This is an exciting time for an ambitious planning professional to join us as Head of Planning and drive forward our boroughwide Place Making and Growth plans. Our vision for Working together for a better borough, with people at the heart of everything we do by improving people’s lives together and creating distinct, attractive, healthy, safe, inclusive, and accessible places in which to live, work, visit and invest.

We have already secured significant initiatives to enhance our Borough across all sectors and this is an opportunities to make a real difference. There is town centre regeneration, in St Helens Town Centre we have secured Town Deal Funding for a series of transformational projects together with a wider masterplan framework in development including new retail, market, office, hotel, new homes, bus station and extensive public realm infrastructure. We have a boroughwide partnership with the English Cities Fund with significant development proposed in both St Helens town centre and the historic market place in Earlestown town centre.

Glass Futures is the globally significant £54 million glass production, research and innovation facility that will be built on a brownfield site next to the Totally Wicked Stadium. Most recently showcased at COP 26 the new 160,000 sq. ft Centre of Excellence will be used to deliver industry and government backed research and development projects aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of glass production. It will also provide a platform for industry to test and trial their own commercial ideas and short production runs, both collaboratively and individually.

Recent announcements from the Secretary of State has enabled us to progress the delivery of significant employment schemes in the borough. Parkside is a joint venture between the council and developer Langtree for a 230-acre industrial estate and a £38m link road connecting the scheme to the M6. Parkside is also the largest Freeport site within the Liverpool City Region providing a fantastic opportunity for you to work with the combined authority and national government to shape the future scheme.

Omega West is a private sector led scheme for over 1m sq feet of distribution space in Bold, which is on the boundary of St Helens and Warrington. Home Bargains will make one of the units their home, creating over 1000 full time jobs when at full capacity. The plans also include the development of a further three units.

We are seeking an ambitious and determined planning professional to join us on our continued journey of growth and transformation. You will have a relevant professional qualification and will shape the future of the Council’s planning function to ensure it is structured to maximise potential for the people of St Helens.

If you have what it takes to bring true leadership and innovation to the future of planning, regeneration and growth within St Helens, we would love to hear from you.

In line with our new ways of working, this role is hybrid and will involve working from home with occasional working in our agile hub at Atlas House in St Helens Town Centre.

Council employees are required to abide by the ethical standards embodied by the 7 NOLAN principles of conduct in public life. These include selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

We welcome applications from the BAME community.

For an informal discussion, please contact Stephanie Ramsden, Assistant Director.

Interviews will take place week commencing 17 & 24 January 2022