5. Avoiding penalties, surcharges and interest
Make sure that you do not start development before we have acknowledged receipt of your commencement notice stating your proposed commencement date (must be in the future) and your assumption of liability form.
Be aware that 'development' includes groundworks and demolition of existing buildings.
If you are using existing buildings to set off against new development, they must still be in situ when the application is determined and must have been in lawful use for 6 months within the preceding 3 years.
There are legally imposed surcharges and interest payments where:
- development commences before liability is assumed
- we have to apportion liability because no-one assumes liability
- development commences before a commencement notice is received
- a disqualifying event occurs and we are not notified within 14 days.
- a payment is more than 30 days late
- a person fails to comply with any requirement in an information notice within 14 days
- we may use stop notices, charging orders, enforcement of local land charges, bailiffs and magistrate court proceedings where necessary