Planning Enforcement

If you intend to make alterations or material change to your property or premises, you will need to first ensure that where necessary, you gain planning permission from us.

Although breaching planning control is not normally considered a criminal offence, it is an offence to display unauthorised advertisements, or carry out work on a listed building or protected trees without permission.

Reporting a planning breach

If you suspect that a development or material change of use is going on without planning permission, you can ask us to investigate.

We may not be able to step in and immediately respond to stop alleged breaches of planning control. Nonetheless, all alleged breaches will be investigated.

Before you make a report

We cannot investigate:

  • Ownership – Party walls, boundary disputes, land ownership, deeds and covenants, overhanging gutters. These are civil disputes
  • Disruption – Noise, smell, anti-social behaviour, overgrown trees and bushes or vehicles
  • Site operations – Health and safety, hours of work, security, graffiti, dangerous structures, poor quality of work
  • Highway matters – Parking, obstruction, objects on footpaths
  • Drainage – Sewers, soakaways

In certain circumstances, our enquiries may lead to a criminal investigation. You must also ensure that the information you provide is accurate and a true representation of the facts.

We will not investigate anonymous complaints.

Although we will not under any circumstances reveal your details, the person responsible for the works you are complaining about (normally the landowner) will be made aware of the nature of your complaint.

We cannot guarantee that the person responsible for the works will not presume that you are responsible for the complaint.

If we choose to take formal enforcement action, you may be requested to appear as a witness at any subsequent appeal hearing or court proceedings.

Disclosure of information

Every effort is made to safeguard the confidentiality of any private individual who reports a potential breach of planning control.

If an appeal is made to an enforcement notice, the complainant will be notified and asked if they wish to submit additional representations, or appear independently at a public inquiry or hearing in support of our case.

Representations from local people are often crucial to our success on appeal but, at this stage, any representations may be made public during an inquiry/hearing.

We are also obliged to disclose certain information if requested. You should indicate on your complaint form whether or not you agree to your identity potentially being disclosed.

The legal basis for the collection and processing of any data supplied can be found in the Privacy Notice for Planning.

Report a Planning Breach ›

Local enforcement plan

The plan shows how we carry out planning enforcement, including how planning permissions will be monitored and how we investigate alleged breaches of planning control.

The plan also describes the range of enforcement tools available to us to resolve enforcement issues.

Read the Local Enforcement Plan

Enforcement database and Registers

The Register of Enforcement and Stop Notices can be viewed in the Enforcement Register. If you wish to obtain details of any of these, please email planning@molevalley.gov.uk with full details of your request.

Injunctions

Mole Valley District Council has made an application to the High Court, Kings Bench Division for an injunction under s187B of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 against all persons with an interest in the land at Berry Farm, Blanks Lane, Newdigate, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 5ED, and all persons who intend to carry out development on that land (“Persons Unknown”)

The details of the injunction and application, first heard on 17th January 2024 and subsequently on 31st January 2024, are set out in the following documents:

  1. Documentation for the hearing on 31st January 2024
  2. Claim Form and particulars of claim
  3. Notes for Defendant
  4. Application Notice for the hearing on 17 January 2024
  5. Draft Order
  6. Acknowledgement of Service
  7. Witness statements by Neill Whittaker
  8. Witness statement by Izindi Visagie

A copy of the Court Orders dated 17th January 2024 and 31st January 2024, and the documents listed above, can be viewed at: Berry Farm Injunction
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