Luton Borough Council (20 002 080)

Statement Upheld Planning applications 15-Feb-2021

Summary: Mr X complains the Council did not properly deal with a planning application near his home and has not investigated concerns about noise and dust. The Council is at fault because it did not follow its complaints policy. Mr X cannot be clear how the Council is responding to his complaints. The Council has agreed to write to Mr X to clarify how it will respond to him and issue guidance to staff to ensure it follows its complaints policy.

Northumberland County Council (20 002 609)

Statement Not upheld Planning applications 15-Feb-2021

Summary: The Council was not at fault for the way it considered a planning application to remove obscured glazing from a window which faces Mr X’s property.

Sheffield City Council (19 013 304)

Statement Not upheld Planning applications 12-Feb-2021

Summary: Mr X complains about the way the Council handled a planning application on a site to the rear of his house. He said this resulted in the development being built too close to his boundary and resulted in a loss of privacy for him and his family. The Council followed correct planning procedure in line with national legislation and its own policies. We have completed our investigation and have found no fault with the Council’s action.

Cheshire East Council (20 010 114)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Planning applications 12-Feb-2021

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s actions in relation to a planning application for a peat extraction plant. This is because the complaint is late. The complainant can also seek a remedy in court for the claimed injustice.

Blaby District Council (20 007 663)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Planning applications 12-Feb-2021

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with a breach of planning control or its decision to grant retrospective planning permission. This is because we are unlikely to find fault by the Council.

Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council (20 009 964)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Planning applications 12-Feb-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s consideration of and decision on his neighbour’s planning application for a rear extension. The complaint is late and there are no good reasons for us to investigate it now. If we were to investigate, there is insufficient evidence of Council fault to warrant our further involvement.

Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (20 010 082)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Planning applications 11-Feb-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the way the Council changed a planning condition and reissued the decision notice for a local development. The matter does not cause Mr X a significant personal injustice which would warrant an Ombudsman investigation.

Guildford Borough Council (20 000 341)

Statement Upheld Planning applications 11-Feb-2021

Summary: Mr B complained the Council failed to follow its procedures when granting planning permission for a development, based its decision on misleading information, failed to properly consider the impact of the development and failed to consider the relevant policies. Mr B also complained the Council failed to fully respond to his complaint. There is no fault in how the Council considered the planning application. The Council did not respond to all the points Mr B raised in his complaint. That has led to him going to time and trouble to pursue the complaint. An apology is satisfactory remedy.

East Devon District Council (20 009 784)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Planning applications 11-Feb-2021

Summary: Mrs X complains about the way the Council dealt with a neighbour’s planning application. We will not investigate the complaint because it is unlikely we can add to the investigation already carried out by the Council and an investigation is unlikely to lead to a different outcome.

Rother District Council (19 013 161)

Statement Upheld Planning applications 10-Feb-2021

Summary: We found the Council was not at fault in reaching its planning decisions about development near Mr X’s home. However, the evidence showed avoidable delay by the Council in responding to Mr X’s complaint about the development. We found the Council’s offer to apologise and pay £150 suitably addressed the distress and frustration this delay caused Mr X.