Overview
The complainant (Mr C) raised a number of concerns against Fife Council (the Council) that they had not, in a fitting manner, considered his offer to purchase land at a site within East Fife (the Site).
Specific complaints and conclusions
The complaints which have been investigated are that the Council:
- (a) improperly changed their position by not selling two plots of land at the Site which they had marketed during February 2005 (not upheld); and
- (a) had not acted properly, in delaying the sale until the development status was known (not upheld).
Redress and recommendations
Although the Ombudsman has not upheld this complaint, she is pleased that the Council acknowledged there were gaps in their records of some of the processes involved, regarding their considerations of the development potential of the Site, as it is essential that written records are maintained to the highest standard possible, throughout all planning processes. Therefore, the Ombudsman recommends that the Council review the circumstances which led to this failure; consider whether there are lessons to be learned from this; and advise her of the outcome.
The Council have accepted the recommendations and will act on them accordingly.