Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about planning permission granted by the Council. This is because the complaint does not meet the tests in our Assessment Code on how we decide which complaints to investigate. Investigation would not provide any worthwhile outcome.

The complaint

1. The complainant, who I refer to here as Mr X, says the Council should not have granted planning permission for the building in which he lives. He says the Council failed to ensure the building would be not be affected by noise nuisance.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start an investigation if, for example, we believe it is unlikely it will lead to a worthwhile outcome.(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by Mr X. I also considered our Assessment Code and information on the Council’s website.

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Final decision

4. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it would not lead to any worthwhile outcome. The Council granted planning permission for Mr X’s home in 2019. I see no basis on which we could or should ask the Council to alter or revoke the planning permission now. In any case, this would not address any existing noise nuisance issues.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman