Ruislip Lido Environmental Report

Dear Hillingdon Borough Council,

Ruislip Lido Environmental Report

I understand from the Friends Of Ruislip Lido that a report was
recently prepared for the Council by independent engineers covering
such matters as water quality and flood risk at the Lido. Ms
Summers LBH Project, Events and Improvement Officer Planning and
Community Services
who holds the document has described it as a scoping report.

Could you please let me have a copy of this report. If it is
available electronically please send it to me as an e-mail
attachment. If not, please post it by first class mail to the
address below

Please note:

The report constitutes environmental information under the
Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR)

The EIR requires such requests to dealt with “as soon as possible
and no later than 20 working days after the date of receipt of the
request”.

As the information requested is in the form of an existing document
(i.e. is readily available), and as none of the exemptions
specified by the EIR apply, "as soon as possible" should in this
case I feel be no more than 5 working days.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Peter Silverman
20 Kingsend, Ruislip, HA4 7DA, UK
01895 625770

Dear Hillingdon Borough Council,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of
Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Hillingdon Borough
Council's handling of my EIR request 'Ruislip Lido Environmental
Report'.

The relevant section of the EIR reads as follows

12. — (1) Subject to paragraphs (2), (3) and (9), a public
authority may refuse to disclose environmental information
requested if—

(d)the request relates to material which is still in the course of
completion, to unfinished documents or to incomplete data; or

I accept that the report in question is an intermediary report
outlining what further work is required and is not the final word
on the issues covered. In other words it is a stage in the
development of an action plan for the Lido - a process which is not
complete

However, the report itself is clearly "material" that has been
completed. It is therefore not unfinished and, as such cannot be
construed as incomplete data.

Please there review your decision and let me have a copy asap.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ru...

Yours faithfully,

Peter Silverman

Dear Hillingdon Borough Council,

In support of my argument stated in my request for a review I would
draw your attention to the following two decision by the
Information Commissioner:

1.
Case Ref: FER0069925
Date: 02/03/2006
Public Authority: Plymouth City Council

Summary: The complainant requested access to the Stage 2 Safety
Audit Report for a pedestrian crossing scheme, and the Council
withheld the report citing regulation 12(4)(d) of the Environment
Information Regulations (material still in the course of
completion) because it was only one in a series of three reports
prepared during the implementation of the crossing scheme. It also
argued that premature release of the report was against the public
interest because it could compromise public safety...

However, the Commissioner decided that, as the report related to a
distinct stage in the implementation of the crossing scheme and was
a separate document, 12(4)(d) was not engaged.

http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/d...

2.
Case ref: FS50163282
Environmental Information Regulations 2004
Decision Notice
Date: 29 March 2010
Public Authority: Queen’s University Belfast (QUB)

QUB stated that the information requested (the raw tree ring data
held electronically) is currently being used in ongoing research
which would result in future publications. Furthermore the data is
used to update and develop new tree ring chronologies, the results
of which are ultimately published via the internet on the ITRDB.
QUB stated that it was planning to make the requested information
available via the internet in a ‘meaningful, controlled scientific
and managed way’ within the next 12 months, thus mitigating the
risks of misinterpretation.

However, the Commissioner considers that the exception at
regulation 12(4)(d) can not be applied in this way. QUB has advised
that the raw data was collected over a period of 40 years, and is
now being used for research. This does not suggest to the
Commissioner that the data is unfinished or incomplete, rather
that, whilst the research utilising this data is ongoing ie the
analysis of the data, the data itself has already been collected
and is therefore not unfinished or incomplete.

http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/d...

In both cases the Commissioner found in effect that S12 4 (d) was
not applicable when the data/document was a distinct stage in the
implementation of an ongoing process and was a separate completed
document.

I hope this is of help

Yours faithfully,

Peter Silverman

Dear foi,

Does your communication of 30th June constitute a response to my
request for an internal review made on 8th June ?

Yours sincerely,

Peter Silverman

Dear Hillingdon Borough Council,

Having re -read you communication of 30th June I now realise that
it is a response to my request for an internal review.

I will now take the matter up with the Information Commissioner

Yours faithfully,

Peter Silverman