How to become a chartered architectural technologist, planning officer or consultant

Official title: Chartered architectural technologists, planning officers and consultants

Also called: Planning officer, Planning consultant, Enforcement officer, Planning technician, Town planning officer, Architectural planner, Architectural designer, County planning adviser, Architectural associate, Architectural consultant, Town planning consultant, Town planning technician

Chartered architectural technologists, planning officers and consultants direct or undertake the planning of the layout and the co-ordination of plans for the development of urban and rural areas, provide architectural design services, and negotiate and manage the development from conception to completion of construction projects and lead on a variety of technical functions and solutions in the design of buildings and the layout of urban and rural areas.

Main tasks

• Analyses information to establish the nature, extent, growth rate and likely development requirements of the area
• Examines and evaluates development proposals, consults statutory bodies and other interested parties to ensure that local interests are catered for and recommends acceptance, modification or rejection drafts and presents graphic and narrative plans affecting the use of public and private land, housing and transport facilities
• Develops construction project briefs and design programmes and advises clients on methods project procurement, environmental, regulatory, legal and contractual issues and assesses environmental impact
• Monitors compliance with design, statutory, and professional requirements, administers contracts and certification, carries out design stage risk assessments and manages health and safety
• Evaluates and advises on refurbishment, recycling and deconstruction of buildings
• Prepares designs, building plans and drawings for use by contracts and investigates proposed design with regard to practicality, cost and use
• Surveys land uses and prepares report for planning authority and issues development permits as authorised
• Liaises with engineers and building contractors regarding technical construction problems and attends site meetings, as the lead consultant or as part of the team.

How to become one

Entrants possess a variety of qualifications including GCSEs/S grades, a BTEC/SQA award, an Honours or Masters degree. Membership of professional institutions may be required for some posts. To gain professional status an accredited Honours degree or postgraduate qualification is usually required, as well as continuing professional development. Chartered Architectural Technologists must join the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists and satisfy its’ education, practice and professional standards to qualify via an accredited honours degree or equivalent, monitored and assessed practical experience and pass a professional interview. Town planners are also required to complete at least two years of work experience.

Ways in

• Apprenticeship (England): Chartered town planner (degree) (level 7). England. Typically 60 months. Skills England standard ST0536.
• University: Architecture & Built Environment degrees, Offered by 12 universities in the UK

Pay · Outlook

• Median full-time pay: £36,457 a year The middle half earn £29,616 to null.
• About 60,900 people work in this job now, and about 68,400 are projected by 2035. (+12.2%)

Related jobs

• Architects
• Quantity surveyors
• Chartered surveyors
• Construction project managers and related professionals

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Questions people ask

How do I become a chartered architectural technologist, planning officer or consultant?

Entrants possess a variety of qualifications including GCSEs/S grades, a BTEC/SQA award, an Honours or Masters degree. Membership of professional institutions may be required for some posts. To gain professional status an accredited Honours degree or postgraduate qualification is usually required, as well as continuing professional development. Chartered Architectural Technologists must join the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists and satisfy its’ education, practice and professional standards to qualify via an accredited honours degree or equivalent, monitored and assessed practical experience and pass a professional interview. Town planners are also required to complete at least two years of work experience.

How much does a chartered architectural technologist, planning officer or consultant earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £36,457 a year (Office for National Statistics).

Is a chartered architectural technologist, planning officer or consultant a growing career in the UK?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 12% by 2035, from about 60,900 to about 68,400 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become a chartered architectural technologist, planning officer or consultant?

Usually. 78% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Sources

• Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.