Planning and building
Report a planning breach
If you are concerned work has been carried out which you think does not have planning permission, please tell us and we will investigate.
You can find information about breaches of planning permission on the Planning Portal.
Planning enforcement
Our planning enforcement team will:
- Check that developments are built in accordance with the approved plans and comply with any planning conditions
- Investigate written complaints from members of the public and check whether any necessary permissions have been obtained from the Council or whether development is unlawful
- Advise people on the steps they should take to avoid enforcement action being taken against them
- Take formal action or prosecute those responsible for unlawful developments where breaches of control cannot be resolved through negotiation
- Advise all interested parties of the outcome of our investigations
If you ask us to investigate works or activities, we will:
- Prioritise complaints received and deal with them in the order of priority with the most serious breaches being investigated first
- Treat your complaint in confidence as far as possible
- Acknowledge your complaint and tell you which officer is dealing with it
- Invite your comments on any resulting application
- Let you know the outcome of any investigations
If a complaint is made about your property or premises, we will:
- Not enter your property unless we believe that it is necessary to do so and our officers will give you proof of their identity
- Carry out an investigation of the matter before deciding on any action
- Tell you which officer is dealing with the case and give you an opportunity to discuss the matter
- Tell you what the conclusions of our investigations are. We will write to you saying what you have done wrong, what we would like you to do to put matters right, how long we will allow you to do this, and what will happen if you do not put matters right
- Write to warn you if we decide to issue an Enforcement Notice or start prosecution action
- Ensure that any requirements for compliance will only be those necessary to ensure the problem is resolved
We do not investigate:
- Land ownership – contact HM Land Registry for more information
- Party walls and boundary disputes – look on Planning Portal for more information
- Complaints relating to roads and footpaths – contact Essex Highways for more information
- Complaints about noise or anti-social behaviour – these are not planning enforcement issues, but you can report them to us.