Edward Mugabi

As an enforcement officer I have a very good understanding of the Town and Planning Act 1990 which regulates the planning of development in England and Wales. I know this act very well, because it is the benchmark governing all the planning legislation of all the planning developments, including planning, development management and enforcement.

I am a skilled enforcement officer with a background of working as security company owner for five years. I can carry out site visit, monitor building sites, investigate alleged breaches of planning control and at the same time carry all administrative processes ie, receive, store and handle the complaints or contravention on the computer filling systems as may be made available by the council. I have a high level of computer literacy, which allows me to work well with Microsoft Word, Excel Spreadsheet, Exacom Teams and Outlook.

I have great attention to detail, because I am the boots, the eyes and the ear on the ground of the all the planning departments of the local authority, in other words acting as the planning police for the planning department to make sure all the planning decisions are adhered to as required by law. I have good understanding of what is permitted developments under the town and planning act 1990 and I am able to fully support the department and public and accordingly advise them to cease from the contraventions or take the enforcement action in relation to the breach of the planning control. I can make this decision by doing thorough and diligent investigations, visit the site, take as many pictures as possible, double check measurements, record names and roles of the individuals at the site and write down all information while on site.

I do all this while ensuring my own safety and those of my colleagues. In enforcement, shadowing each other is very important while at the same time following all council’s guidelines.

My experience as security personnel taught me to always try and seek to remedy the situation informally, before opting for the formal measures. As enforcement officer I use the principle of proportionality and in many cases, I succeed in negotiating a resolution with the party involved instead of the formal action, although if the party involved is not cooperative then the enforcement action must be taken.

I have been working with the private sector, specifically hospitality, where I meet, greet and receive executive clients and very important people for different corporate business accounts on behalf of Addison Lee. This position afforded me the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life ranging from politicians to superstars.

My Customer

Service, Communication and Interpersonal skills had to be the best and I am glad to say they were greatly enhanced. While owning the security company equipped me with the training of security personnel with the enforcement disciplines and in principle planning enforcement, ensuring that all developments are constructed in accordance with planning law while protecting our infrastructure and the environment. During that time, I attended workshops and webinars organised by RTPI on planning enforcements.

Before going on site, as a team we must plan the site visits, so that we know which sites will be visited and the time slotted for each visit. I personally use RAC Journey planner to plot my site visit journeys taking into consideration all the measures needed for health and safety for myself and the colleagues while carrying out our duties. On return from the site visit, all information collected while on the site visit must be recorded and saved on the filling systems making sure it is all correctly dated and signed.

I am personally committed to safety and equal rights in the workplace because I believe this enhances fair working conditions, growth, success and well-being.

I conclusion, I am confident that I have the essential experience required to work successfully as a Planning Enforcement Officer. I possess high quality organisational skills and hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Social Development. I am very good with conflict resolutions and dealing with aggressive parties and I can manage meetings, case investigations and use my great geography skills as an excellent student of geography to quickly navigate the mapping area of the Royal Borough of Greenwich to make sure all the caseloads are dealt with in a very timely manner at same time ensuring the best customer services for the local residents.

Further to my education background, I did study English Literature at my ‘A’ Level; this is a component that has helped me develop great interpersonal skills in my career and personal life, I am a good listener which greatly enables me to build trust and resolve potential conflicts. I critical thinker, able to analyse complex situations and make an informed decision which is critical carrying my duties as a law enforcement officer.

I welcome the opportunity to discuss my application in detail during an interview.

Thank you for considering my application

Kind regards.