Planning and Building Control: Wrexham County Borough Council

Mr & Mrs W complained that Wrexham County Borough Council had failed to follow the correct process when granting planning permission for a building on the land adjacent to theirs.

The Ombudsman found that whilst the Council had been in contact with Mr & Mrs W, their concerns were not logged as a formal complaint. She said that this caused frustration and uncertainty to Mr & Mrs W. She decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.

The Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement to write to Mr & Mrs W with an apology and explanation for the failure to log their concerns as a formal complaint, offer to pay £50 redress for the time and trouble in making their complaint to the Ombudsman and issue a Stage 2 complaint response within 4 weeks.