A 'lawful development certificate' (also known as a Certificate of Lawful Use or Development) certifies that the existing or proposed use of land or buildings is lawful for planning control purposes.
You can apply for such a certificate from your local planning authority (LPA), and can make a Lawful Development Certificate appeal if they refuse to grant the certificate (in whole or in part), or if they fail to make a decision in the time that they are allowed.
Please note that if your appeal, or information received later from the LPA, shows that the operation, use or other matter had an effective enforcement notice in place at the time of your application, the matter cannot be lawful and your appeal will be turned away.
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