Trafford Council (25 019 298)
Category : Planning > Planning applications
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 29 Apr 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of a planning application. This is because the decision has not caused Mrs X significant enough injustice to warrant investigation.
The complaint
- Mrs X complains about the Council’s decision to grant planning permission for development near her home. She is concerned the development will impact on her health and wellbeing through air pollution and toxic fumes. She is also concerned about the wider impact of the development on local residents.
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 effect 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 an investigation if we decide the tests set out in our Assessment Code are not met. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mrs X and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- We do not investigate all the complaints we receive. In deciding whether to investigate we need to consider various tests. These include the alleged injustice to the person complaining.
- I understand Mrs X is concerned about the possible future impact of the development but the injustice she claims is both highly speculative at this stage and relates to her health. We cannot recommend remedies for personal injury, which is more appropriately a matter for the courts, especially in cases where the claimed injury has not yet taken place and may therefore never happen.
- Mrs X is clearly outraged by the decision to grant planning permission and raises concerns about the wider impact of the development, but she does not claim to represent others and I am not satisfied she has sufficient ‘non-material’ injustice to warrant further investigation.
Final decision
- We will not investigate this complaint. This is because the Council’s decision has not caused Mrs X significant enough injustice to warrant investigation.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman