Planning conservation officer: NJC pay and progression
A local authority planning conservation officer manages the heritage side of the planning service: Section 69 designation of conservation areas, Section 72 special attention duties, Listed Building Consent (LBC) determinations, and the heritage component of major-development applications.
Where the role sits on NJC
An entry-level Conservation/Heritage Officer typically appoints at SCP 23-26; a Senior Conservation Officer at SCP 28-31; a Principal or Team Leader at SCP 33-36; a Conservation Team Manager at SCP 36-43. London boroughs and unitaries cluster slightly higher on the same role title.
RTPI / IHBC dual route
Senior planning conservation officers often hold both Royal Town Planning Institute Chartered Membership (MRTPI) and IHBC Full Membership. The dual route is the most reliable accelerator from Senior to Principal, particularly in boroughs that combine listed-building and planning casework in one team.
Councils with specialist teams
Larger unitary and London-borough authorities (e.g. Westminster, Camden, Bath and North-East Somerset, City of York, Cornwall) run specialist Conservation Areas teams; smaller districts often combine heritage casework within the wider planning officer cohort, which compresses progression options.