Certificate of Lawfulness Granted by Horsham District Council for a Residential Dwelling
Certificate of Lawfulness from Horsham District Council confirming continuous residential use of a property at Warnham for over four years, together with the lawfulness of a brick porch erected in 2010.
COL APPROVALSHORSHAMWEST SUSSEX
Andrew Ransome
6/23/20262 min read
In 2019, Horsham District Council issued a Certificate of Lawfulness confirming that a buildingf in Warnham had been in continuous residential use for over four years, and that a brick porch erected in 2010 had been in place for the same period.
The site is located in woodland outside any defined built-up area. I assembled a comprehensive evidence package including a statutory declaration, council tax statements dating back to 2002/03, water bills and electricity bills, which the Council accepted as sufficiently precise and unambiguous.
Certificate of Lawfulness for a Dwelling in Horsham
I secured a Certificate of Lawfulness of Existing Use from Horsham District Council for a property in Warnham — a building set in woodland outside any defined built-up area.
The Certificate confirmed two matters: that the building had been used as a single dwellinghouse for a continuous period in excess of four years, and that a brick porch to the side of the building had been in place for the same period.
The planning history of the site was not straightforward.
A previous Certificate of Lawful Use application relating to the continuation of residential use had been submitted in 2004 but was subsequently withdrawn in 2007. It was therefore important to ensure that the evidence assembled for the 2019 application was comprehensive and went beyond what might be considered the minimum required.
The evidence package I submitted included a signed statutory declaration. Council tax statements were provided covering the relevant years, together with utility bills.
The Council concluded that the evidence was sufficiently precise and unambiguous to satisfy the balance of probability test under Section 191 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, and granted the Certificate.
Planning Application Advice
If you need to regularise the planning status of a dwelling that has been in residential use, a Certificate of Lawfulness is the right route. I can advise on the evidence needed and manage the application from start to finish. Contact me to discuss your situation..
Andrew Ransome MRTPI - Email: andrew@andrewransome.co.uk
About me
Andrew Ransome is a Planning Director and a Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), with more than two decades of experience in town planning.
He specialises in delivering strategic planning solutions for complex developments across both rural and urban environments, helping clients navigate planning challenges and unlock development opportunities. Connect with Andrew on Linkedin.
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Get in touch for planning advice: Email: andrew@andrewransome.co.uk
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