Planning Enforcement

A person or persons responsible for a breach of planning control has the right to seek to regularise the matter through the submission of an application for retrospective planning permission.

The Council will not encourage such applications in respect of serious breaches of planning control where the granting of retrospective permission is considered to be unlikely.

Enforcement action will not be held in temporary suspension pending the outcome of the application in situations where there is a serious breach of control. However, it may be the case that prosecutions have to be adjourned in certain circumstances pending the result of such applications.

In the case of less serious breaches of control, formal enforcement action may be held in suspension pending the outcome of a retrospective application, but, if the application is refused then formal action will be taken in all cases and if an appeal has been lodged the Council will in most cases continue to take the appropriate enforcement action.