbeing section available on the website outlining our commitment to the wellbeing of the employees of the Council.