Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the way the Council decided to grant planning permission resulting in the loss of on-street parking spaces near his home. Planning permission to redevelop a nearby road was granted in 2023 and it is too late to complain about this now. Mr X also complains about the decision to grant planning permission to create houses in multiple occupation. However, it is too late to complain about decisions made before February 2025. And there is not enough evidence of fault in the way the Council considered the most recent application in August 2025 to justify an investigation.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains about the Council’s decision to grant planning permission for a new development which removes multiple on-street parking spaces from a road close to his home.
2. He also complains the Council has granted planning permission for several houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) including one in his road which have added to the parking pressure.
3. He wants the Council to restore the on-street parking spaces in the nearby road.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

4. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
5. 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)
6. 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:

• there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating, or
• we cannot achieve the outcome someone wants.(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

7. I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
8. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

9. Mr X complains the Council granted planning permission to redevelop a road close to his home. This has removed several on-street parking spaces which Mr X wants restored.
10. The law says a complaint must be made to the Ombudsman within 12 months of a person becoming aware of the matter. The Council granted planning permission to redevelop the road in 2023. This part of Mr X’s complaint is therefore late, and we have seen no reason why Mr X could not have complained to us sooner about this.
11. Mr X also complains about the Council’s decisions to grant planning permission for numerous HMOs which increases pressure on on-street parking.
12. Before February 2025, developers could convert residential homes to HMOs for up to six people without planning permission. In February 2025, the Council introduced an Article Four Direction. This removed the right to convert residential houses to HMOs under permitted development. This means that planning permission must be granted to convert a residential home into an HMO.
13. In August 2025, the Council wrote to Mr X and his neighbours advising that it had received an application to convert a house in his road to an HMO. It invited them to comment on the application. The Council’s website shows that no objections to the scheme were received.
14. The planning officer’s report shows the Council considered the impact of the proposal on parking. It gave its reasons for considering the application acceptable and granted planning permission.
15. From the information we have seen, the Council followed the expected process when dealing with this planning application. Therefore, we cannot criticise the decision to grant planning permission.
16. Finally, we cannot require the Council to amend an existing planning permission to enable the restoration of on-street parking spaces.

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Final decision

17. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because:
• Complaints about decisions made before February 2025 are made too late and we have seen no reason to exercise discretion on this point.
• We have not seen enough evidence of fault in the way the Council granted planning permission for an HMO in 2025 to justify an investigation; and
• We cannot achieve the outcome Mr X is seeking.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman