The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with the complainant’s planning application. This is because the complainant has the right to appeal to the Planning Inspector.
The complaint
Mr X has complained about how the Council has dealt with his planning application and its decision to refuse planning permission. Mr X says he has incurred additional costs because of the Council’s actions.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
The law says we cannot normally investigate a complaint when someone can appeal to a government minister. However, we may decide to investigate if we consider it would be unreasonable to expect the person to appeal. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26(6)(b), as amended) The Planning Inspector acts on behalf of the responsible Government minister. The Planning Inspector considers appeals about: Delay – usually over eight weeks – by an authority in deciding an application for planning permission A decision to refuse planning permission Conditions placed on planning permission A planning enforcement notice.
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by Mr X and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Mr X can appeal to the Planning Inspector if he disagrees with the Council’s reasons for refusing his planning application.
Mr X has also raised concerns about how the Council dealt with his application and the behaviour of the case officer. He says the case officer failed to provide consistent feedback about the reasons for refusing the application. Mr X also says the Council did not allow him to make changes to the scheme to address the issues with the proposed development. But these matters are related to the planning decision which can be appealed and I consider it would be reasonable for Mr X to use his right to appeal. The Ombudsman will not usually investigate when someone has a right to appeal to the Planning Inspector, even if the appeal would not address all the issues complained about.
Mr X has also complained about the Council’s complaint handling. However, where the Ombudsman has decided not to investigate the substantive issues complained about, we will not usually use public resources to consider more minor matters such as complaint handling.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because he has the right to appeal to the Planning Inspector.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman