PART 5CERTIFICATES OF LAWFULNESS

156Certificate of lawfulness of existing use or development

(1)

Any person may apply to a planning authority for a certificate confirming that—

(a)

an existing use of land in the area of the authority is lawful,

(b)

operations that have been carried out on land in its area are lawful, or

(c)

any other matter constituting a failure to comply with a condition of planning permission for the development of land in its area is lawful.

(2)

The authority must issue a certificate if it is provided with information that satisfies it of the lawfulness, on the day the application was made, of—

(a)

the use, operations or other matter described in the application, or

(b)

a use, operations or other matter of that description as modified by the authority or of a description substituted by it.

(3)

In any other case, the authority must refuse the application.

(4)

A certificate issued under this section is conclusive of the lawfulness of the use, operations or other matter to which it relates on the day the application was made.

(5)

For further provision about the effect of a certificate issued under this section in respect of a use, see—

(a)

section 39(5) of the Mobile Homes (Wales) Act 2013 (anaw 6) (licensing of mobile home sites that are regulated sites);

(b)

section 29(4B) of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 (c. 62) (licensing of other caravan sites).