An information notice is not a permission decision
A planning contravention notice is used to obtain information about a suspected breach. It normally requires a response within twenty-one days. Failing to respond properly, or providing false or misleading information, can be an offence. It is not a grant or refusal of planning permission. [1][3]
Answer the actual questions and keep a copy of the response and evidence of sending it. Where dates, ownership or the extent of work are uncertain, obtain advice rather than guessing or filling gaps with assumptions.
Enforcement notice
An enforcement notice identifies the alleged breach and the steps required to remedy it, or the activity that must stop. Read the land description and plan, the effective date and each compliance requirement. [2]
An appeal must reach the Planning Inspectorate before the notice takes effect. The available grounds depend on the case, and restrictions can apply where there has already been a related retrospective application. Do not confuse the appeal deadline with the later date allowed for carrying out remedial work. [4]
Stop notices and temporary stop notices
A stop notice and a temporary stop notice are different instruments. A stop notice is associated with enforcement action; a temporary stop notice can require a specified activity to stop immediately while the authority considers the position. [1][2]
For temporary stop notices issued on or after 25 April 2024, the maximum period is fifty-six days from display, or a shorter period specified in the notice. The older twenty-eight-day limit applies to notices issued before that date. Do not assume every kind of stop notice automatically ends after fifty-six days. [1]
Check precisely which activities are prohibited and arrange safe compliance. Do not continue affected work merely because the contractor is booked or another planning application is pending.
Breach of condition notice
A breach of condition notice requires compliance with conditions attached to a permission. There is no ordinary Planning Inspectorate appeal against this type of notice. A response strategy must therefore follow its particular legal route rather than borrowing the enforcement-notice appeal form. [1][2]
Immediate practical steps
Keep the complete notice, plan, envelope and all accompanying information. Send them promptly to the person advising on the planning position and tell the contractor about any restriction affecting work. Prepare a factual chronology and locate the permission, approved plans and later amendments.
Ask for written clarification where a requirement is unclear, but do not assume that asking a question extends a deadline. Planning enforcement can carry criminal and financial consequences; obtain planning legal advice immediately where a formal notice is served. [1][4]