United Kingdom · Planning & Development
Environmental planning & development jobs in the UK
Environmental planning and EIA-focused planning roles across UK consultancies and local planning authorities — covering major infrastructure, housing, energy and NSIPs.
About planning & development jobs in the UK
Planning within the environmental sector spans two broad worlds: town and country planners working in local authorities on plan-making and development management, and consultancy-based planners specialising in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Development Consent Orders (DCOs) for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), and strategic environmental appraisal.
Consultancy planning teams sit inside multidisciplinary firms (Arup, WSP, Stantec, LDA Design, Turley, DLP, Lichfields) and lead applications for energy, transport, housing and industrial projects. EIA coordinators are in strong demand as offshore wind, solar, battery storage and grid reinforcement projects go through the DCO process.
Local authority planning roles sit in development management, planning policy and — increasingly — climate and environment policy teams. Roles include Planning Officer, Senior Planning Officer and Principal Planner. Chartered status via the RTPI is the standard qualification benchmark, and many senior consultancy planners are dual-chartered (RTPI + IEMA).
Related categories: Environmental Consultancy (multi-disciplinary EIA teams), Ecology (BNG and species assessments), Water and Flood Risk (a common EIA topic), and Climate.
Indicative salary guide
£26,000–£70,000+
Indicative ranges compiled from UK job listings on Environment.jobs and public salary reports (IEMA, CIEEM, CIWEM, Reed) in 2025. Actual pay varies by location, employer and experience. (2025).
Common job titles
- · Planning Officer
- · Senior Planner
- · EIA Coordinator
- · Principal Planner
- · DCO Consents Manager
Skills employers ask for
- · EIA / SEA process
- · DCO / NSIP experience
- · Planning policy analysis
- · Stakeholder engagement
- · Report writing
Typical UK employers
- · Local planning authorities
- · Arup
- · WSP
- · Stantec
- · LDA Design
- · Turley
- · DLP
- · Lichfields
- · National Highways
- · National Grid
Qualifications & entry routes
- · RTPI Chartered Membership (MRTPI)
- · IEMA membership at practitioner level for EIA-focused roles
- · MSc in Town Planning / Environmental Planning
FAQs about planning & development jobs
Do I need to be RTPI-chartered to work in planning?
Not for junior roles, but MRTPI is the standard route to senior planning positions. Consultancies typically fund the APC route.
What are NSIPs?
Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects — large energy, transport and water schemes consented via a Development Consent Order rather than a local planning application.