Planning enforcement expertise, from both sides of the desk.
Aequitas Planning is led by Sadaf Arfan, a planner with 11 years running enforcement casework and teams across 15 local authorities. We help councils deliver enforcement fairly and efficiently, and we help property owners resolve enforcement action with clarity and confidence.
Start with a fixed-fee Enforcement Risk Assessment
48 hour turnaroundTell us what has happened and we will set out where you stand, what your options are and what each one is likely to involve. Enquiries from local authorities are answered the same working day.
- RTPI member
- 15 local authorities
- ICO registered
- Professional indemnity insured
Experience gained at
- Lambeth
- Hillingdon
- Redbridge
- Sutton
- Waltham Forest
- Wandsworth
- Ealing
- St Albans
- Watford
- Swindon
- Cheltenham
- Stafford
- Rochford
Two audiences, one body of experience
Service position
Retained- Casework capacity in place
- Interim leadership covered
- Process review completed
- Officer training scheduled
Local authorities
Experienced casework capacity, interim leadership and service reviews, contracted directly.
Local authority servicesYour position
Actionable- Notice reviewed
- Deadlines diarised
- Options set out
- Route to compliance agreed
Property owners and landlords
Clear advice when you have received a notice, and practical routes to putting things right.
Enforcement and compliance adviceMatter support
Independent- Planning history checked
- Evidence tested
- Report drafted
- Statement of truth signed
Solicitors and professionals
Independent enforcement evidence, expert reports and advisory notes for your matters.
Expert witness supportAequitas Planning in numbers
0
Years in enforcement
0
Local authorities
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Written assessment turnaround
0
Agency margin on council work
Enforcement support for councils and owners, under one roof
Risk assessment
Fixed fee- Planning history checked
- Immunity tested, 4 and 10 year rules
- Options ranked by risk
- Next steps agreed with you
Enforcement Risk Assessment
A fixed-fee written assessment of your position and your options, returned within 48 hours.
ExploreAppeal readiness
S174- Grounds (a) to (g) advised
- Deadline before notice takes effect
- Evidence pack prepared
- Statement of case served
Enforcement notice appeals
Section 174 appeals, including immunity cases on grounds (c) and (d).
ExploreLawful use evidence
CLEUD- Use period established
- Statutory declarations gathered
- Rates and utility records traced
- Application submitted
Certificates of Lawfulness
CLEUD and CLOPUD applications, with the evidence properly assembled.
ExploreBacklog position
Per case- Ageing cases triaged
- Priorities agreed with you
- Files progressed to decision
- Cases closed and recorded
Backlog clearance
Per-case or retained capacity to move ageing enforcement cases to a conclusion.
ExploreTeam cover
Interim- Team leader cover in place
- Casework reviewed and allocated
- Members and complaints handled
- Permanent officer recruited
Interim team leadership
Cover at team leader and enforcement manager level while you recruit.
ExploreTraining plan
CPD- Evidence gathering session
- Notice drafting workshop
- LURA 2023 changes covered
- Appeal practice clinic
Officer training
Evidence gathering, notice drafting and the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act changes.
ExploreBuilt on three plain truths about enforcement
We know how councils prioritise
Enforcement is discretionary and resources are finite. Having built and run priority frameworks, we can explain realistically where a case sits, how quickly it is likely to move, and what would change that.
We know what the evidence must show
Councils rely on site records, historic imagery, council tax and utility data and the answers given to notices. We know the standard an inspector expects, so evidence is gathered once and gathered properly.
Most matters resolve without formal action
Retrospective applications, certificates of lawfulness and agreed remedial works close far more cases than notices do. A calm, evidenced approach usually serves everyone better than a fight.
How it works
First conversation
A short call to understand the site, the notice or the service pressure, at no cost.
Written assessment
Your position, the evidence that matters and the realistic options, in plain English.
Agreed scope and fee
Fixed fee, staged or hourly, confirmed in writing before any work begins.
Resolution
Applications, certificates, appeals or casework taken through to a conclusion.
Eleven years of enforcement, across fifteen authorities
Sadaf Arfan is a town planner who has worked in planning enforcement at officer, senior, manager and team leader level. She has served the notices, run the investigations and managed the teams that decide which cases to pursue. Aequitas Planning brings that experience to councils who need capacity and to owners who need a clear route out of a difficult position.
Meet SadafBook a fixed-fee initial assessment
Tell us what has happened and we will set out where you stand, what your options are and what each one is likely to involve. Written assessments are returned within 48 hours. Enquiries from local authorities are answered the same working day.
- RTPI member
- 15 local authorities
- ICO registered
- Professional indemnity insured