Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of his neighbour’s planning application in 2019. This is because the complaint is late.

The complaint

1. The complainant, Mr X, complains about the Council’s handling of his neighbour’s application for planning permission in 2019.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
3. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by Mr X and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. The Council granted planning permission for Mr X’s neighbour’s proposal in 2019 but Mr X did not complain to us about it until February 2022. His complaint is therefore some two years late.

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Final decision

6. We will not investigate this complaint. This is because the complaint is late and I have seen no good reasons to exercise our discretion to investigate it.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman