Enforcing the planning rules in Slough
Slough's Planning Enforcement team is responsible for tackling alleged breaches of planning control. This includes building work that does not have the appropriate planning permission, changes of the use of sites without planning permission, the display of unauthorised advertisements and unapproved works to protected trees and listed buildings.
The team follow the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which sets out the government's national planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied, as well as Slough's Local Enforcement Plan and Slough's Local Planning policies.
Effective enforcement is vital to make sure the character and amenity of the borough are protected. All reports of possible breaches of planning are taken seriously and investigated as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.
The enforcement team will try to undertake an initial investigation within 10 working days (subject to the availability of officers) and then allocate the case a priority level for investigation if required.
More serious breaches will be investigated immediately. Examples of serious breaches include unauthorised works to a listed building and the felling of protected trees.