Landowners can be ordered to pay fines for using land as a caravan site without the necessary permissions. This type of offence typically involves a breach of a planning enforcement notice regarding the unauthorised change of use of land.
Such penalties are regularly highlighted in Sussex court summaries. While specific details of individuals and locations are not always provided, the scale of fines reflects the severity with which planning breaches are treated by the judiciary.
Such prosecutions typically arise when a landowner fails to comply with a planning enforcement notice issued by a local authority. In the areas surrounding Bognor Regis, planning enforcement is managed by either Arun District Council or Chichester District Council, depending on the specific parish. These authorities have the power to issue notices requiring the unauthorised use of land to cease and any related structures to be removed.
Under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, failure to comply with an enforcement notice is a criminal offence. Following a conviction, the courts have the authority to impose unlimited fines, often taking into account any financial gain the defendant may have made from the unauthorised use of the land.
High-value fines for similar planning breaches have previously been issued across West Sussex, particularly in rural areas such as Birdham and Sidlesham, where the unauthorised placement of caravans has frequently been a focus of council enforcement teams. Once an enforcement notice has been breached, the local planning authority may pursue a prosecution in the Magistrates’ or Crown Court.
For residents concerned about land use, West Sussex County Council provides guidance on how planning rules are enforced across the county. Unauthorised encampments or breaches of planning control can typically be reported directly to the relevant district council via their online enforcement portals.
Sussex Police generally only intervene in cases involving unauthorised encampments when there are six or more vehicles present, or where there is evidence of criminal damage or significant public distress. Most other land-use disputes remain a civil or administrative matter for the local planning office.
