A Brentwood man got a £1,000 pay-out after an admin error meant he lost privacy at home.

A Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report details how a planning application to demolish a building and replace it with a three-storey block of flats was submitted in 2018, including a balcony on the first floor.

Plans for the balcony included a short metal balustrade with planters.

A planning officer acknowledged a neighbour - referred to as Mr X - had concerns about overlooking from the balcony and recommended a condition for a privacy screen.

When approving the application, the council said the development should be carried out in accordance with the approved drawings listed in the notice.

However, two drawings were not included.

This meant the developer could design the balcony in any format provided it installed a privacy screen, the report said.

The balcony was built without the balustrade and planters, but the Ombudsman found it impacted Mr X’s privacy and the error prevented the council from being able to take effective enforcement.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: “The council agreed to make a payment to Mr X to enable him to install a form of screening should he wish to restore his privacy, and apologised for the error.”