Report a suspected planning breach

If you think there has been a planning breach, you can report it to us. Our team can: 

• investigate alleged breaches of planning control
• take steps to resolve identified breaches

Pubs and restaurants also have temporary rights to provide takeaway services.

Our Local Enforcement Plan (PDF, 362 KB)(opens new window) shows the strategy we use for investigating suspected breaches.

What you need to know

We cannot:

✗ take enforcement action unless there is a confirmed breach

✗ act on anonymous complaints of planning breaches in most cases. If the breach causes damage to the area or disturbs residents then we can look into it

✗ prevent a problem before it happens. For example, we cannot stop a development from being built until after work has started. You can check whether someone's project needs planning permission before reporting it to us. If the project does not need permission, we cannot do anything about it. Before reporting something, check the planning portals common projects (opens new window)