Ask me another

Now here's an interesting thing. I asked this question:

"How often, if ever, has Cornwall Council started proceedings against anyone for starting work on a project without formal planning approval?"

And got this answer:

"The Council did not start work on constructing the access road to the Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre without planning permission. A planning consent can be implemented as soon as a developer has complied with any pre commencement planning conditions relating to the application. In the case of the Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre the application was granted planning permission by the Secretary of State on 19 May 2011. A letter confirming that the Council and SITA had complied with all the pre commencement planning conditions relating to the phase 1 works as set out by the Secretary of State in his appeal decision was sent out by the planning authority on 21 September 2011. As a result the Council was legally entitled to implement the consent in relation to phase 1 works from that date. The construction of the access and haul roads for the Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre, which began on 26 September, formed part of these phase 1 works."