The Planning Enforcement Fund, announced on Saturday, will provide councils with grants of up to £10,000, or 50% of their legal costs, whichever amount is smaller, towards the cost of securing a Court injunction against those breaching planning rules.
The DCLG said injunctions during 2011 to 2013 had cost an average of around £13,000, according to a survey of councils. It estimated that the new fund "could pay towards more than 90 court injunctions up to March 2016".
"Councils should not be afraid of using court injunctions for serious planning breaches and this new £1 million enforcement fund gives councils extra resources in the fight against unauthorised development," said communities secretary Eric Pickles in a statement.
"The public rightly expects fair play in the planning system. Law-abiding residents follow the rules and obtain planning permission so they find it galling to see others who don’t," said Pickles. "That’s why we set up this new fund to help councils act swiftly to stop unauthorised development."
The scheme will run from January 2015 until 31st March 2016, with £200,000 available until March 2015 and £800,000 in the 2015/16 financial year.