Planning Enforcement Complaints

Dear Mr Andrews

Information Request

I am writing to acknowledge your request for information dated 15 July
2009.

We are dealing with your request and will be in contact with you again.
In most cases we will reply within 20 working days. If, for any reason,
this is not possible we will let you know.

If you have any complaints in respect of your information request, please
write to the Chief Executive at the address below or complete the on-line
complaint form that can be found at [1]www.dorsetforyou.com. If your
complaint is not resolved to your complete satisfaction, you have the
right to apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision.

Yours sincerely

[2]Christchurch Borough Simon Merritt
Council Logo Legal and Electoral Officer
Christchurch Borough Council

Tel: 01202 495158
Fax:
Email: [3][email address]
Web: [4]http://www.dorsetforyou.com

"LEGAL NOTICE

The information contained in this communication is confidential and may be
legally privileged. It is intended solely for the use of the individual or
entity to whom it is addressed and others authorised to receive it.

If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender
immediately then destroy any copies of this message. You are hereby
notified that any disclosure, copying distribution or taking of any action
in reliance on the content of this information is strictly prohibited and
may be unlawful. Christchurch Borough Council ("the Borough Council") is
neither liable for the proper and complete transmission of the information
contained in this communication nor for any delay in its receipt. Any
views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not
necessarily represent those of the Borough Council.

Virus checking:

Whilst all reasonable steps have been taken to ensure that this electronic
communication and its attachments whether encoded, encrypted or otherwise
supplied are free from computer viruses, the Borough Council accepts no
liability in respect of any loss, cost, damage or expense suffered as a
result of accessing this message or any of its attachments." 

References

Visible links
1. http://www.dorsetforyou.com/
3. mailto:[email address]
4. http://www.dorsetforyou.com/

Dear Mr Andrews

Freedom of Information Request

Thank you for your e-mail received 2 September 2009 . I apologise for the
fact that you have been left waiting for a response to your request. After
conducting an internal review into the matter, I have found that the
Council's delay has been in part due to staff annual leave in the Planning
& Transportation department and part due to the amount of research
necessary to answer your request.

Despite these factors, the Council has clearly failed in its duty under
Section 1(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to communicate these
difficulties to you within 20 working days of receipt of your
request. Please accept our apologies for this error which was discourteous
and contrary to our usual practice.

The Council has provided as much of the information as possible. Please
see the answers below. Some of the information you have requested is
either not held by the department or would far exceed the "appropriate
limit" of time and resources to retrieve and compile. (This limit is
defined as 18 hours of officer time in the Freedom of Information Fees &
Regulations 2004.)

1.2004-2005 - 260 planning enforcement cases involving alleged breaches of
planning permission or building regulations.
2005-2006 - 270
2006-2007 - 330
2007-2008 - 226
2008-2009 - 214

2. The Council does not keep a record of how many individual complaints
led to a site-visit

3. The Council does not have a record of how many individual complaints
were not violations of planning permission or building regulations

4. The Council does not record how many genuine breaches did not lead to
enforcement action.

5. The Council does not have a record of how many complaints led to
enforcement action. Enforcement action can result from various sources of
information of which a complaint is one.

6. To estimate the average cost to the Council to investigate each
complaint would exceed the appropriate limit outlined above.

I hope this satisfies your request. If you have any further complaints in
respect of your information request, you have the right to apply to the
Information Commissioner for a decision.

Yours sincerely

[1]Christchurch Borough Michael Turvey
Council Logo Chief Executive and Town Clerk
Christchurch Borough Council

Tel: 01202 495001
Fax:
Email: [2][email address]
Web: [3]http://www.dorsetforyou.com

"LEGAL NOTICE

The information contained in this communication is confidential and may be
legally privileged. It is intended solely for the use of the individual or
entity to whom it is addressed and others authorised to receive it.

If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender
immediately then destroy any copies of this message. You are hereby
notified that any disclosure, copying distribution or taking of any action
in reliance on the content of this information is strictly prohibited and
may be unlawful. Christchurch Borough Council ("the Borough Council") is
neither liable for the proper and complete transmission of the information
contained in this communication nor for any delay in its receipt. Any
views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not
necessarily represent those of the Borough Council.

Virus checking:

Whilst all reasonable steps have been taken to ensure that this electronic
communication and its attachments whether encoded, encrypted or otherwise
supplied are free from computer viruses, the Borough Council accepts no
liability in respect of any loss, cost, damage or expense suffered as a
result of accessing this message or any of its attachments." 

References

Visible links
2. mailto:[email address]
3. http://www.dorsetforyou.com/