Enforcing planning control

Planning plays a key role in safeguarding the quality of landscape, buildings and the environment of the National Park. Enforcement is an important part of the planning process by preventing and resolving unauthorised development.

There are two main ways in which a breach of planning can occur:

• Building or engineering works, or changes in the use of land or buildings, that are carried out without planning permission.
• Where planning permission has been granted but the approved plans and/or the conditions attached to the approval notice have not been followed properly.

Our approach to enforcement

In investigating and dealing with apparent breaches of planning, we have to exercise a careful balance between the rights of the individuals concerned and the wider public interest. When dealing with enforcement complaints we will:

• take a balanced approach
• investigate to gather the facts and a full picture of the situation
• negotiate a resolution wherever possible
• encourage a planning application where it would resolve the issue
• when necessary, use enforcement powers to remove or stop harmful development
• when appropriate, take no further action.

We have a Local Enforcement Plan which sets out our policy and procedure for planning enforcement.

Reporting a breach of planning control

Before submitting a report or complaint, we strongly advise you to check whether the development or activity already has planning permission. You can do this using our online planning register; Search for a planning application.

If you believe there has been a breach of planning control which is causing planning harm, you can report the matter via our website at Enforcing planning control | Dartmoor . You must complete the correct form for us to consider your reported matter.

You can include photographs, but please do not put yourself at risk when taking them.

We will not normally investigate anonymous reports. This ensures that public resources are not spent unnecessarily investigating hoaxes or malicious complaints. Should legal action be appropriate, the authority need to state in Court that a local resident reported the matter.

All details provided by a complainant will remain confidential unless it's needed as evidence in court. In this case we will make all reasonable efforts to inform you before disclosing any information.

Enforcement Register search

The Enforcement Register is a list of all Enforcement Notices, Stop Notices and Breach of Conditions Notices served. The register includes a simple search option to see if legal action has already been taken against an issue you have noticed.

Search enforcement register; Enforcing planning control | Dartmoor

Further Information

• Development Management Committee Meetings and Agendas
• Appeals
• Register for an account to report an unauthorised development

Please note you will need to register for an account to report an unauthorised development, this is to prevent anonymous reporting. Your details will not be shared, but our officers may need to contact you for further information.