The Planning Compliance
Strategy provides the Council's approach to Planning
Enforcement.
What happens when a complaint is made?
Allegations that development has been carried out without
planning permission will be recorded individually. Our planning
compliance team will acknowledge any complaint made in writing
within ten working days of receiving the complaint and
the complainant will be given the name of the enforcement officer
dealing with the matter. Investigation will begin as soon as
possible although priority will be given to those alleged breaches,
such as unauthorised building works, which need to be dealt with
quickly before work becomes too advanced. If the
investigation shows that no breach of planning control has taken
place the complainant will be informed of this within one week of
the investigation file being closed.
Where it is not possible to find out whether a breach of
planning control has taken place, we may issue a "planning
contravention" notice requiring information on precisely what is
taking place and an explanation as to why no planning permission
has been sought. The complainant will be kept informed of any
response we receive to the notice.
If a breach has occurred
Where it is clear that a breach of planning control has taken
place, the planning compliance team may request a planning
application be submitted. This has the advantage of allowing us to
get full details of the work that has taken place and consult
neighbours before making a decision. This practice is in line
with government advice. It may also be possible to make amendments
or impose conditions which overcome the concerns of neighbours.
Once an application has been submitted it will be treated on merit
like any other application.
If an application is not submitted, the planning
compliance team will decide whether or not an enforcement
notice should be served. If, for instance, the unauthorised
development is considered not to cause any harm, then enforcement
action is not appropriate. The decision not to take further action
will be reported to the Chair of the Planning and Environmental
Protection Committee. If the decision is taken to proceed with
enforcement action, the complainant will be informed. The name and
address of any complainant will be kept confidential within the
Council, although if you make representations on any subsequent
planning application or appeal these will be available for the
public to read.