Salford city council has been forced to apologise and pay out £250 in compensation to a resident who complained of a planning breach by a neighbour. The local government and social care ombudsman found ‘fault, causing injustice regarding its delays and failure to complete its investigation in accordance with its enforcement policy".
However, the ombudsman found no fault with the way the authority made its decision. The complainant ‘Y’ reported a planning control breach over the development of part of a neighbouring property to the council’s enforcement team in April 2021.
A planning enforcement officer contacted Y for more details, including how long the development had been there. The officer made enquiries about the development with the neighbour and then contacted Y with an update on the situation.
