Report a breach of planning control
You can report a breach of planning permission to us, and we will investigate.
We investigate:
- building or engineering works that do not have planning permission
- change of use of land or buildings that does not have planning permission
- failure to comply with planning conditions attached to a planning permission
- unauthorised works to listed buildings
- unauthorised works to protected trees
- land or buildings which are harming the appearance of the local area
- unlawful display of advertisements
We do not investigate:
- land ownership, as that is managed by the Land Registry
- anonymous complaints, which is explained in our Development Management Enforcement Plan
- party walls and boundary fence disputes, as this is explained on the Planning Portal
- complaints relating to roads, traffic or footpaths, as this is dealt with by Essex County Council's Highways Authority
A complaint about noise, light, odour, bonfires or pests are not planning enforcement issues, but you can report a public health issue to us.
You can find more information about breaches of planning permission on the Planning Portal.