What is the 4 Year Rule in Planning Enforcement?
The ‘4 year rule’ is a term used within town planning, particularly within the planning enforcement specialism, regarding whether enforcement action can be taken against certain types of development (that require planning permission) carried out in breach of planning control. As the name of the rule implies, enforcement action cannot* be taken once 4 years […]
Lawfulness approved for place of worship in Reading
A Certificate of Lawfulness has been granted for the continuous use of an approved community centre as a place of worship in Reading. Following an enforcement investigation in 2017, an application for a certificate of lawfulness was submitted. ET Planning worked with Space Office architects to provide plans of the community centre which showed the […]
Livery Use Approved
Following the purchase of a longstanding livery yard, my client was contacted by the Council’s enforcement officer who believed the site should be ancillary to an adjacent residential property, and not a commercial business. I assisted the client with completing a PCN response to the Council, and followed with a certificate of lawfulness application for […]
5 Bristol Apartments
The purchase of a new property can often bring many challenges for investors and developers, especially if the use of the building at the time of purchase is not lawful. That’s exactly what happened to my client, who sought to regularise the existing use of a large Bristol property as 5 apartments. The use had […]
New House in the Countryside
Following an enforcement investigation, I was appointed to assist Larkspur Equestrian establish the lawful use of a building as a dwelling. Initial feedback to the Council was submitted in response to a Planning Contravention Notice, following which a formal application was submitted. The building in question had originally been an annexe to an adjacent dwelling, […]