Simple investigations may only take a matter of days before establishing whether a breach of planning control has occurred or not. More complex cases can take longer. Investigations can take many forms and may require several visits over an extended period of time.
We will prioritise cases which are considered more serious than others and must be dealt with more urgently.
We aim to carry out an initial site visit, depending on the priority of the case, within 5 to 20 working days following receipt of a complaint (as detailed below). When an investigation is considered necessary, cases will be dealt with on a priority basis as follows:
- high priority cases are for work which is irreversible or irreplaceable and these will be visited within 5 working days – examples include damage or loss of listed buildings or protected trees.
- medium priority cases are for when activities have or can cause harm, such as adverse effects on conservation areas or breaches of conditions. These will be visited with 10 working days.
- low priority cases are for a development which may cause some harm but could be made acceptable by way of implementing conditions or simple correction action.. These will be visited with 20 working days.
We always try to achieve an outcome as early as we can.
What we can tell you about an investigation
There is a high level of confidentiality attached to planning enforcement enquiries and, unlike planning applications, these files are not public records.
We will tell you if there has been a breach of planning control. If there has been a breach, we will advise you of any action we will be taking to remedy the situation and update you accordingly until the matter is resolved.