Town and Country Planning Act 1990

Power of entry

14(1)At any time before the relevant date any officer of an authority responsible for enforcing planning control shall, on producing, if so required, some duly authenticated document showing his authority to act for the purposes of this paragraph, have a right, subject to the provisions of this paragraph, to enter any premises at all reasonable hours—

(a)for the purpose of ascertaining whether there are on the premises any works carried out during the war period which do not comply with planning control, or whether a use of the premises continues which was begun during that period and does not comply with it;

(b)where a compliance determination application has been made to the authority, for the purpose of obtaining any information required by the authority for the exercise of their functions under section 302 and this Schedule in relation to the application.

(2)Admission to any premises which are occupied shall not be demanded as of right unless 24 hours' notice of the intended entry has been served on the occupier.

(3)Any person who wilfully obstructs any officer of an authority acting in the exercise of his powers under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 1 on the standard scale.

(4)If any person who in compliance with this paragraph is admitted into a factory, workshop or workplace, discloses to any person any information obtained by him in it with regard to any manufacturing process or trade secret, he shall, unless such disclosure was made in the performance of his duty, be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.