We used PPL in 2008 when we bought a repossessed property. A week after we moved in a planning letter from the council arrived to inform residence that the 20 feet fence had passed planning. Therefore the views and light was soon blocked at the end of our garden. The open views and light was the main reason we bought the property. I had to go through the complaints process which took months and eventually the ombudsman. The result was that as we didn’t ask for a particular type of ‘search’ the basic one was done which did not extend further than our boundaries. I think had I used a local conveyor the planning would have come to light.