GWYNEDD Council has been cleared of maladministration over its handling of a planning application at an Abersoch holiday park.

In September 2014, Gwynedd Council approved plans by Haulfryn Group Ltd, owners of The Warren in Abersoch, to extend their site to enable them to relocate 12 static caravans.

In the ombudsman’s published report it says that adjacent landowners were consulted and a notice was displayed on the site, but after the go-ahead had been given the son of a couple living nearby lodged a complaint with the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales that they had not been consulted.

He claimed that the authority had failed to apply its own policies regarding development within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, to protect the habitat of several species and to ensure that trees were retained and landscaping was provided.

He also said that his parents’ property directly overlooked the extended site.

In response, the council said that the couple had not been consulted because their property was over 60 metres away, though the complainant said it was only 36 metres, and accepted that the reference to “people living near the site” was ambiguous.

Gwynedd Council said that the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty unit of the authority had not objected to the plans and that the trees felled were outside the application site.

The ombudsman’s professional advisor, planning consultant Allan Archer, said he felt the council’s explanation for not having consulted the couple was reasonable, as was the officer’s report to the councillors.

In the report the ombudsman stressed that he could not deal with the merits of the application, only with the way it was handled and that he welcomed the council’s move to review the wording of its policy to use the vague term ‘near’ when referring to consultees.

He said: “I have seen nothing to suggest that the council did not take account of the responses it received from the statutory consultees, such as its AONB unit and Natural Resources Wales.

“Neither is there any evidence that the council did not carry out an appropriate assessment of the application in the light of both national and local policies.

“I have no evidence of maladministration, and therefore I do not uphold the complaint.”

A Gwynedd Council spokesperson said: “The council cooperated with the ombudsman’s investigation into this matter, and we welcome the report.”