Tom Bagshaw

I am writing to apply for the position of Senior Town and Country Planner at Southern Water. As a Chartered Town Planner (MRTPI) currently working as a Principal Planning Officer, I bring extensive experience in securing planning consents for complex development, managing planning risk, and working collaboratively with technical and environmental specialists to enable delivery, skills directly aligned with the objectives of AMP8 and Southern Water’s capital investment programme.

Throughout my career in local authority planning, I have led on major and strategic applications, progressing schemes from early engagement and pre-application stages through to determination and, where necessary, appeal. In my current role at Hastings Borough Council, I hold delegated authority for decision making, manage complex applications subject to Planning Performance Agreements, and represent the authority at written representations, hearings, and public inquiries. This work requires a strong focus on programme certainty, risk management, and defensible decision making, all of which are critical to the successful delivery of infrastructure projects within AMP timescales.

As part of my involvement in Local Plan preparation and public inquiries, I have been responsible for the appointment and management of external consultants to deliver specialist technical assessments, including evidence required to support policy development and examination. This has included defining briefs, managing procurement and programmes, and ensuring the timely delivery and quality of consultant outputs, often to fixed statutory deadlines. I am experienced in critically reviewing technical work to ensure it is robust, proportionate, and capable of withstanding scrutiny an approach directly transferable to supporting AMP8 planning and consenting work.

I also have extensive experience advising internal teams, particularly regeneration and development teams, on planning strategy and submission requirements for complex schemes. This has involved providing clear guidance on validation requirements, environmental assessments, supporting technical information, and engagement strategies to ensure applications are complete, policy compliant, and capable of progressing efficiently through the planning process. This proactive advisory role has been key to reducing delays, managing risk, and improving the quality of submissions.

In addition, I have significant experience in reviewing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening and scoping submissions, both in the context of major planning applications and

Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) which included a solar farm at Dungeness. This has required a detailed understanding of EIA regulations, environmental constraints, and proportional assessment, as well as close liaison with statutory consultee's. This experience is highly relevant to the delivery of complex water and wastewater infrastructure projects under AMP8, where environmental considerations and regulatory compliance are central.

I also have a strong working knowledge of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order, which I regularly apply in practice. This includes an understanding of how permitted development rights are interpreted, constrained, and lawfully implemented. I am confident this experience would be particularly valuable in supporting Southern Water’s use of permitted development rights under Part 13 of the Order, helping to identify opportunities to progress infrastructure works efficiently while managing planning risk and ensuring compliance with all relevant conditions and limitations.

Alongside my development management work, I have gained valuable strategic planning and policy experience, having spent more than a year within a Planning Policy Team contributing to Local Plan preparation through Regulation 18 and 19 and Examination in Public. I have also worked directly on projects responding to emerging environmental policy, including presenting proposals to senior leadership on the creation of a habitat bank to support Biodiversity Net Gain, demonstrating my ability to engage with evolving regulatory requirements and embed environmental outcomes into deliverable schemes.

I place strong emphasis on leadership, collaboration, and proactive problem solving. I actively mentor junior officers, manage competing priorities across multiple projects, and have recently completed a Leadership and Management training course, equipping me to contribute effectively within fast paced, programme driven environments.

I am particularly motivated by the opportunity to apply my planning expertise within the water sector at a time of significant investment and change. I am keen to support Southern Water in navigating the planning and consenting process, enabling timely delivery of AMP8 projects, and helping to achieve long term environmental and community benefits.

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my experience and approach could contribute to Southern Water’s Capital Delivery Enabling Team. Thank you for considering my application.

Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute - member ID - 116535

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