Are you the Senior Planning Lawyer we’re looking for?

We pride ourselves in offering the best of London in one borough.

Tower Hamlets is one of the most diverse and fastest growing boroughs in London. Our population is expected to increase by 80,000 people over the next two decades.  We have the highest targets for housing delivery in the London Plan and a Mayoral pledge to deliver 4,000 affordable homes by 2026.

Tower Hamlets is home to places as diverse as Canary Wharf, Brick Lane, Whitechapel and the Olympic Legacy alongside a rich history reflected in more than 50 conservation areas, award winning parks, hundreds of listed buildings and the Tower of London World Heritage Site. All of this is in a borough of just 8 square miles!

We have one of the youngest, most multicultural, and fastest-growing populations in the country. Our residents are our greatest asset, and our part of the East End has been enriched by many generations of migrants who have made their home here.

This is an exciting time to join the council as we bring the old Royal London Hospital in the heart of Whitechapel back to life as our new town hall. Our well-resourced legal team has a crucial role in providing the full range and variety of expert services across all areas of the council’s work.

We have also recently restructured our legal service which is now in the best position to meet the needs and aspirations that we share with our residents, and the wider community.

If you’re an experienced and highly motivated legal professional looking for a fantastic opportunity to join our team, then we’d love to hear from you. 

Key Responsibilities

You will be one of a team of lawyers dealing with all Planning and Highway related matters, reporting to the Principal Solicitor, Planning.

You will be able to demonstrate experience of dealing with all aspects of planning and highway work including, but not limited to

·       The provision of specialised legal advice and services to colleagues in planning, development and highways matters and other corporate or constitution and administrative matters to ensure compliance with statutory duties and obligations and to protect the best interests of the Council

·       Drafting and negotiating S106 agreements; deeds of variation; highways agreements and over sail licences

·       CIL advice

·       Securing affordable housing provision through rent and nominations agreements

·       Advising on and preparing cases for court, public inquiry or other appeal hearings, and instructing Counsel and attending such hearings

·       Attendance at evening and other out of hours’ meetings as required, including committee meetings, pre-meets, including reviewing the draft reports and the oversight of work arising from such meetings

Experience of conducting advocacy and judicial reviews would be an advantage.

You will be able to conduct your caseload with minimum supervision and will be accustomed to working at pace in a busy team.

Requirements

You must be a Qualified Solicitor/Barrister or Fellow of CILEX in Wales and England and hold a practising certificate on commencement of the role.

Tower Hamlets vision for our borough is that: people are aspirational, independent and have equal access to opportunities; we are a borough that our residents are proud of and love to live in; and we are a dynamic, outcomes-based council using digital innovation and partnership working to respond to the changing needs of our borough. We want people who aspire to our TOWER values: Together; Open; Willing; Excellent; Respect.

Tower Hamlets has a zero-tolerance approach to, and works to eradicate, all forms of discrimination based on race, sex, disability, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status, status as a civil partner, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and maternity and looks to employ a diverse workforce representative of those groups. We recognise that people can also be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class.

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