Planning and Compensation Act 1991

5 Enforcement notices.E+W

(1)For sections 172 and 173 of the principal Act (power to issue and contents of enforcement notice) there is substituted—

“172 Issue of enforcement notice.

(1)The local planning authority may issue a notice (in this Act referred to as an “enforcement notice”) where it appears to them—

(a)that there has been a breach of planning control; and

(b)that it is expedient to issue the notice, having regard to the provisions of the development plan and to any other material considerations.

(2)A copy of an enforcement notice shall be served—

(a)on the owner and on the occupier of the land to which it relates; and

(b)on any other person having an interest in the land, being an interest which, in the opinion of the authority, is materially affected by the notice.

(3)The service of the notice shall take place—

(a)not more than twenty-eight days after its date of issue; and

(b)not less than twenty-eight days before the date specified in it as the date on which it is to take effect.

173 Contents and effect of notice.

(1)An enforcement notice shall state—

(a)the matters which appear to the local planning authority to constitute the breach of planning control; and

(b)the paragraph of section 171A(1) within which, in the opinion of the authority, the breach falls.

(2)A notice complies with subsection (1)(a) if it enables any person on whom a copy of it is served to know what those matters are.

(3)An enforcement notice shall specify the steps which the authority require to be taken, or the activities which the authority require to cease, in order to achieve, wholly or partly, any of the following purposes.

(4)Those purposes are—

(a)remedying the breach by making any development comply with the terms (including conditions and limitations) of any planning permission which has been granted in respect of the land, by discontinuing any use of the land or by restoring the land to its condition before the breach took place; or

(b)remedying any injury to amenity which has been caused by the breach.

(5)An enforcement notice may, for example, require—

(a)the alteration or removal of any buildings or works;

(b)the carrying out of any building or other operations;

(c)any activity on the land not to be carried on except to the extent specified in the notice; or

(d)the contour of a deposit of refuse or waste materials on land to be modified by altering the gradient or gradients of its sides.

(6)Where an enforcement notice is issued in respect of a breach of planning control consisting of demolition of a building, the notice may require the construction of a building (in this section referred to as a “replacement building”) which, subject to subsection (7), is as similar as possible to the demolished building.

(7)A replacement building—

(a)must comply with any requirement imposed by any enactment applicable to the construction of buildings;

(b)may differ from the demolished building in any respect which, if the demolished building had been altered in that respect, would not have constituted a breach of planning control;

(c)must comply with any regulations made for the purposes of this subsection (including regulations modifying paragraphs (a) and (b)).

(8)An enforcement notice shall specify the date on which it is to take effect and, subject to sections 175(4) and 289(4A), shall take effect on that date.

(9)An enforcement notice shall specify the period at the end of which any steps are required to have been taken or any activities are required to have ceased and may specify different periods for different steps or activities; and, where different periods apply to different steps or activities, references in this Part to the period for compliance with an enforcement notice, in relation to any step or activity, are to the period at the end of which the step is required to have been taken or the activity is required to have ceased.

(10)An enforcement notice shall specify such additional matters as may be prescribed, and regulations may require every copy of an enforcement notice served under section 172 to be accompanied by an explanatory note giving prescribed information as to the right of appeal under section 174.

(11)Where—

(a)an enforcement notice in respect of any breach of planning control could have required any buildings or works to be removed or any activity to cease, but does not do so; and

(b)all the requirements of the notice have been complied with,

then, so far as the notice did not so require, planning permission shall be treated as having been granted by virtue of section 73A in respect of development consisting of the construction of the buildings or works or, as the case may be, the carrying out of the activities.

(12)Where—

(a)an enforcement notice requires the construction of a replacement building; and

(b)all the requirements of the notice with respect to that construction have been complied with,

planning permission shall be treated as having been granted by virtue of section 73A in respect of development consisting of that construction.

173A Variation and withdrawal of enforcement notices.

(1)The local planning authority may—

(a)withdraw an enforcement notice issued by them; or

(b)waive or relax any requirement of such a notice and, in particular, may extend any period specified in accordance with section 173(9).

(2)The powers conferred by subsection (1) may be exercised whether or not the notice has taken effect.

(3)The local planning authority shall, immediately after exercising the powers conferred by subsection (1), give notice of the exercise to every person who has been served with a copy of the enforcement notice or would, if the notice were re-issued, be served with a copy of it.

(4)The withdrawal of an enforcement notice does not affect the power of the local planning authority to issue a further enforcement notice.”