Planning enforcement of minerals, waste and county development

The Development Management Team within our Planning Group deals with work regarding the extraction of minerals (sand, gravel, clay, chalk, oil and gas), the importation, deposit, disposal, storage, processing and possible export of waste and County Development (schools, infrastructure and other investment programmes - known as Regulation 3 development).

Our Planning Enforcement and Monitoring Team monitor the progress of development permitted by us and seek to control unauthorised mineral and waste related development.

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Who to contact

Please make it very clear which of the following apply to your enquiry or complaint:

  1. Mineral and waste sites with planning permission issued by us.
  2. Regulation 3 (development on the County Council's own land).
  3. Unauthorised sites involving waste importation and tipping, with associated storage and processing or the disposal of imported waste by spreading or burning it without planning permission on private land (on public land or highways this would be fly tipping).

Enquiries/complaints regarding sites with planning permission issued by Surrey County Council

Breaches of planning control should be reported as soon as possible to us. This will allow us to investigate and seek to address the problem as soon as possible. Your complaints concerning permitted sites and unauthorised activity will be investigated and you will receive an acknowledgement and a subsequent response explaining what, if any action has or will be taken. Enforcement action may be taken where expedient to remedy a breach of planning control. Frequently asked questions on monitoring and enforcing should help explain how we decide what to do when we receive an enquiry or complaint about minerals or waste development.

In order to deal with your concerns as effectively as possible, please provide us with the following information:

  1. Your name and contact details, telephone, email or postal address.
  2. The name or location of the site and the operating company, if possible.
  3. Description of the nature of the complaint/enquiry.
  4. Date and time of your communication.

Please note:

  • Anonymous complaints will be investigated but will not be treated as priority.
  • Complainants will be treated confidentially as far as practicable.
  • Personal information including names, addresses and contact details, supplied to us through the online Planning Enquiry/Complaint Report function, email, letter or verbally on the telephone, will be retained on our files, electronic and paper, exclusively for the use of Planning Enforcement and Monitoring staff. The information will then be retained indefinitely as part of the history of the site about which the enforcement enquiry/complaint has been made. Planning Enforcement is undertaken in line with our Enforcement Protocol (PDF) and is undertaken on the lawful basis of public task (in accordance with the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, as amended, related orders and regulations). For further information see our Privacy Policy.

Fly tipping

Fly tipping, from a county planning perspective, comprises the unauthorised and illegal tipping and disposal of all waste on public land and highways. Where waste is imported onto County owned land, such matters are for our Estates Department. Otherwise, fly tipping is dealt with by Local Borough and District Councils, not County Planning Enforcement Officers.

Find out who to contact about fly tipping.

Monitoring and enforcement of county development (Regulation 3)

The County Council is both applicant and determining planning authority in respect of schools, infrastructure and other investment programmes. This is permitted under Regulation 3 of the Town and Country Planning Act. Where irreconcilable planning disputes arise, there is no direct way of resolving matters, because the County Council is unable to take enforcement action against itself.

The Surrey County Council development (Regulation 3) monitoring and enforcement protocol is used as a way of addressing concerns in respect of non-compliance with planning permission, and is available within our Enforcement Protocol (PDF).


Files available to download


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