Anybody know how this will affect our park and public buidings?

S215 of the Act concerns the power to serve improvement notices on land or buildings in a state of neglect or disrepair so as to negatively affect the amenity of an area. S216 details the enforcement penalties, which can include an initial fine, a cumulative fine for non-compliance and potentialy a criminal record.

Its impact is limited on parks and green spaces owned by local authorities, as councils cannot take out enforcement actions against themselves.. however, if land or buildings adjoining a park and not in council ownership are seen to impact on the amenity through negelect - substantial disrepair/flytipping etc.. the council planning enforcement officers may be able to serve an improvement notice.

The response to this power across the country varies, with some councils taking a very robust line and a low benchmark on what constitues an offence, and others extremely reluctant to make use of this mechanism. Hasting Borough Council seems a field leader in proactive use of S215 and they have a presentation on their website and seem very happy to talk about it.


Simon