Northumberland County Council (24 013 443)
Category : Planning > Enforcement
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 26 Jan 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to take enforcement action against a breach of planning control. The Council has issued an Enforcement Notice. It will consider further action if the Notice is not complied with. Further investigation will not lead to a different outcome.
The complaint
- Mr X complains the Council has failed to act against the unauthorised change of use by a business near his home.
- He wants the Council to inform residents of its completed and proposed actions and close the business down until the breach of planning control is resolved.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.
(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- In response to my enquiries the Council has confirmed it served an Enforcement Notice on the business operator. The Notice requires the business to:
- Stop using any part of the land for the repair, maintenance and respray of vehicles and for the storage of vehicles.
- Remove from the land all vehicles and equipment brought on to the land for the purpose of that use.
- Restore the land to its condition prior to the unauthorised use taking place.
- The Council further confirmed if full compliance does not happen by the end of February it will consider what action to take.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the Council has taken the action it considers appropriate. Further investigation will not lead to a different outcome.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman