Planning and Development Enforcement

Unauthorised Development

The planning system regulates the development and use of land in the public interest under powers conferred by the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The District Council, acting as local planning authority, has a duty to operate the legislation save for certain types of development that are the responsibility of Leicestershire County Council, for example mineral extraction.

Development that takes place without planning permission or consent, or is in breach of conditions of planning permissions may be the subject of enforcement action. Depending on the nature of the breach the Council may respond by serving an Enforcement Notice or taking proceedings in the Magistrates' Court. Full details of the Council's commitment to the enforcement of planning legislation can be found in the Enforcement Policy Document.

Some works and uses do not require planning permission and the following questions and answers may help you decide whether to raise a complaint about something that concerns you:

Q Does my neighbour's extension require planning permission?
A Some domestic extensions and outbuildings will require planning permission and some will not. The only way this question can be answered is by investigating the circumstances.

Q Is planning permission required to operate a business from home?
A Some businesses may be operated from domestic properties without consent. A full assessment of all the facts is necessary to answer this question.

Q Can anything be done about the untidy condition of land?
A There is provision within the legislation enabling local planning authorities to pursue the untidy condition of land with the landowner. However this power is unable to be used to ensure that land is maintained to a particular standard and if a landowner chooses not to cultivate land to the same standard as the neighbouring landowner(s), this in itself would not be able to be pursued using planning legislation.

If you wish to make a complaint about what you believe may be works for which no planning permission has been granted (including advertisements) or a suspected breach of a condition attached to a planning permission or the untidy condition of land, please write a letter or complete the Council's Enforcement Complaint Form and send it to:

Street Enforcement Team Leader

North West Leicestershire District Council
Council Offices
Coalville
Leicestershire LE67 3FJ

Your complaint or enquiry will be treated in confidence and we aim to:

• Acknowledge all written complaints or enquiries about alleged unauthorised development within three working days
• Inspect the site within 10 working days
• Write to advise you of the outcome of the initial investigation within 15 working days of receipt.

Whichever method you choose to use to contact us, all enquiries or complaints must include your name and an address that we can use to reply to you. Anonymous complaints will not normally be processed.

Enforcement Policy (PDF Document, 0.1 Mb)

Planning Enforcement Complaint Form (PDF Document, 0.1 Mb)(For downloading and manual completion)