In our Day in the Life series, we’re going behind the scenes with our colleagues to discover more about their roles, what they get up to during the working day and what they enjoy most about being part of Gladman.
For the first in our Day in the Life series, we are spending time with Harry F and Harry M, two of our Graduate Planners, to hear about their first year in the industry, what they’ve learnt along the way and the advice they’d give to anyone considering a career in planning.
How did you get into your graduate planning role?
HM: I completed a four-year course at Cardiff University, which included a placement year working for a local authority. During my fourth year, I started looking for roles within the development industry.
I wasn’t too specific about exactly where I wanted to work. I was open to opportunities with a consultancy, housebuilder or land promoter. I then found a role at Gladman, close to my family home, and luckily managed to get into the business.
HF: I have always had an interest in the built environment and the relationship between places and the people who use them. I believe planning provides a great opportunity to develop that interest further while contributing to the creation of sustainable and thriving communities.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role at Gladman.
HM: I work as a Graduate Planner at Gladman. A lot of my role involves supporting the wider project team, whether that’s working on an active site with a planning application or promoting sites through local plans.
Another part of my role is appraising sites, looking at new pieces of land that we could potentially bring into the business, assessing their suitability and presenting the findings to senior management.
I also work closely with teams outside of planning, including land acquisition and consultees throughout the planning process. It makes the role really varied day-to-day.
What is your favourite thing about working at Gladman?
HM: As a graduate, there are so many opportunities, and you work with really supportive people. You can speak to anyone, regardless of their role or how busy they are, and people are always happy to help.
The support with my RTPI progression has been particularly valuable. My line manager helped me with my RTPI application and I’m now an Associate Member. The people around me have been incredibly supportive too, from junior through to senior colleagues.
There’s also such a wide breadth of work. Because we do a lot of planning in-house, you’re exposed to areas of the industry that you might not experience until much later in your career elsewhere. For me, the level of exposure and support has been brilliant.
HF: The people are probably my favourite part of working at Gladman. Everyone is working towards the same goal and there’s a real willingness to support each other. As a graduate, I’ve found colleagues at all levels approachable and happy to answer questions or offer guidance. I’ve also had great exposure to a variety of projects, which has helped accelerate my development. On top of that, the events and business support team organise a range of activities throughout the year, which helps create a positive and enjoyable working environment.
What does a typical day look like for you?
HF: No two days are the same. My role involves monitoring Local Planning Authority activity, preparing planning appraisals to bring new sites into the company, and working on active projects to help secure planning permission. Alongside the planning work, there is always time at lunch for a game of table tennis, which helps make the office a great place to work.
What have you learned since joining Gladman?
HM: I completed my university placement at a local authority in Wales, which has a different planning system. Before joining Gladman, I therefore knew very little about the English planning system.
From day one, I’ve been learning about the National Planning Policy Framework, local plan making and the policy side of planning. It has given me a really solid foundation in how planning works in England.
As a graduate, building that strong understanding of the fundamentals has been key. Once you have that grounding, alongside the support and exposure you get here, you can really start progressing and developing towards becoming a Planner.
HF: Since joining Gladman, I’ve learnt just how much technical work goes into every planning application. From interpreting planning policy and assessing site constraints to coordinating technical evidence and engaging with stakeholders, there is a huge amount of detail behind every project. I’ve also come to appreciate that planning is a real balancing act, requiring the consideration of environmental, social and economic factors to deliver sustainable development while meeting the needs of different stakeholders.
What are you most looking forward to in year two?
HM: I’m looking forward to seeing the progression of applications I already have in the system, as well as continuing to progress sites through local plans.
One of the best things about the graduate role is that you can appraise a site, help bring it into the business and then potentially go on to support or lead its promotion or planning application. It comes full circle and gives you a real sense of pride in seeing something you initially worked on progress.
Year two will continue to involve supporting project teams, but hopefully with the opportunity to take more of a lead role, while continuing with appraisals, active applications and promotion work through the planning system.
HF: I’m looking forward to completing my master’s degree and progressing towards RTPI accreditation. Having built a solid foundation in my first year, I’m excited to continue developing my planning knowledge, gaining experience on a wider range of projects, and taking on more responsibility within the team.
As a part of the day in the life series, we want to get to really know the team by asking the hard-hitting questions in our Quick-fire round.
Tea or coffee?
HM: Coffee
HF: Coffee
Early start or late finish?
HM: Definitely an early start.
HF: Late Finish
Office day or work from home?
HM: Office day
HF: Office
Online or in-person networking?
HM: In person
HF: In person
Teams message or email?
HM: Teams
HF: Teams
Packed lunch or lunch out?
HM: Lunch out
HF: Lunch out
Pen and paper or digital notes?
HM: A bit of both
HF: Pen and paper note taker
Most-used emoji?
HM: Probably the shocked face!
HF: Thumbs up
Thinking a career in planning could be for you? Click the link below to explore our current vacancies and see where you could fit into the Gladman team.
