Report something to Planning Enforcement

Changes to fees

Please note the following fees will be increased by 5% on 1 April 2025.  Any requests received on or after this date will be subject to the increased fee.

If you think that someone has broken planning regulations, you can submit a report about it to our Planning Enforcement team. We will assess the situation in relation to national and local planning policy, and will keep you updated with the actions we take and the reasons why.

Typical examples of breaches of planning control 

Without the correct consents, all of the following may be breaking regulations:

• Building works affecting the external appearance of a building
• Internal or external works on a listed building
• Changes of use (such as from agricultural use to residential, or residential to commercial)
• Failing to comply with conditions attached to planning consents
• The display of advertising
• Substantial demolition in a conservation area
• The felling of protected trees

Things that Planning Enforcement does not deal with 

We regret that we are unable to investigate the following:

• Neighbour disputes
• Land boundaries or ownership disputes
• Disputes under the Party Wall Act
• Smells, noise and pollution
• Fly-tipping
• Use of development on highways or pavements
• Dangerous structures

If you have persistent problems with any of these issues, we advise contacting Citizens Advice, or a solicitor.

Make sure your report is valid

Some work on properties is classed as permitted development, and so does not need planning permission. There are further details of this on the Planning Portal. You should search our Planning Register, to check if the works you are concerned about are already the subject of a planning application. We also advise you to read about Planning Enforcement policy and implementation, before submitting a report.

If your report is about an unauthorised development (including listed buildings and protected trees)

Before you contact us about the development

The planning enforcement process can be very slow, and may not be the most effective way of resolving a problem. We recommend taking the steps below before you submit a report.

• Attempt to solve the problem by communicating directly with the property owner, using an intermediary you both trust, or one recommended by Civil Mediation Council. 
• Research how you think the development has broken planning regulations. We will not investigate anonymous complaints, or reports that do not identify a breach of planning control. Please use the Planning Portal to check if the work is classed as permitted development, which needs no planning permission. If you are still unsure on this issue, email planning_enforcement@bathnes.gov.uk to discuss it further.
• Make copies of all documents you wish to submit with your report. This may include emails, letters, or photographs you have taken of the development or its impact. You will have an opportunity to upload these documents when you make your report online. 
• Read our Local Enforcement Plan, to give yourself a good understanding of how we will handle your report.
• Recognise that, while we will not disclose your identity to the property owner (subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act and associated legislation), it may be easy for them to guess who has made the report.  

If your report is about a high hedge

The GOV.UK website has extensive guidance on dealing with high hedge issues.

Before you contact us about a high hedge

We have a separate reporting process for issues caused by high hedges. If you’re the owner or tenant in a home affected by a high hedge, you should first speak to your neighbour about the problem. The GOV.UK website has advice on speaking to a neighbour about hedge problems. If this doesn’t work, contact a mediation service via Civil Mediation Council. If you can demonstrate that you have taken these steps and you still can’t come to an agreement, you can report the issue to us.

We may be able to act if all of the following are true.

• Someone else owns the land the hedge is growing on
• It’s acting as a barrier to light or access
• The part of the hedge that is causing problems is made up of a line of at least two trees or shrubs
• The hedge is mostly evergreen or semi-evergreen
• The height of the hedge is two metres or more

There is a fee of £441 (including VAT) for investigating high hedge reports. The fee is payable, whatever action we decide to take on the issue. Once your report is submitted, we will be in touch to arrange a convenient way for you to pay.

Warning  Planning Enforcement cannot deal with secondary problems caused by high hedges or their roots, such as subsidence or drain blockages. To act on these, you should get legal guidance from Citizens Advice, or a solicitor.

Next steps

We’ll gather information to help us make a decision. This may include writing to people who are involved and visiting the site. We may talk to other neighbours and residents’ associations. We’ll then make a decision and let you know our reasons. 
Please see our Planning Enforcement Policy for more detail on:

• How we approach and handle breaches of Planning Policy

• How you can appeal against a decision we make