Islington Council is set to crackdown on planning pests who carry out building works without permission and risk harming the borough's unique character.<br><br>Cllr James Kempton, Leader of Islington Council, this week announced new proposals for swift action against people who break the planning rules. <br><br>With Islington's planning enforcement now better resourced than ever, the council wants to ensure that the most serious offenders, such as those carrying out unauthorised works to a listed building, are dealt with as a priority.<br><br>This is why the council's new policy sets out clearly how it will respond to cases to make sure that the most serious breaches are addressed as quickly as possible. Where it is considered in the public interest, offenders will be prosecuted.<br><br>Under the new policy, planning enforcement officers will also give regular updates to the council's Area Committees, helping to keep local people informed about the actions they are taking. <br><br>Cllr Kempton said: " Planning is a real challenge in London at the moment -the need for more housing has to be constantly balanced with the pressure on space, and the need to protect the unique historical character of places like Islington. We know people locally care about planning because its something that gets the public out to meetings - something we're being challenged to do, more and more. So we're raising it up the agenda. <br><br>"Enforcement is important because we draw up our planning policies in consultation with local people, by asking them how they want their local area to look now and in the future - what parts they think should be changed, and which parts they want protected. We need to make sure we deal effectively with the minority of people who break planning rules - because not only are they harming the local environment, they are in effect ignoring the community's wishes."<br><br>ENDS<br><br>
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009