Planning Inspectorate Newsletter - Issue 8
The Role of Planning Officers in the Planning Inspectorate 
“What do Planning Officers do?” is a very popular question within the Inspectorate. It’s a fair question, since we are neither Inspectors nor straightforward administrators. The answer is, pretty much anything that the Inspectorate gets involved with, but we have a heavy emphasis on policy and plan making and are located within the Policy Unit, headed up by Leonora Rozee, the Deputy Chief Executive. There are currently 13 Planning Officers within the Policy Unit, ranging from chartered town planners to those studying part time postgraduate planning courses.
The majority of our work is assisting Inspectors with preparation for the examination of Development Plan Documents (DPD). We attend some DPD examinations, often assist Examination-in-Public (EiP) Panel Chairs during examinations for Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) and sometimes undertake secondments to other government departments or Government Offices. We are well placed to advise on best practice and attend many seminars and conferences on behalf of the Inspectorate.
We are often called on to undertake project work for the Inspectorate’s senior management and are currently working on projects related to design and RSSs amongst others. We provide comments on draft policies from central government, currently including the Taylor Report into rural housing and draft guidance on business and employment. Occasionally we provide support on major infrastructure inquiries, such as the Olympic sites in East London as well as major port and airport expansions.
The job is challenging and as a team we add value to the planning process by helping the Inspectorate provide a cost effective and efficient service, in particular by using our experience and knowledge of the Local Development Framework (LDF process). What are the rewards? Helping to shape planning policies and major projects at national, regional and local levels.
Kath Haddrell
Higher Planning Officer
