Overview
Two complaints were submitted on behalf of four households whose properties shared a rear boundary with a site (the Site) which was developed for housing. The complainants raised a number of concerns regarding the handling by West Dunbartonshire Council (the Council) of planning applications for the Site submitted by a developer (the Developer) and what they saw as unauthorised development.
Specific complaints and conclusions
The complaints which have been investigated are that the Council failed to ensure that:
- (a) the Developer complied properly with the statutory neighbour notification procedure (not upheld);
- (b) the planning applications included full details of the proposed ground levels and associated engineering works (not upheld);
- (c) proper account was taken of possible encroachment, loss of privacy and light, removal of existing trees and the impact of noise on amenity (not upheld): and
- (d) road safety implications were considered (not upheld).
Redress and Recommendation
The Ombudsman recommends that the Council take action to secure the early installation of bollards and fencing which they earlier identified as desirable.
The Council have accepted the recommendation and informed the Ombudsman that they would contact the Developer to complete the early installation of the bollards and fencing mentioned in paragraph 25 of the report.