Report a breach of planning control

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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

Complaints 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.