Planning Appeals
If you come to us for assistance once your application for planning permission has been refused, we will assess your position and whether you stand a reasonable chance of success with an appeal. If we genuinely believe you will not succeed we will inform you rather than encouraging further expenditure.
We have a strong track record in securing successful appeal decisions on a wide range of projects with a 2023 success rate of over 55% against the national average of 29% in the same period.
We are experienced at submitting and representing clients for appeals via Informal Hearings and Written Representations. We work closely with the client and legal advisers in assessing the best method of appeal and the evidence required to ensure the best chances of success.
Contesting Planning Enforcement
Are you in a situation where you have received a warning letter, Enforcement Notice, or Planning Contravention Notice (PCN) from the Council notifying you that they believe you have breached planning procedures? If so it is important that you receive good advice quickly.
We offer a bespoke, high responsive service to handle people in these circumstances. In the first instance we will establish exactly what the issues are and whether the local authority has a valid case. If they do, then we will look for workable solutions for you.
We have extensive experience of dealing with enforcement matters, including persuading local authorities that their proposed actions are misguided and should be withdrawn. We also have extensive success at negotiating solutions with the Council and fighting appeals.
Initial Awareness Information to Help
Enforcement Warning Letters
Initially, you may receive a letter outlining that a breach of planning permission has occurred from works at the site. The Council may seek to conduct a site visit or state that you have 28 days to rectify the breach. In these early stages, we can represent you as planning agent and contact the Council and advise you with what can be done to resolve the situation.
In a lot of cases, a Planning Application or Certificate of Lawful Development can be submitted to regularise the breach. We can review your options and come to an agreement with the Council.
Our involvement at this early stage can pre-empt any formal enforcement action taking place, early awareness can also allow valuable time to devise the best strategy to help you.
PCN - Planning Contravention notice
The Planning Contravention Notice (PCN) will take the form of a questionnaire. It will have a series of questions from the Council intended to examine the alleged breach or breaches occurring on site.
We can provide guidance to the questions and advice in how to answer them in a co-operative manner that will help your overall strategy in resolving the situation.
Enforcement Notice
The Council will issue an Enforcement Notice when it is believed that an alleged breach has taken place on site. In many cases, this is when it is alleged that building operations or the use of land has changed without planning permission.
From the date of the notice, there is a 28-day period to submit an Enforcement appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. If no appeal is made, the notice must be complied with or you could face criminal prosecution and a fine.
The Enforcement Notice will provide reasons why it has been issued and steps for compliance to resolve the alleged breach of planning and development control. These steps often include demolition or expensive building operations, which could impact your income or livelihood.
There are many grounds to appeal the notice, which we can assess along with your circumstances.
It can be daunting receiving an Enforcement Notice. However, once the Notice has been issued, it is a time-sensitive situation, so please get in touch with our specialist Enforcement Team.
Expert Witness
We can assist clients in providing expert witness evidence for Appeals, Tribunals and other legal matters in regard to complex planning issues. We provide objective and comprehensive evidence to support their case by leveraging the experience and expertise of our staff.