The Planning Enforcement Team aims to make sure that building work, changes of use, signs and the condition of property are acceptable and/or have the right sort of planning permission.

Follow the links below to read more about Planning Enforcement Team matters.

Planning Enforcement Notices received from 2013 onwards can be viewed under the Enforcement Notices section below. Breach of Condition notices, Stop Notices and Planning enforcement orders (Section 215 notices) will be made available to view online in the future.

If you would like to make a complaint regarding a potential breach in planning control you will need to fully complete and submit an enforcement complaint form in this section.

The Planning Enforcement Team deals with and investigates any alleged, reported breaches of planning control.

A breach of planning is when any work is done without the requisite planning permission, or doesn’t meet the conditions  set out when planning permission was agreed.

Search Planning Enforcement Cases

Breaches of planning control by the undertaking of development without permission, or failure to comply with a condition or limitation which are not resolved by negotiation or application, may result in the Local Planning Authority having to take formal enforcement action against a breach of control.

The decision to issue an Enforcement Notice can be taken under Delegated Powers or by the Planning Committee. If an Enforcement Notice is deemed to be necessary, certain steps will be specified within the Notice requiring the recipient(s) to remedy the breach. Failure to comply with an Enforcement Notice is an offence that can result in the prosecution of the recipient(s) and/or the Council can take direct action and place a charge on the land or property. In any prosecution of non-compliance with an Enforcement Notice it is a defence for the recipient(s) to show that they did everything that they could be expected to, to secure compliance to the Notice. There is a right of appeal to the Planning Inspectorate against a Notice that would effectively suspend the Notice while the appeal was being determined.

You can view a list of Planning Enforcement Notices received from 2013 onwards on our Planning Enforcement Notices page.

Planning Permission is often granted subject to conditions, for example requiring a landscaping scheme to be carried out. If the condition is not complied with, as an alternative to an ordinary Enforcement Notice, a Breach of Condition notice can be served.

Further details on Condition Notices and how breaches of planning control are dealt can be found Breach of Condition Notices page.

For many of us, what we generally regard as a caravan is what we commonly see being towed behind many cars on public roads during the Summer months, however, for the purposes of Planning Control the definition of a Caravan is a little more than that, and the following guidance is provided to clarify the use, and siting, of caravans in the Development Control process.  For the purposes of Development Control the definition of a caravan is stated and taken, from the following Acts, which state:

Section 29 (1) of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960

“… Any structure designed or adapted for human habitation which is capable of being moved from one place to another (whether being towed, or by being transported on a motor vehicle or trailer) and any motor vehicle so designed or adapted but does not include

(A) Any railway rolling stock which is for the time being on rails forming part of a system, or (B) Any tent”

Section 13 (1) of the Caravan Sites Act 1968, which deals with twin-unit caravans. Section 13 (1) provides that:

“A structure designed or adapted for human habitation which:

  • Is composed of not more than two sections separately constructed and designed to be assembled on a site by means of bolts, clamps and other devices; and
  • Is, when assembled, physically capable of being moved by road from one place to another (whether being towed, or by being transported on a motor vehicle or trailer), shall not be treated as not being (or have been) a caravan within the means of Part 1 of the Caravan Sites Control of Development Act 1960 by reason only that it cannot lawfully be moved on a highway when assembled”.

Amendment of the definition of caravan 2006

  • Length (exclusive of any drawbar) 20m (65.6FT)
  • Width: 6.8m (22.3ft)
  • Overall height (measured internally from the floor at the lowest level to the ceiling at the highest level) 3.05m (10ft)

From these two Acts Planning control decides on what is, and what is not, a Caravan and when planning permission may be required.

Caravans do not have the same life as a conventional dwelling and therefore once they become unserviceable will require replacing with newer models, which will not require planning permission.

Planning permission isn’t always required, for example you do not require planning permission to park or store a caravan, that you tow behind your car for holidays, while it is within the curtilage of your dwelling and not being used. In certain circumstances it may not also be required if used for periods of rest and recuperation for agricultural workers on farmland, and for Construction workers on Building sites while employed in Construction.

If used as an independent unit for full time residential occupation, irrespective of where they are located then planning permission will always have to be obtained before that use commences. They may also require a Site Licence under Environmental Health legislation, and we provide the links here to the relevant information on Licences.  Caravans and camping – Rother District Council

Further information on Caravans and their use can be obtained by making a Pre-application enquiry using the following link;

Apply for planning permission – Rother District Council

Where the Local Planning Authority suspect a breach of Planning Control they may serve a Planning Contravention Notice. Such a Notice takes the form of a questionnaire that must be completed and returned to the Local Planning Authority within 21 days of receipt. The completed Contravention Notice will often enable a decision to be taken as to whether there has been a breach of Planning Control. It is an offence to fail to comply with the requirements of a Planning Contravention Notice or knowingly make a false or misleading statement.

If the Local Planning Authority considers that the condition of land or buildings is having a harmful effect on the area they may serve a Notice under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

The Notice may require certain steps to be undertaken by the owner of the land to remedy its condition. Failure to comply with a Section 215 Notice is an offence that could be the subject of a prosecution. In addition, the Local Planning Authority have the power to enter the land, carry out the work and charge the cost of such work to the landowner, which may also involve a financial charge on the land. There is the right of appeal to the courts against such notices.

A best practice guide to Section 215 Notices can be found here.

In extreme cases the Local Planning Authority may issue a Stop Notice in conjunction with an Enforcement Notice requiring the unauthorised activities to cease before the Enforcement Notice becomes fully effective.

Under certain circumstances a Temporary Stop Notice may be served when there has been a breach of planning control and the Council think that it is essential that the activity is stopped immediately. The Notice ceases to have effect after 28 days. A Temporary Stop Notice cannot be issued in respect of certain categories of development including the use of a building as a dwelling house or a caravan where that caravan is the main place of residence of the occupier of the caravan.

Furthermore, it is an offence to fail to comply with a Stop Notice.

Injunctions can be sought in the County Court or High Court to restrain any actual, or expected, breach of planning control.

It must be stressed that this course of action may be taken on its own or in conjunction with one of the Notices mentioned above. Such action should only be used in extreme cases.

Further information regarding the Hedgerow Enforcment Policy can be found on our dedicated page.

There is no formal definition of fly-posting. However, it is generally taken to be the display of advertising material on buildings and street furniture, such as lamp posts, without the consent of the owner.

The legislation surrounding a local authority’s powers are complex, but the two methods of securing the removal of fly-posting is either a prosecution or the removal of the poster by the local authority. Other powers are available for example, under the Highways Act, but this is administered by East Sussex County Council.

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