BCP Council (Bournemouth):  Darryl Howells has secured a Certificate of Lawfulness for the use of part of a building as a self-contained flat.  The client instructed Darryl given his previous experience of planning enforcement that he obtained whilst working in a former Council.  Prior to the submission of the application, Darryl co-ordinated the collection of the evidence and wrote the statutory declarations needed to support the application.  The former owner and tenant then signed the documents in the presence of a solicitor to give them significant weight as a consideration not merely ‘hearsay’.

Darryl submitted the application and met with the enforcement officer on site which led to the officer being wholly satisfied with the application, so recommended the application for approval quickly to his line manager.  The decision was subsequently approved by the Council.

If you have formed a self-contained unit without first obtaining planning permission then you may be eligible to obtain a certificate of lawfulness to regularise the situation. If so, please contact one of our consultants and we will be able to advise what evidence is needed to justify such a case, and assist in the securing that certificate.