Planning enforcement

Once your case has been picked up by an officer, they will undertake an initial investigation which may include a site visit. They may contact you for further information or to arrange a visit to see the development from your property.

The officer will decide whether the case warrants further action and will update you with their decision. In some cases we may decide that no action is necessary if we consider that there is no serious harm to the environment, public safety or neighbours' amenity.

Should further action be required we will look to make contact with the land owner or developer to discuss any works or action required to remedy any harm arising from the breach. In some cases a retrospective planning application may be submitted which if approved, enables us to attach conditions to control any impacts of the development.

Formal action will start when a breach of planning control unacceptably harms local amenities and cannot be resolved by negotiation, especially where any harm is ongoing and/or potentially irreversible. If formal action is necessary, due to the complexities of planning law, it can take some time to resolve cases.