Planning enforcement - West Sussex County Council
1 Breaches of planning control
We have a duty to control development associated with:
the County Council’s own development.
Some development may be authorised by planning permission while other development may not need it.
We monitor authorised mineral and waste development to ensure that they comply with the terms of the conditions attached to the permission. Development that does not comply with the terms of its planning permission is known as a ‘breach of planning control’. If you suspect there has been such a breach please report it to us.
We investigate all possible breaches (unless it has been reported anonymously, in which case we cannot investigate) and, where necessary, take appropriate enforcement action.
Our role in planning compliance and enforcement, and our approach to carrying it out, is set out in the plan below.
Planning compliance and enforcement plan (PDF, 211KB)
We treat personal details as confidential. Other matters that are part of an enforcement investigation are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and release of such information is strictly forbidden for reasons of personal safety.
After receiving a report about a potential breach of planning control we will:
acknowledge the report within 10 working days
carry out an initial assessment using set criteria
prioritise it by considering the nature and scale of any irreversible damage and the impact of delaying action
try to seek an informal resolution of a breach of planning control by negotiation with the operator or developer unless there is significant risk of irreversible harm to high priority areas, for which we may take more formal action
let you know the outcome of the investigation - if we decide to take no formal enforcement action we'll explain why.
Reports about the investigation of potential breaches of planning control and any enforcement action are presented to the Planning Committee every 6 months, usually in January and June. The reports are available with the Planning Committee’s agendas and minutes.
3 Report a breach of planning control
Please contact us if you suspect that:
planning conditions have been breached at a minerals or waste site, or on County Council land
unauthorised minerals or waste development is taking, or has taken, place.
When reporting please provide as much information as possible, such as:
the site address or location
details of the alleged breach - any photographs or a record of activity will assist us greatly
when the breach started or took place
the name and contact details of the operator or landowner
Report a breach of planning control online
Or report a breach by phone or post:
County Planning Team