Report a suspected planning breach

What is a breach of planning?

A breach of planning control can occur when:

work that requires planning permission has been undertaken. But, that permission has not been obtained or it has been refused
conditions attached to planning permission have not been complied with
advertisements have been put up without consent
unauthorised work has been done to protected trees
unauthorised work has been done to listed buildings

You can check our planning portal to see what projects do not need permission from the council. This will save you time and help us deal with your enquiry quickly.

View common projects that do not need permission (opens new window)

What we can do if there is a planning breach

If you think there has been a planning breach, you can report it to us. Our team can:

investigate alleged breaches of planning control
take steps to resolve identified breaches

Pubs and restaurants also have temporary rights to provide takeaway services.

Our Local Enforcement Plan (PDF) [362KB] (opens new window) shows the strategy we use for investigating suspected breaches.

What you need to know

We cannot:

✗ take enforcement action unless there is a confirmed breach

✗ act on anonymous complaints of planning breaches in most cases. If the breach causes damage to the area or disturbs residents then we can look into it

✗ prevent a problem before it happens. For example, we cannot stop a development from being built until after work has started. You can check whether someone's project needs planning permission before reporting it to us. If the project does not need permission, we cannot do anything about it. Before reporting something, check the planning portals common projects (opens new window)

What we investigate

Our team can act if someone:

✔ changes the use of some land without getting planning permission

✔ builds a new structure without getting planning permission

✔ does something different to what they said in their application for planning permission

✔ breaches a condition of their planning permission

✔ lets their land or building deteriorate to the point it affects the surrounding area

✔ works to a tree that's in a conservation area or covered by a Tree Preservation Order

✔ works to a listed building without obtaining listed building consent first

✔ displays a restricted type of advertisement (opens new window) without permission

Our team cannot act on the following:

✗ problems with the use of or works on a highway, footpath, or verge. Report the problem to Surrey County Council (opens new window) or if there's immediate danger, contact the police

✗ dangerous structures. Report the dangerous structure to building control

✗ noise nuisances. Report a noise nuisance

✗ fly tipping or graffiti. Report fly tipping or graffiti

Who else can help?

There are also some issues which you should seek advice about from your solicitor or Citizens Advice. These include:

neighbour nuisance issues
boundary and land ownership disputes
a breach of a legal contract
creating covenants and enforcing them