When happens when a complaint is made about you

If a breach of planning has been identified, the Planning Enforcement team will contact the owner or occupier of the land to notify them of the issue. You will be entitled to know what the alleged breach of planning control is and be given the opportunity to contact the department to discuss the matter. Under no circumstances will we be able to provide you with any information on who made the complaint. You will be advised on the details of the breach and what options are available to resolve the matter.

The cooperation of those in breach of planning regulations will be sought in order to try and rectify the breach of planning control. In cases where remedial works, further construction or demolition is required, a reasonable period of time will be allowed for this.

Depending on the nature of the breach, you may be invited to submit a retrospective planning application, seeking consent for the development. This however does not imply that planning permission will be granted by the Council.

If you are issued with an Enforcement Notice you will be given the precise details of the breach, the reasons for the action, the steps required to resolve the breach and the time period for compliance.

If you have issues or queries regarding an alleged breach of planning control, please contact the relevant case officer or the enforcement team via email at planning.enforcement@bradford.gov.uk or through the Council’s Contact Centre at 01274 434605. Contact information will also be provided on any letters or correspondence from the Planning Enforcement team.

Why can't I find out who has made a complaint against me?

The information submitted to the Council forming part of a complaint is considered to be personal data, which is therefore exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (As Amended) and does not have to be disclosed by the Council.

My plans were approved by Building Control so why have I  received a letter from Planning Enforcement telling me that my extension is unauthorised?

The Council's Building Control Department can grant Building Regulations Approval for a development if it complies with the Building Regulations. This is not a grant of Planning Permission. Building regulations and planning permission are entirely separate matters and are governed by completely different legislation. In many cases planning permission will also be required and would need to be applied for separately.

I have received a letter from planning enforcement advising me that my extension is unauthorised. I don't understand as I have only demolished an existing extension and replaced it with an identical one?

If you demolish anything such as an extension, garage, outbuilding, wall, or fence and replace it with something identical, you may still require planning permission. Whether or not you need planning permission will depend on a number of factors. The fact that something similar or identical existed before is not a relevant factor in determining whether or not planning permission is required.