To: The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)

We, the undersigned, call for urgent reform of the UK’s planning and enforcement laws to protect law-abiding citizens from the damage caused by illegal developments and unauthorised occupation of land.

Across the UK, unauthorised developments are being carried out in clear breach of planning law. In many cases, individuals and groups exploit loopholes in the planning system to delay or avoid enforcement. Local councils and the police are either powerless or unwilling to act swiftly, leaving communities to bear the cost, disruption, and environmental harm.

Meanwhile, those who abide by planning law face endless red tape and penalties for minor breaches, while others are allowed to continue unlawful development for years, undermining confidence in the rule of law and in fair treatment for all.

We demand the following 

• Mandatory action by councils: Require local authorities to take enforcement action within strict timeframes (24 hours) and report annually on enforcement outcomes, so communities are not left without protection.
• Strengthen police powers: Expand police authority to support immediate removal of unauthorised developments, not only encampments, where planning permission has not been granted.
• Limit abuse of appeals and retrospective planning applications: Restrict appeals and retrospective applications where development has already been ruled unlawful or refused, to prevent misuse of litigation to delay removal.
• Enable asset seizure to recover costs: Councils and the courts should be empowered to seize or forfeit assets (including caravans, vehicles, and structures) linked to unlawful developments, with proceeds used to fund site clearance and repair.

Why this matters
The current system unfairly protects those who break the law while penalising ordinary citizens. Illegal development destroys trust in planning, causes lasting damage to local communities, and wastes taxpayer money.

Reform is urgently needed to restore fairness, protect communities, and ensure that the same law applies equally to everyone.

We therefore call on the Government to change the law, including the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023, so that planning enforcement is fast, fair, and effective, with the power to remove unlawful developments immediately and hold offenders fully accountable.