Overview
The complainant (Mr C), a tenant of Falkirk Council (the Council) with a lock-up garage on council land, raised a number of concerns regarding permissions given to owners of a house (Mr and Mrs D) to facilitate the building of a rear extension to their home.
Specific complaints and conclusions
The complaints which have been investigated are that:
- (a) the Council failed to consult with users of the lock-up garage site (the Site) with regard to permissions that they had given to facilitate construction work at Mr and Mrs D's house (not upheld);
- (b) the Council failed to expedite action after they had been informed that users of the Site were being obstructed and inconvenienced (partially upheld); and
- (c) officers of the Council gave misleading information to residents through the local councillor (upheld).
Redress and recommendation
The Ombudsman recommends that the Council look at the circumstances of the consent granted in this case with a view to ensuring that future consents anticipate that activities related to the siting of a skip on Council land are regulated and the consequences of non adherence with any conditions are stated.