Planning permission is in place for a reason and whenever you want to extend, build or rebuild on your land, you have to first get permission from local authorities that say you can. Dino Tomassetti Jr. is an expert in this field and we have been catching up recently to find out exactly what planning permission was all about and why it has to be followed. We wrote about this some weeks ago and many of you wrote in to find out exactly what could happen if you ignore building regulations and carry on with a build without first getting permission.
The first thing to say here is that it is not legal to do so, and breaking the law would be exactly what you’d be doing here. If this happens, be it unknowingly or knowingly and you are caught, here is what to expect.
First Warning
If you have breached the law by starting the building then you will be warned and you will have to go after some planning permission. At this point you may not have to undo the work that has been done but you will not be able to continue with any more building work until planning permission has been granted.
Fined
If the building or the extension is complete and you are found to have done so without planning permission then you just may be able to get away with a fine, if you are lucky. If it is abundantly clear that there would be no opposition to the build then the local authorities may slap with you a hefty fine that you will have to pay. If you fail to pay the fine then they could by rights get you to take the building down.
Demolition
In some cases, if the build has been finished and you never sought out planning permission then you could be in big trouble. This is even more true if you were found to have been in breach of planning laws and that you wouldn’t have been granted permission even if you had applied. In such a situation it is very possible that you are told that the building or the extension has to come down. If this happens then you will be forced to comply or face further legal issues. This of course is going to come at massive cost and hassle to you, which is why it is always essential that you ensure that you apply for planning permission.
Ultimately these laws are designed to protect people, to protect the environment and most importantly to protect those working on the construction. If you fail to seek out planning permission then you are running a huge risk and should you be caught out then you can expect the full letter of the law to be used against you. Ultimately there is just no point, it is always a smart idea to go and get that planning permission that you need.
