Dear Mr Hopkins

Re: Freedom of Information Request: Gamston Airport

1. Thank you for your email received 24 June 2010 that has been passed to me to reply. Please find set out below my response to the issues raised in your letter.

2. I note that your letter is a request pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and in the circumstances I can advise you as follows:

(a) The Council has a duty to confirm or deny that it holds recorded information that an applicant seeks from it and a duty to supply the information requested, subject to any exemption that may apply.

(b) However, under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the right of access is to the information and not the document.

3. I will answer your queries in order they were made:

Officers will respond to concerns raised by the public about any possible breach of Planning controls at the airport. However you should be aware that this must relate to the provisions of the existing permission for the site, which relates principally to hours of operation and the size of aircraft that may use the airfield in the permitted hours. As a result, monitoring will relate to these issues.

I have checked our records and in the past 10 years we have only received 2 formal complaints about the airport, both of which related to building works which were investigated by the Planning Enforcement Officer.

Breaching Planning Regulations does not automatically enable the council to issue penalties, it must first sea to rectify the breach. When a breach of Planning Control is established the land owner first has the opportunity to rectify the situation and also has the right to seek retrospective approval for the breach. If they fail to do so, the Council can take formal action to secure compliance with the relevant requirements and this will be dealt with through the Magistrates process.

If you are dissatisfied with the Freedom of Information response set out above, you are able to utilise the Council's Complaints Procedure, details of which are enclosed.

Information of any right of appeal to the Information Commissioner may be found at www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk or by writing to the Information Commissioner at Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, Phone: 01625 545 745.

Yours sincerely

Mr D Armiger

Head of Community Prosperity

cc Council Solicitor