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Enforcing planning permissions and investigating complaints

Lancashire County Council checks that planning permissions are followed and investigates complaints about mineral extraction and waste management developments. We also look into complaints about the council’s own developments.

For complaints about other types of development, such as residential or commercial sites, please contact your local city or borough council.

Our planning enforcement policy

We have a planning enforcement policy that explains how we investigate complaints about unauthorised development and other breaches of planning rules.

What happens when you make a complaint

If you report a suspected breach of planning control for mineral extraction, waste management, or the council’s own development, we will:

  • Acknowledge your complaint within five working days and tell you who is dealing with it

  • Investigate the complaint

  • Respond within 28 days with the result of the initial investigation. Sometimes, further investigation or enforcement action may take longer

Your details will always be kept confidential and will not be shared with the person or organisation being investigated. We may share your details with other regulators, such as the Environment Agency or local councils, if needed.

If the complaint is about the council’s own development, we will contact the Chief Officer of the department responsible. If a breach has happened, we will ask the officer to fix it. Lancashire County Council cannot take formal enforcement action against itself.

How to report a breach

To report a suspected breach of planning control, please complete the planning enforcement complaint online form.

If you are not satisfied

If you are unhappy with how your complaint has been handled, you can contact the Head of Development Management and Planning Policy or the Head of Planning and Transport. If you are still not satisfied, you can follow Lancashire County Council's complaints procedure.

Other important information

  • We do not investigate complaints or take enforcement action in Blackpool or Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council areas.

  • You can view current or previous enforcement actions in our online planning enforcement register.

  • For complaints about unauthorised waste operations (such as tipping or running a waste site without a permit), you can also contact the Environment Agency using report an environmental incident (GOV.uk).