What does a town planner do?
Town planners develop and implement policies to guide the development and regeneration of urban and rural areas. Working in local government, private consultancies, or development firms, they balance economic growth with environmental protection and community needs.
Responsibilities include preparing local development plans, advising on land use, and working with stakeholders to ensure schemes meet planning regulations. Town planners often specialise in areas such as transport, housing, or heritage, and are instrumental in shaping long-term infrastructure and public space strategy. A good understanding of policy, consultation processes, and planning law is essential.
How much does a town planner earn?
In 2025, the average town planner salary is £35,000 per year. Salaries increased significantly with seniority, with senior town planners earning an average of £42,000, principal town planners around £52,000, and associate town planners approximately £56,000. At management level, associate directors earned £65,000, and planning directors averaged £90,000 per year across both consultancy and client-side roles.
For contract positions within the public sector, town planners earned an average of £33 per hour, with senior planning officers averaging £45 per hour and principal planning officers £55 per hour.
This information is drawn from Carrington West's salary surveys, created every 6 months to provide invaluable market analysis and salary benchmarking resources to built environment professionals. View and download the full documents below.
What industries do town planners work in?
Carrington West recruits town planners for contract and permanent roles with leading clients in the town planning sector. |
You can use the link below to search for town planner roles with both public and private sector organisations across the UK through Carrington West's job search.