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Case ref:201304192
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Date:August 2014
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Body:The Highland Council
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Sector:Local Government
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Outcome:Upheld, recommendations
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Subject:complaints handling
Summary
Ms C complained to the council about the actions of council planning officers during consideration of an application she had submitted for permission in principle to build a new dwelling house on her property. She complained that an officer had invented a requirement about the distance the proposed development required to be from her neighbour's boundary, that the reasons given for refusal had not been mentioned in pre-application advice that she had received and that the reasons were not relevant to an application for 'in principle' planning permission.
She was dissatisfied with the responses she received and complained to us. Our investigation found that some of the issues she raised were not addressed. We took the view that the council had not provided full responses to her concerns, and upheld the complaint.
Recommendations
We recommended that the council:
- apologise to Ms C that their responses to her complaints were not as full as they could be; and
- provide Ms C with full responses to her concerns.