Planning permission secured for 129-hectare Kildallan Solar Farm in Co. Westmeath
12 June 2025
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Certificates of Lawfulness secured for several businesses in Scotland
3 June 2025
A Certificate of Lawfulness, sometimes known as a Certificate of Lawfulness of Existing Use or Development (CLEUD), acts as confirmation from a local planning authority that a proposed or existing development is legal under its use type, and therefore immune from enforcement action. The possession of a Certificate of Lawfulness can therefore provide businessowners with the legal protection and peace of mind they need to be able to focus on growing their businesses.
Gravis Planning have recently submitted Certificate of Lawfulness applications for a range of clients in Scotland, including a pre-school nursery in Linlithgow, a cafe in Glasgow – for which Certificates of Lawfulness have now been successfully obtained – and an online retail and distribution business in Midlothian, which is ongoing.
A critical requirement for many of these applications is to demonstrate continued use of the premises for a minimum of 10 years – the so-called ‘10-year rule’. In the cases of the successful applications outlined above, Gravis compiled a robust evidence base for each, demonstrating the fulfilment of the 10-year criterion for the planning authorities involved. Evidence included not only the planning history of the units but also items such as property valuation records, historic photographs and images, official education inspections and even, in the case of the cafe, historic Trip Advisor reviews of the range and quality of food served in it.
We are pleased to have supported these businesses in complying with planning regulations and continue to deliver Certificates of Lawfulness, and their counterparts, for various clients across the UK and Ireland.
