Chartered Town Planner
Careers Explorer:
Taking a lead role in protecting and shaping our cities, towns and countryside.
Overview
As a Town Planner – also known as a Planning Officer or possibly a Planning Consultant – you shape the places we live in by balancing the needs of people and business for homes, jobs, local facilities and open spaces with impacts on the wider environment.
You assist with the development of planning policy at a national, regional or local level and help to ensure that areas are attractive, safe and pleasant to live, work in and visit.
You may even be involved in planning cycle routes, rail and road routes and new airports or runways. Helping to energise places that have become run-down while conserving historic buildings and making the most of the landscape is also part of the job.
The list goes on but you are a doer and an advisor in this multi-faceted role.
Top 5 Tasks
- Ambassadors of town and country and spatial planning
- Prepare and/or determine statutory planning applications, plans or proposals
- Plan for the delivery of infrastructure such as roads and railway stations
- Visit sites to assess the effects of proposals on the surrounding area
- Attend and present at planning committees, appeals and public inquiries.
Salary
Newly trained Planners can earn in the region of £20,000 – £35,000
Trained with experience Town Planners can earn in the region of £35,000 – £40,000
Principal Planners can earn more and have increased career options.
Salaries depend on location, employer and level of responsibility – and improve with chartered status.
Am I Suited?
- All-rounder
- Technically-minded
- Self-motivator
- Excellent communicator
- Planner
The planning system we have in England today originated from the industrial and agricultural revolutions that began in the 1700s.
Qualifications
To become an assistant or graduate planner you may need a degree. There are various undergraduate degrees in planning that are accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
A full-time degree course takes four years, which includes a three-year BA degree and a one-year postgraduate diploma. Longer part-time courses are also available.
Senior planners start their career as an assistant/graduate planner and can become a senior planner after 2-3 years of experience. Progression may be quicker after becoming chartered with the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
