Our proactive approach to planning enforcement has seen formal action taken within hours of an unauthorised development beginning over the Bank Holiday weekend.
The council became aware of development taking place on privately owned land at Muckley Corner at around lunchtime on Saturday. Planning Enforcement officers responded immediately, with a Temporary Stop Notice drafted and served later that afternoon.
The council’s approach means it is equipped to respond quickly when serious enforcement issues arise, including during evenings, weekends and Bank Holidays, ensuring urgent cases can be acted on when needed.
The Temporary Stop Notice prohibited further unauthorised activity on the land, including engineering works, the movement of material and bringing additional caravans onto the site.
Further activity has since taken place in contravention of the notice and the council is continuing to gather evidence. Breaching a Temporary Stop Notice is a criminal offence.
The council is now progressing the next stages of enforcement action. An Enforcement Notice is being served requiring the unauthorised development to cease and the land to be returned to its previous state, while further legal action is also being considered.
The response builds on the council’s experience of dealing with other significant planning enforcement cases and its approach to ensuring it can mobilise quickly when urgent intervention is required.
Councillor Richard Cox, Cabinet Member for Community and Public Protection said:
“We want Lichfield to be a leading example of a proactive council that responds when it is needed. In this case, we became aware of the development around lunchtime on a Bank Holiday Saturday and formal action had been taken within hours.
“Residents should have confidence that when serious issues arise, we are ready to respond quickly and robustly and will continue to take action as a situation develops.”
Our Planning Enforcement team investigates potential breaches of planning control across Lichfield District, from unauthorised development and changes of use to breaches of planning conditions.
While the appropriate response depends on the circumstances of each case, we have a range of planning enforcement powers available and will take formal action where it is necessary and proportionate.
We will continue to monitor the Muckley Corner site, progress enforcement action and keep residents and councillors informed as the case develops.