Planning interviews follow a familiar pattern. Most combine competency questions ("tell me about a time when...") with technical questions about live casework, policy and the latest changes to the system. Many councils add a written exercise or a short presentation, and consultancies often ask you to talk through a project in detail.
This guide sets out the questions planners are most often asked at each level, and what a strong answer covers. It isn't a set of scripts. Interviewers can tell when an answer has been learned by heart, and the best answers use your own cases.
How to prepare for any planning interview
- Read the job description against the person specification. Councils usually score answers against the essential criteria, so make sure you have an example for each one.
- Pick four or five cases you know inside out. A contentious householder case, a major scheme, an appeal, a policy you helped draft. Most questions can be answered from a small set of well-chosen examples.
- Use a simple structure. Situation, what you did, what happened, what you learned. Keep the situation short and spend most of the time on what you did.
- Know the employer's area. For a council: the local plan stage, the five-year land supply position, recent appeal decisions and the big sites. For a consultancy: the sectors they work in and a few recent projects from their website.
- Check what has changed recently. The current National Planning Policy Framework, the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 and the latest guidance on biodiversity net gain all come up. You won't be expected to quote paragraphs, but you should know the direction of travel.
Graduate, assistant and Planning Officer interviews
At entry level, interviewers are looking for sound judgement, clear writing and a willingness to learn. They know you won't have run a major scheme.
Common questions
- Why do you want to work in planning, and why here?
- Talk us through how you would assess a householder extension.
- What are material planning considerations? Give an example of something that isn't one.
- How would you deal with a neighbour who is angry about an application?
- Tell us about a time you managed several deadlines at once.
What a good answer covers
For the householder case, walk through the steps: check the site history and constraints, visit the site, consider the development plan policies, assess impact on neighbours (light, outlook, privacy) and on the character of the area, weigh up comments, then reach a recommendation. Mention permitted development and whether permission is needed at all. For material considerations, show you understand that loss of a private view or the effect on property values aren't material, while overlooking and highway safety are.
For the angry neighbour, interviewers want to hear that you would listen, explain the process and what can and can't be taken into account, and record the comments properly. Don't promise an outcome.
Senior Planner and Senior Planning Officer interviews
At senior level the focus moves to more complex cases, negotiation and working with less supervision. Expect questions about bigger schemes and about your role in getting a better outcome.
Common questions
- Tell us about the most complex application you have handled. What were the key issues?
- How do you negotiate improvements to a scheme without the applicant walking away?
- How do you approach a case where policy points both ways?
- What makes a good planning condition?
- Talk us through an appeal you were involved in.
What a good answer covers
On conditions, show you know the six tests: necessary, relevant to planning, relevant to the development, enforceable, precise and reasonable in all other respects. On the balancing question, explain how you identify the harms and benefits, give them weight, and reach a clear conclusion that a committee or inspector can follow. If you've had a decision overturned at appeal, say so and say what you took from it. Interviewers respect honesty more than a perfect record.
Consultancy interviews at this level often add commercial questions: how you keep a project to budget, how you manage a client who wants a faster answer than the council can give, and how you'd spot further work for the firm.
Principal Planner interviews
Principal roles usually mean the largest or most sensitive casework, policy leadership or project management, and some supervision of others. Questions test judgement under pressure and how you work with members, consultees and other teams.
Common questions
- How would you take a major application to committee with an officer recommendation members may not like?
- How have you used a planning performance agreement or pre-application process to get a better result?
- How do you approach Section 106 negotiations where viability is disputed?
- Tell us about a time you developed a more junior colleague.
- What are the main risks for this authority's local plan right now?
What a good answer covers
For committee, talk about briefing members early, a clear report that sets out the balance honestly, and being ready for the questions that will come. On Section 106 and the Community Infrastructure Levy, show you understand the difference between site-specific obligations and the levy, the legal tests for obligations, and how viability evidence is tested rather than accepted at face value. For a policy role, show you have read the authority's local development scheme and know where its plan is in the process.
Team Leader, Planning Manager and Head of Planning interviews
At management level, expect fewer technical questions and more about people, performance and politics. Many councils add a presentation on a set topic, such as how you would improve the speed of decisions or prepare the service for the next round of reforms.
Common questions
- How would you improve performance on major applications without hurting quality?
- How do you manage a team member whose work is slipping?
- How do you keep good relations with councillors who disagree with officer advice?
- How would you use the planning fee income and any new resourcing to strengthen the service?
- How would you handle a high-profile complaint that reaches the press?
Strong answers use numbers where you have them (determination times, appeal success rates, backlog figures) and show you can balance speed, quality and the team's wellbeing. Be specific about what you did, not what "the team" did.
Questions to ask at the end
Have two or three ready. Good ones show you are thinking about doing the job well:
- What would a successful first six months look like in this role?
- How is casework allocated, and what does a typical caseload look like?
- What support is there for working towards chartered membership, or for CPD?
- How does the team work between home and the office?
- What are the biggest pieces of work coming up for the team?
Frequently asked questions
Do council planning interviews include a written test?
Often, yes. A common format is a short case to assess, or a report or letter to draft in a set time. Write clearly, reach a conclusion and show your reasoning. Running out of time with no recommendation is the most common mistake.
How technical are consultancy interviews?
They vary, but most ask you to talk through a project you worked on in detail: the client's aim, the planning strategy, the risks and how you dealt with them. Expect some commercial questions at senior level and above.
Should I bring a portfolio?
It isn't usually required, but a couple of anonymised reports or appeal statements can help, especially for policy and senior roles. Check that nothing confidential is included.
How much should I know about recent reforms?
Enough to discuss what they mean for the job you are applying for. You don't need every detail, but saying you haven't looked at them is a missed opportunity.
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