Town and Country Planning Act 1971

98 Penalties for non-compliance with listed building enforcement notice

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, where a listed building enforcement notice has been served on the person who, at the time when the notice was served on him, was the owner of the building to which it relates, then, if any steps required by the notice to be taken have not been taken within the period allowed for compliance with the notice, that person shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £400, or on conviction on indictment to a fine.

(2) If a person against whom proceedings have been brought under subsection (1) of this section has, at some time before the end of the period allowed for compliance with the notice, ceased to be the owner of the building, he shall, upon information duly laid by him, and on giving to the prosecution not less than three clear days' notice of his intention, be entitled to have the person who then became the owner of the building (in this section referred to as " the subsequent owner ") brought before the court in the proceedings.

(3) If, after it has been proved that any steps required by the notice have not been taken within the period allowed for compliance with the notice, the original defendant proves that the failure to take those steps was attributable, in whole or in part, to the default of the subsequent owner—

(a) the subsequent owner may be convicted of the offence; and

(b) the original defendant, if he further proves that he took all reasonable steps to secure compliance with the notice, shall be acquitted of the offence.

(4) If, after a person has been convicted under the preceding provisions of this section, he does not as soon as practicable do everything in his power to secure compliance with the notice, he shall be guilty of a further offence and be liable—

(a) on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £50 for each day following his first conviction on which any of the requirements of the notice remain unfulfilled ; or

(b) on conviction on indictment to a fine.

(5) Any reference in this section to the period allowed for compliance with a listed building enforcement notice is a reference to the period specified in the notice as that within which the steps specified in the notice are required thereby to be taken, or such extended period as the local planning authority may allow for taking them.