Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council failed to notify the complainant of variations to a planning permission for a neighbouring residential development. It is reasonable to expect the complainant to have contacted us sooner.

The complaint

1. Ms X complains she was not notified of variations to the planning permission for a residential development next to her home. She says the changes have a detrimental impact on the peace, enjoyment, and levels of privacy at her property.

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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 Ms X and the Council about the complaint.
• information about the planning applications for the site, as available on the Council’s website.
• the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. The time restriction detailed in paragraph 3 above applies to Ms X’s complaint. This is because the residential development was largely completed by late-2021, and the properties were sold in 2022. Yet Ms X did not contact the Ombudsman until October 2025. I consider it reasonable to expect her to have contacted us sooner if she was unhappy with the works carried out at the neighbouring property.

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Final decision

6. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because it is reasonable to expect her to have contacted us sooner.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman