Planning & Consents - Leeds

Senior Planner – Infrastructure Consents

Location: Leeds (Hybrid/Flexible Working Available)

Sector: Infrastructure Planning | NSIPs | Renewable Energy | Transport | Utilities

Overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Senior Planner with expertise in Planning Act 2008 procedures to join a growing Infrastructure Consents team. The team is engaged in delivering Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) across diverse sectors such as transport, energy, utilities, and commercial infrastructure.

With a strong pipeline of green energy projects, this role offers the chance to work on some of the UK’s most ambitious renewable energy initiatives, in collaboration with leading industry clients.

About the Team

The Infrastructure Consents team has a strong track record in advising on a broad spectrum of infrastructure projects and consent regimes, including:

• Development Consent Orders (DCOs)
• Transport & Works Act Orders (TWAOs)
• Section 36 applications
• Town & Country Planning Act (TCPA) applications

The team has recently submitted multiple DCOs and a multi-billion-pound TWAO, alongside a number of renewable energy projects under the TCPA. Several new NSIP projects are also underway.

Team members are among the few in the UK with full-lifecycle experience in DCO consents - from inception to approval - positioning the business as a leading infrastructure planning advisor nationwide.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide expert planning advice to clients across a range of infrastructure and energy projects throughout the UK.
• Prepare and submit major planning applications, including negotiation with planning authorities and statutory stakeholders.
• Support the DCO project leads, working with multidisciplinary planning and technical teams on complex projects.
• Draft written representations, support informal hearings and public inquiries, and prepare Local Plan representations.
• Represent the company at industry events, seminars, and through technical publications.
• Lead the management and delivery of projects, including responsibility for programme timelines and budgeting.

Candidate Profile

To succeed in this role, you should have:

• Professional qualification in planning or a related discipline (e.g. RTPI qualified).
• Direct experience or strong understanding of NSIP/DCO/TWAO regimes and major infrastructure projects.
• A background in either consultancy or local authority, ideally managing external consultants or multidisciplinary project teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including report writing and stakeholder engagement.
• A strong understanding of planning law and policy, particularly in the context of large-scale infrastructure.
• Experience in sectors such as rail, transport, energy, or utilities is highly desirable.
• Willingness to travel across the UK, although a healthy work/life balance is actively encouraged and supported.

What’s on Offer

• Competitive salary
• Generous and flexible benefits package (e.g., additional leave purchase, health cash plans, cycle-to-work scheme)
• Hybrid working with a strong emphasis on flexibility and well-being
• Opportunity to work with some of the UK’s largest infrastructure clients
• Career development and the chance to be part of one of the UK’s fastest-growing infrastructure teams