Information sharing or redaction
Some information provided to us we are legally obliged to make available on planning registers. The council publishes all planning applications on it's website which is an electronic planning register. This is a permanent record of our planning decisions that form part of the planning history of a site, along with other facts that form part of the ‘land search’.
We make details of planning applications we receive available online so that other people can contribute their comments. We operate a policy where we routinely redact (‘blank out’) certain details before making forms and documents available online we do not publish:
- an applicant’s name and address on the forms, plans and supporting documents accompanying a planning application
- an applicant’s signature, email address or telephone numbers
- individuals names or addresses (who are not the applicant) that are listed on ownership certificates accompanying a planning application
- information agreed to be confidential or Special Category Data, for example; supporting statements that include information about health conditions or ethnic origin
- comments received on planning applications by members of the public.
- comments received on planning applications by town councils or amenity groups or statutory consultees
Sometimes we might decide it is necessary, justified and lawful to disclose data that appears in the list above. In these circumstances we will let you know of our intention before we publish anything.
If you are submitting supporting information which you would like to be treated confidentially or wish to be specifically withheld from the public register, let us know as soon as you can, ideally in advance of submitting the application.
We may share your information with:
- Planning Officers for the purpose of delivering planning services
- We send some planning applications to our statutory consultees for their advice on safety, infrastructure and other matters
- We will sometimes need to share the information we have with other parts of the council for example, to establish how long a building has been used as a dwelling
- The council’s and partners’ information and communications technology providers for the purpose of administering and maintaining the planning application database
- Enforcement officers in order to investigate and process any breaches in planning control
- Any person with a need to access your data relating to or responding to a complaint
- Where court action is deemed appropriate, data will also be shared with the courts and legal representatives
- With the police where evidence of a possible crime has been identified
- Planning committee in accordance with the decision making processes
- The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
- Third parties involved in the appeal process.
In circumstances where a planning application is appealed, we are required to share data from a planning application with the Planning Inspectorate, which includes any comments made by statutory consultees and members of the public.
We also share information with the Planning Inspectorate when they examine our local plan. This includes the names of site promoters and people submitting representations on the plan.
We also send out a follow up ‘how did we do?’ survey to a sample of people using our service (for example; by submitting or commenting on a planning application) to see how we can improve it.
Records of pre-application discussions are not required to be held on the planning register so there is no lawful basis for publication but we may still need to share the details of the development with consultees and in such cases individual applicant’s personal data will not be shared.
We do not sell your information to other organisations. We do not move your information beyond the United Kingdom. We do not use your information for automated decision making.
