Prosecution for planning enforcement breach

Prosecution for planning enforcement breach

Two people have been ordered to pay a total of £3,652 after pleading guilty to breaching a planning enforcement notice.

Kamal Kaur and Surjit Singh each pleaded guilty at Slough Magistrates’ Court on Friday 4 September 2026 to breaching an enforcement notice, contrary to section 179(2) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

The council issued an enforcement notice in November 2021 requiring an unauthorised outbuilding at a property in Furnival Avenue to be demolished and the resulting materials, rubbish, debris, plant and machinery removed.

The notice was appealed to the Planning Inspectorate. In April 2023, the Planning Inspectorate upheld the enforcement notice, subject to a variation allowing the owners either to demolish the outbuilding or make the development comply with the terms of the relevant planning permission.

The deadline for compliance was 14 October 2023.

Council planning enforcement officers carried out subsequent inspections and found the outbuilding remained in place and had not been altered to comply with the requirements of the enforcement notice.

This led to prosecution proceedings at Slough Magistrates’ Court.

The court imposed a £1,323 fine, a £529 victim surcharge and ordered £1,800 in costs, giving a total of £3,652. This amount is divided equally between both defendants and to be paid over 18 months.

Despite the guilty pleas and financial penalties imposed by the court, the enforcement notice has not yet been complied with. The outbuilding currently remains in place.

Councillor Wal Chahal, leader of the council and lead member for strategic planning, said: “Planning enforcement notices must be complied with. Ignoring them does not make them go away.

“If you don’t comply with a notice, then you risk court action which can lead to a criminal conviction and expensive costs, as in this case.”

The council will continue to pursue compliance with the planning enforcement notice and will take further action if necessary.