Salary: circa £65k, depending on skills and experience
Full-time, with flexibility for part-time.
37 hours per week/permanent
Location PeterboroughLondon- Hybrid working, 2days p/w in Anglian Water office and able to visit sites in Lincolnshire, when required
Private health care
Double-matched pension
Virtual GP service for you and your household
Life assurance at 8 times salary
Be part of a once-in-a-generation project!
Anglian Water is delivering one of the most ambitious infrastructure programmes in our history, the multi-billion-pound Reservoirs Programme, including two major new water reservoirs in the East of England: Fens and Lincolnshire.
These projects of national significance will transform water supply across the region and secure a sustainable future for millions. We’re seeking a Planning Lead to play a pivotal role in shaping the Lincolnshire Reservoir, a career-defining opportunity for an experienced and passionate Town and Country Planner.
About the role
As Anglian Water’s Planning Lead, you’ll be at the forefront of our Development Consent Order (DCO) application, working alongside our specialist planning consultants as part of a multi disciplinary team of experts in consenting, design, masterplanning, construction, stakeholder engagement, land acquisition,and environmentto drive a strategic, coordinated, and proactive approach, ensuring the project is not just consentable but fully fundable
What you’ll be doing:
Lead the planning workstream for the Lincolnshire Reservoir, working closely with a multi-disciplinary team and reporting to the Head of Stakeholder & Planning.
Manage outputs from specialist planning consultants to deliver key planning documents, including the Planning Strategy, Planning Statement, Policy Accordance Tables, Statements of Common Ground, and S106 Agreements.
Provide strategic planning input into the DCO programme, design decisions, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, and DCO requirements.
Identify planning risks early and propose mitigation strategies, including alignment with other developments and emerging Local Plans
Manage and oversee the production and submission of supporting Town and Country Planning Act applications as required.
Collaborate internally acrossthe reservoir projects and Anglian Water teams to share best practice and ensure consistent planning approaches.
Engage proactivelywith local planning authorities, including in relation to preparing and agreeing planning performance agreements
Attend and support meetings and public consultations.
What does it take to be Planning Lead?
A relevant town planning qualification with extensive experiencedealing with major applications gained in a local planning authority/consultancy.
Experience of dealing withNationally Significant Infrastructure Projects and the Development Consenting Order process
Chartered Royal Town Planning Institute member or eligibility to join
Strong knowledge of the UK planning system including the Development Consent Order process.
Excellent relationship management skills with a collaborative, quality-focused approach.
Outstanding communication skills, both written and verbal.
Skilled negotiator, able to navigate complex stakeholder discussions.
Strong project management abilities, with excellent organisational skills.
Full UK driving licence, with flexibility to travel to meetings and site visits.
As a valued employee, you’ll be entitled to:
Personal private healthcare
Life assurance (up to 8 x salary)
Personal accident cover (up to 5 x salary)
Double-matched pension (maximum 7% employee : 14% employer contribution)
26 days annual leave – rising with length of service and the ability to buy more
Excellent family friendly policies, such as 26 weeks full pay for maternity / adoption leave, as well as 4 weeks paid paternity / partner leave Opportunity for shared parental pay
Bonus scheme
Flexible benefits to support your wellbeing and lifestyle.
Inclusion at Anglian Water:
We value the representation & diversity within our communities. Inclusion is for everyone and we are an equal opportunity employer, which means we’ll consider all suitably qualified applicants regardless of gender identity or expression, ethnic origin, nationality, religion or beliefs, age, sexual orientation, disability status or any other protected characteristic. We recruit and develop our people based on merit and their passion for creating better outcomes, and we’re committed to creating an environment where all our colleagues feel they belong.
Closing date: 26th July 2026
Join us to help shape our future water supply
This is a great opportunity to influence one of the UK water industry’s most ambitious infrastructure programmes and help shape a legacy that will benefit future generations across our region
If you’re ready to lead and leave your mark, we want to hear from you!
#LI-LC1
Anglian Water supply water and water recycling services to more than six million domestic and business customers in the east of England and Hartlepool. Our services are at the heart of every single family and community in our region. We clean water to the highest standard, deliver it to millions of homes, and carefully manage it to ensure it never runs out.
We’re the largest water and water recycling company in England and Wales by geographic area. We’re also one of the driest regions in the country, with just 600 millimetres of rain each year, on average a third less than the rest of England. In fact some areas have a lower annual rainfall than Jerusalem. That’s why it’s vital that we look after the water that we’ve got.
