What will Planning Enforcement investigate?

Planning enforcement can investigate breaches of planning control. If you think there has been a breach of planning control, you can report it using the form.

A breach in planning control includes carrying out development without the required planning permission, listed building consent, or advertisement consent.  It includes failing to comply with a permission or any condition or limitation attached to it, and certain changes of use in land or buildings.  A breach would also occur where development is undertaken as “permitted development” but does not comply with the regulations.  The planning enforcement system also manages unauthorised works to protected trees and trees in conservation areas.

Prior to making a report, it may be worth considering:

• Did it need planning permission or another type of consent? 
• Does it already have planning permission or any other relevant consent? (check our online planning register)
• Is the developer failing to comply with their planning permission?

Planning enforcement is not an arbitration service.  Planning enforcement is only concerned with breaches of planning control. Planning enforcement will generally not investigate (unless there is clear evidence of irreversible harm):

• Anonymous complaints
• Complaints not related to or involving “development” or other matters covered by the Town and Country Planning Acts
• Malicious, vindictive, or vexatious, complaints
• Unreasonable or persistent complaints
• Neighbour disputes or other civil matters

In some cases urgent action may be required, for example where works are taking place that could lead to:

• Works of demolition or significant alteration to a listed building.
• Works to or felling of trees subject to a Tree Protection Order or in a Conservation Area.
• Works in contravention of an extant Stop Notice or Temporary Stop Notice

In this case please email planning.enforcement@stroud.gov.uk