Planning enforcement

Sometimes development, which can include building work or a change of use, happens without planning permission or doesn’t follow the approved plans. This is called a breach of planning rules.

These breaches can harm the look and feel of an area, or negatively affect people living nearby. That’s why Norwich City Council encourages people to report any unauthorised building work or change of use.

How to report a planning breach

You can check planning applications on the Planning Public Access website. 

If you think someone is breaking planning rules like building or changing the use of a property without permission, putting up an illegal advert, cutting down or pruning a protected tree or making changes to a listed building you can report it to us.

All reports are kept confidential.

Report a breach of planning control

We will need to know:

• where the issue is happening (the address or location)
• what the problem is (e.g. building work, noise, illegal sign)
• how it’s affecting you or the area (e.g. noise, traffic, looks bad)
• when it happens (if it’s only at certain times)
• who is responsible (if you know)
• your contact details (we won’t share them).

What we will do

We take all planning complaints seriously. Every report is recorded, looked into, and responded to. We try to solve problems by talking to the people involved, rather than going straight to legal action.

We focus on the complaints that cause the most disruption or harm. Once we’ve looked into a case, we’ll let the person who reported it know what we’ve decided.

If there’s no legal issue, we’ll explain why. 

If there is a problem, we may:

• accept the work if it’s reasonable and ask for a planing application
• ask for the issue to be fixed
• take formal enforcement action if needed

Types of enforcement action

We can issue different types of notices, including:

• Enforcement Notice – tells someone what they must do to fix a breach
• Stop Notice – stops work immediately in serious cases
• Breach of Condition Notice – used when planning conditions aren’t followed
• Listed Building Notice – for unauthorised changes to listed buildings
• Section 215 Notice – to tidy up land or buildings in poor condition

These notices explain what the problem is, what needs to be done, and how long the person has to do it. Ignoring a notice can lead to fines or court action.

Confidentiality

We keep all investigations, including the identity of the person making the complaint confidential. Decisions are based on facts, site visits, and interviews. Sometimes we may ask for more information or a witness statement if legal action is needed.