Planning Under Pressure: Key Challenges Facing Town Planners in 2025
07 Feb, 20251-2 minutes
In this blog, you will learn:
- Challenges that Town Planners might face in 2025.
- How Town Planners can overcome these challenges.
- Where the latest planning jobs are and how to apply for them.
As population dynamics shift and sustainable practice within town planning continues to be an important focus, the role of Town Planners is as important as ever. However, coupled with an increased workload and a lack of funding within local authority, the challenges that Town Planners can expect to face in 2025 are varied.
In our latest blog, we’re uncovering the challenges Town Planners might encounter this year along with how they can overcome such obstacles.
What challenges might Town Planners face in 2025?
Throughout 2025, there are expected to be a number of challenges that Town Planners might face within their day to day roles. These challenges include:
- An increased workload.
- Balancing economic growth with environmental targets.
- A shortage of Town Planners.
- A lack of funding within the sector.
An increased workload
In December 2024, the UK government launched its ‘Plan for Change’ which included the ‘milestone’ to build 1.5 million homes in England and fast-track the planning decisions of at least 150 economic infrastructure projects.
Whilst these targets have been implemented as part of the government's wider strategy to grow the economy, the plan to build so many more homes is placing additional pressure on the planning sector, which is already overstretched and facing a shortage of planning professionals.
Having said this, the UK government is continuing its ‘bold reform’ of the planning system in order to deliver on its Plan for Change.
Planning recruitment specialist, Josh Draycott, says, “Even with a commitment to ‘reform’ the planning sector, the time and expertise that goes into processing planning applications and coordinating with stakeholders during the planning process can’t be underestimated.”
Josh continues, “To feasibly reach its ‘milestones’ and avoid bottlenecks in the planning system, the UK government needs to stick to its plans to reform the sector and deliver outcomes that will benefit the country as a whole.”
Balancing economic growth with environmental targets
As the UK government pushes forward with its net-zero by 2050 target, the environmental impact of town planning is a bigger focus than ever before.
However, Town Planners are faced with the challenge of meeting environmental targets whilst also focusing on economic growth, and the two don’t always go hand in hand. Planners must navigate being able to facilitate development aimed at boosting the economy whilst taking into consideration the environmental concerns of local communities. For example, the proposed third runway at Heathrow Airport has raised concerns about its environmental impact and disturbances to those residing within the local area. However, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirming that the UK government supports the need for a third runway at Heathrow, it looks like the plan may be executed. Whilst there is concern about the environmental impact of the runway, the argument for reducing the amount of fuel planes burn through over London whilst waiting to land, has been presented as a reason for a third runway.
As well as Heathrow, Labour’s Rachel Reeves also added that the government was expected to look into expansion plans for Gatwick and Luton airport, along with potentially reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport as a regional airport.
Disputes between economic growth and environmental targets can be challenging for the planning sector and even result in legal challenges and public opposition to large infrastructure projects.
A shortage of Town Planners
A shortage of Town Planners is not a new challenge for those working within the planning sector. Without the required expertise to complete planning projects, the already overstretched workforce is under more pressure than ever. The shortfall of Planning Officers across local authorities in England and Wales is estimated to be over 2,200 Planners.
Local authorities appear to be facing challenges when it comes to recruiting and retaining Town Planners and with many reaching retirement age, more must be done to get younger generations interested in planning.
A shortage of planning professionals can hinder Town Planners in their day to day responsibilities as their ability to deliver timely and effective planning decisions can be undermined. The inability to do so can cause backlogs in housing projects and slow economic growth, both causing additional challenges for Town Planners.
A lack of funding within the sector
As local authorities across the UK continue to face budget constraints, this is creating challenges for the planning sector and its ability to hire and retain skilled and experienced planning professionals.
The financial strain of recruiting can lead to increased workloads for existing Town Planners and increased pressure to meet environmental targets.
In order to address the challenges caused by a lack of funding, planning departments require strategic investment and recruitment must be targeted in order to ensure there is no skills gap within the sector.
How can Town Planners overcome these challenges?
In order to overcome the challenges they may face in 2025, Town Planners are encouraged to adopt innovative and collaborative strategies to the obstacles they could encounter. For example, utilising digital tools is a great way to streamline processes and automate some tasks, in return improving efficiency within the sector and freeing up the time of Town Planners to dedicate in other areas.
Competitive recruitment strategies are required in order to address staff shortages and it’s essential that the planning sector is doing what it can to encourage young people to explore a career within town planning.
Economic growth can be aligned with environmental goals through the integration of green infrastructure and renewable energy sources in planning projects. To address the tough financial landscape of the planning sector, Town Planners are encouraged to use strategies that will maximise resources, such as leveraging digital technology like Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Town Planners may also wish to advocate for central government funding and upskill existing staff through low-cost training initiatives, in order to enhance productivity without the need for significant additional expenditure.
Contact a town planning recruitment specialist
Josh Draycott is a dedicated private sector and local authority Town Planning recruitment specialist with a diverse background in recruitment.
With a strong focus on the planning industry, Josh recruits for a wide range of roles, including Town Planners, Policy Planners, Urban Planners, Development Management Planners and Directors of Planning. His expertise lies in sourcing both interim and permanent talent to meet the planning objectives of his clients.
Planning jobs
If you’re searching for your next town planning job, why not take a look at the latest vacancies, or simply upload your CV to be notified when a relevant position becomes available.
Town planning recruitment services
As town planning recruitment specialists, we support local authorities and private sector businesses nationwide with their temporary, interim and permanent recruitment needs.
Josh has built long-standing, trusted relationships with numerous local council planning departments, delivering tailored recruitment solutions that address the dynamic and evolving demands of the town planning sector.
If you’re struggling to fill a vacancy, get in touch with Josh Draycott on 01772 954200 to see how we can help.
Who is Spencer Clarke Group?
Established in 2017, we’re an award winning and progressive recruitment agency based in the heart of the North West. Our reputation is built on trust, expertise and an unwavering commitment to exceed expectations.
In 2024, we were named Recruitment Agency of the Year at the prestigious Recruiter Awards, an accolade we are extremely proud of.
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