Planning Enforcement
Control of Unauthorised Development
If planning permission is needed but has not been obtained, or if the conditions of a planning permission or legal agreement have not been followed, the Council may take action to put things right. If the situation is not resolved, further legal action could be taken, which may include going to court.
Before deciding what action to take, the Council will carefully consider how serious the breach is and whether it is causing harm.
In cases where the issue cannot be resolved informally, the Council may issue an Enforcement Notice under Section 172 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
The Council’s approach to planning enforcement is explained in its Planning Enforcement Plan (Dec 2025)
You can report a suspected breach of planning control by calling the Council’s Contact Centre on 01254 388 111 and asking for Planning Enforcement, or by emailing planningenforcement@hyndburnbc.gov.uk
Please note that the Council cannot usually investigate anonymous complaints. You will need to provide your name and address for your complaint to be considered. Your details will be kept confidential and will not be shared, although in some situations the person involved may be able to guess who made the complaint, for example in isolated locations or where only one person is affected.
For information on how the Council stores and uses personal data, please see the Council’s privacy notice.
You can check if we have recently issued an Enforcement Notice by following the instructions on the next page.