The council’s enforcement officer knocking on your door can be overwhelming.

On the other hand you might think your neighbour has done something without the right authorisation and the council doesn’t seem to be interested - you might feel intimidated by your neighbours or you might not want to upset them.

Whether your neighbours have complained about something you have done, or if you think the council is ignoring your complaints about developers ignoring the rules, it can have a serious impact on your wellbeing.

There are so many things that the general public may not understand fall under planning control, and our advice will always be, if your planning on doing some work that needs a builder, especially if you live in a listed building, conservation area or other protected place, or there are protected trees on your property or nearby, it’s always best to get a view from a planner before you start.

However, if you find yourself in what looks like a sticky situation, at Paul Skelton Planning we can provide advice and assistance to help get any planning breach regularised, or in some cases be able to help explain to the Council why no breach of planning control has taken place. In some cases we may need to advise that an appeal against an enforcement notice is the only option.

Alternatively, we can help express your concerns to the council’s enforcement officer about a development happening near you, so that the council will take you seriously and fulfil its obligations.

If you’ve been complained about or would like help with your complaint to the council, we’d be happy to speak to you to see how we can help resolve the issue in the most effective way.