Planning enforcement
Local enforcement plan
We investigate alleged breaches of planning control and proactively monitor development sites. Our local enforcement plan sets out our approach to planning enforcement:
Short term letting
A short term let is when you rent out your home for less than 90 nights. If you want to let your property for short stay holiday accommodation through online sites such as Airbnb or Booking.com, read our guides for legislation information:
If you suspect a development breach
Before you report a breach, search our application records to see if permission has been granted for the development.
In some instances, changes may not need planning permission, or development may be allowed under permitted development rights and therefore not need consent from the Planning Department.
If you believe that permission has not been granted or you want us to investigate a possible breach of the planning rules complete our Report a Planning Breach form.
If you submit an enforcement allegation
We do not reveal the names of people who contact us about enforcement cases. We don't accept anonymous enforcement allegations so you must provide your:
- name
- address
- contact telephone number or email address
All enforcement allegations are confidential so we will keep your personal details private.
When we receive your allegation we will:
- acknowledge your allegation in writing
- open a case
- visit the site within ten working days of opening the case
- keep you informed of the outcome
There are a number of potential outcomes to an enforcement allegation including the submission of a retrospective planning application which would follow the normal application process.
Read more about planning enforcement National Planning Practice Guidance.
Enforcement fees
Details about fees for enforcement-related notices are detailed in this table:
| Fee Description | 2022-23 Fee (£) |
|---|---|
| Requests to confirm compliance with an Enforcement Notice | 353.00 |
| Requests to confirm compliance with an Enforcement Notice – one hour meeting included | 458.00 |
| Requests to withdraw an Enforcement Notice | 592.00 |
| Requests to withdraw an Enforcement Notice – one hour meeting included | 697.00 |
| Miscellaneous meeting – one hour (at the HoDM’s discretion) | 759.00 |
| Miscellaneous meeting – two hours (at the HoDM’s discretion) | 1,280.00 |