At South Holland we have a dedicated Enforcement Team, this team have the responsibility to ensure that development, be it a new housing estate, a domestic extension, a new business or anything which comes under the umbrella of the Planning Department, is conducted in accordance with the rules.
Essentially there are two 'arms' to the enforcement team. One that enforces against people who have done something without applying for planning permission and one that makes sure all those that have permission carry out their approval in accordance with what they applied for.
As you can imagine, it is very difficult to spot everything that goes on that doesn't comply with planning laws. This means that the public are very much our eyes and ears in terms of reporting things that may need a visit from the enforcement team.
We do however understand that reporting someone can be a tricky subject. If your neighbour is building something that you dont think they have permission for, then reporting them can put a strain on your relationship with your neighbour. This is why we do accept anonymous complaints. The disadvantage of remaining anonymous is that we cannot keep you updated on progress.
If you do report an incident and decide to leave your details, we do not disclose your information to anyone, your details are kept in the strictest confidence.
How do I report a breach to the Enforcement Team?
Currently this can be done in either writing (post or email) or by phone (see contact details below). We are in the process of developing an automated electronic service in which an online form can be filled in by you and automatically sent straight to the Enforcement Team.
What will happen after I report a breach?
The Enforcement team will begin an investigation, if you have left your details with us we can keep you informed of any outcomes, if you have remained anonymous obviously we will not be able to keep you updated.
Depending on the complexity, severity and nature of the breach several outcomes may occur - too many to list or explain here on a web page! But eventually and generally they result in two outcomes, planning permission is required and applied for by the offender or enforcement action is taken against the offender, resulting in the offender either stopping what they are doing and/or returning the site to it's former state.
The process can also be a long one, enforcement action is very much knitted together with civil and criminal proceedings. Indeed, the failure to adhere to a stop notice or enforcement notice is a criminal offence and occasionally enforcement cases do finish up with prosecutions in Court.
However, the majority are settled by the Enforcement Team by means of negotiation, requiring a planning application to be submitted, or legal action from the Local Authority itself.
The Enforcement Team also have to prioritise their workload. In simple terms how they do this is by giving the cases that affect more people a higher priority. For example, a case that affects dozens of residents in an immediate area would be given a higher priority, and thus dealt with first, than the case of an individual breach affecting only one neighbour. This does not affect any end outcomes nor does it mean that individual cases are less important, it simply means that the higher priority case will be dealt with first.
If you have any more questions about enforcement or wish to report what you believe to be a breach of planning please use one of the contact methods below.
By post: Enforcement Team
Planning and Development
Council Offices
Priory Road
Spalding
Lincs
PE11 2XE
By Phone:
01775 761161, ask for Planning Enforcement
By Email:
planningadvice@sholland.gov.uk
