I have just completed a six month, part time contract within the Development Management section at Wigan Council. As a Principal Planner I was responsible for dealing with a range of application from major housing applications to schemes in the Green Belt and applications for prior approval. My involvement was from the pre-application stage right through to the drafting of delegated and committee reports and conditions.
It had been a while since I had worked in Development Management so it was a pretty steep learning curve but overall the experience was very positive. I believe I now have a better understanding and appreciation of the challenges local authority planning officers are facing and feel that the experience will enhance and improve the services and advice I can provide in my role as a planning consultant at KG Planning Ltd.