Somerset council in trouble over planning error

Bath and North East Somerset Council has agreed to pay compensation to a resident who was not notified about an application to build a modern two-story house on property next to hers, following criticism from the Local Government Ombudsman.

The new house was located in a conservation area in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The watchdog said the woman’s complainant had a "justifiable sense of outrage" over the case which meant a one storey building in front of hers was replaced with a modern two-storey building.

The case officer involved with the application recommended the application should be refused but failed to include the opinions of a policy officer and a conservation officer that the scheme should be refused. The proposal was approved by councillors against the advice of officers.

Although the watchdog found maladministration against the council, he concluded that the outcome would not have been different had the maladministration not occurred.

Read the Local Government Ombudsman's press release

Roger Milne

30 October 2008

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