Report a planning breach

Check if you need planning permission.

Sometimes, developers or homeowners do work without getting the required permission or consent first, or they do work that’s not covered by the permission or consent we’ve given them.

These cases are called ‘planning breaches’.

If you’re aware of a planning breach, you can report it to us, and we’ll investigate it.

The purpose of planning enforcement is to find a solution rather than to punish what is often a mistake. Any action we take will be appropriate to the scale of the breach and the harm it may have caused. In many cases, the outcome is to have the person submit a retrospective planning application.

Find out more about planning enforcement:

Anyone can report a suspected planning breach.

We will not accept anonymous reports unless the suspected breach is a serious risk to public health and safety.

Your personal details will remain confidential – we will not make them public. However, we may need to reveal the points of your report in the case of Freedom of Information requests or court cases.

You’ll need to tell us:

• the property’s address (where the suspected planning breach is)
• as many details as possible about the breach (the Planning Enforcement Charter lists what information is required depending on the type of breach)
• how the breach affects you and others
• your name and contact details.

Report a planning breach

We prefer to receive reports online.

If you do not want to report online, you can send us your report in the post:

Timescales depend on the case, since each investigation is unique.

Usually, we’ll aim to contact you within:

• 5 working days to acknowledge your report
• 28 working days with an update after our investigation.