On this page: Information about complaints, investigation plus contact details.
Investigation Process
The investigation process is as follows:
Enquiries are registered, acknowledged and allocated to an Enforcement Officer within 10 working days.
Research is carried out using our computer systems.
If the enquiry is valid, a site visit is conducted.
Contact is made with the alleged offender.
Additional Notes
Action can be in many forms depending upon the case.
Steps 2-4 can take between 8-13 weeks to progress, in more complex cases this may be longer.
To learn more please go to the Resolving Breaches page.
Handling Breach Complaints
Once a complaint has been identified as a legitimate breach of planning control, the Council has a number of options, depending upon the severity of the case, these are:
Negotiate a satisfactory solution
Seek the submission of a (retrospective) planning application
If no application is forthcoming or the breach is serious then the Council may decide to "Serve Notice", requiring works to be conducted/stopped to remedy the situation.
Where it may not be considered expedient to pursue a matter, a conclusion of "No Action" may be made.
Additional Notes
As enforcement is a discretionary power any action must be justified in the public interest.
Whatever action is taken, all parties are informed of the outcome of any investigation.
Boundary or Party Wall Disputes
A typical example would be a shared boundary, where a new extension, overhangs or encroaches onto the neighbours land. The planning department does not police private development to this extent, and cannot become involved in covenant or deed disputes.
Obstruction of a Highway
Typically this problem would relate to a shared driveway or backway.
Obstruction of a public highway is a breach of The Road Traffic Act (1988), this is a matter which must be dealt with by the police. For more information, please visit the website of Wiltshire Police (www.wiltshire.police.uk).
Right-to-Light
The 'Right-to-Light' law dates back to 1832, and is not part of planning law. Therefore, legal advice should be sought, before contacting the Council.
The impact of development upon a neighbours light is always considered when determining planning applications, and there are several rules that are used to judge the impact of development upon neighbours.
Further Information
Please use the address found on the Customer Services page, and remember to include the following information:
Address of property or land in question
Details of the alleged breach; keep it factual!
Your name and contact details
Supporting Information
You will be required to provide your name and address for any complaint to be investigated. This allows us to update you on the progress of any investigation(s). Your details, however, will remain confidential.