The effective and proper enforcement of planning control is particularly important in Shetland due to our high quality marine environment.
Whilst it is not a criminal offence to carry out development without first obtaining planning permission or a works licence, it does constitute a contravention of planning laws and the Council has powers to enforce those laws.
The Marine Planning Team also undertakes monitoring of consented developments to ensure that they are operating in line with their approved permissions and planning conditions.
If you think that development is being undertaken without planning permission or that development is not in compliance with approved permissions and/or conditions, please e-mail us on marine.planning@shetland.gov.uk or call 01595 744293 and ask to speak to a member of the Marine Planning Team.
Our Enforcement Charter 2019 describes how we operate our planning enforcement service along with the powers available to the Council.