Demolition of Eastfield House- Whitchurch on Thames

The request was successful.

Dear South Oxfordshire District Council,

It has been brought to my attention that SODC Planning would seem to have pre determined a planning application to demolish the historic Eastfield House Care Home prior to any objections from residents. An Enforcement Officer from Environmental Health that has been directly concerned with another issue with the care home in the area made the comment that Eastfield House Care Home was to be demolished. When questioned they were quite adamant that a decision had been made and was common knowledge.

On this basis, can you please provide the following data;

1) Copies of all minutes of meetings where Eastfield House has been discussed in the past 12 months. Please provide this for both formal council meetings and internal meetings where minutes may be in the form of hand written notes by officers.

2) Copies of all emails, letters, memorandums and hand written notes where Eastfield House has been mentioned in the last 12 months. Again, please include both officers and Councillors.

3) Copies of all other data or information in whatever form where Eastfield House has been mentioned in the last 12 months. Planning applications and data already in the public domain need not be included.

4) Specifically, all data, emails and letters within the Environmental Health department where Eastfield House has been mentioned in the last 12 months.

Yours faithfully,

David Bowen

FOI South, South Oxfordshire District Council

Dear Sir/Madam
Thank you for your Freedom of Information/Environmental Information
Regulation request, which was received by South Oxfordshire District
Council on 17 September 2018
Please accept this email as confirmation that your request has been
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The deadline for this will be 15 October 2018. 
The reference number for this request is South 18/520
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FOI Team
 
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South Oxfordshire District Council
 
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From: David Bowen <[FOI #520153 email]>
Sent: 17 September 2018 08:50
To: FOI South
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Demolition of Eastfield House-
Whitchurch on Thames
 
Dear South Oxfordshire District Council,

It has been brought to my attention that SODC Planning would seem to have
pre determined a planning application to demolish the historic Eastfield
House Care Home prior to any objections from residents. An Enforcement
Officer from Environmental Health that has been directly concerned with
another issue with the care home in the area made the comment that
Eastfield House Care Home was to be demolished. When questioned they were
quite adamant that a decision had been made and was common knowledge.

On this basis, can you please provide the following data;

1) Copies of all minutes of meetings where Eastfield House has been
discussed in the past 12 months. Please provide this for both formal
council meetings and internal meetings where minutes may be in the form of
hand written notes by officers.

2) Copies of all emails, letters, memorandums and hand written notes 
where Eastfield House has been mentioned in the last 12 months. Again,
please include both officers and Councillors.

3) Copies of all other data or information in whatever form  where
Eastfield House has been mentioned in the last 12 months. Planning
applications and data already in the public domain need not be included.

4) Specifically, all data, emails and letters within the Environmental
Health department where Eastfield House has been mentioned in the last 12
months.

Yours faithfully,

David Bowen

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Moore, Becky,

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Bowen

 

Thank you for your request for information under the Environmental
Information Regulations (2004), as follows:

 

“It has been brought to my attention that SODC Planning would seem to have
pre determined a planning application to demolish the historic Eastfield
House Care Home prior to any objections from residents. An Enforcement
Officer from Environmental Health that has been directly concerned with
another issue with the care home in the area made the comment that
Eastfield House Care Home was to be demolished. When questioned they were
quite adamant that a decision had been made and was common knowledge.

On this basis, can you please provide the following data;

 

 1. Copies of all minutes of meetings where Eastfield House has been
discussed in the past 12 months. Please provide this for both formal
council meetings and internal meetings where minutes may be in the
form of hand written notes by officers.

 

 2. Copies of all emails, letters, memorandums and hand written notes 
where Eastfield House has been mentioned in the last 12 months. Again,
please include both officers and Councillors.

 

 3. Copies of all other data or information in whatever form  where
Eastfield House has been mentioned in the last 12 months. Planning
applications and data already in the public domain need not be
included.

 

 4. Specifically, all data, emails and letters within the Environmental
Health department where Eastfield House has been mentioned in the last
12 months”

 

The planning service at South Oxfordshire District council have received a
planning application for the following:

 

Proposed Demolition of Existing Care Home, Construction of New Care Home
and Associated Works - Outline with the matters of landscaping being
reserved - Eastfield House Care Home Eastfield Lane Whitchurch-on-Thames
RG8 7EJ (planning application reference: P18/S2965/O)

 

This planning application is currently undetermined and whilst the
statutory period for consultation has expired, members of the public,
including yourself can still submit their views on this application using
our website. The planning officer will then take these views into
consideration when determining the outcome of the application. If you have
strong views on this application I would strongly advise you to submit
them as a representation to the planning officer, so that they can be
considered formally as part of the application process.

 

You can submit a representation, view representations already received,
view the application status, track progress and view plans and
documentation on our website, by entering the application reference into
the online planning application register, at the following link:

 

[1]http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/services-and...

 

You will see a comment now button like the one below, you can use this to
submit your comments via the online web-form.

 

As this application has not been determined yet we are unable to disclose
any further information, such as internal emails, notes or discussions
between planning officers. To disclose this information at this time would
undermine the integrity of the planning process and any decision made. The
council requires a safe space in order to carry out its decision making
process without 3^rd party interference (Regulation 12(4)(d) of the
Environmental Information Regulations). Any public interest in this matter
is being met through the public consultation for this application.

 

Once the formal application process is complete and a decision has been
made we would then be in a position to disclose internal correspondence as
requested above. But it would be harmful to do so whilst the case officer
is still in the process of determining the application.

 

I hope you find this information helpful. However, if you are dissatisfied
with the way your request for information has been handled, you can
request a review within the next 40 working days by emailing
[2][South Oxfordshire District Council request email].

 

Many thanks and kind regards

 

Becky Moore

 

Business Support Officer

 

Planning Service

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils

email: [3][email address

visit us at:

[4]www.southoxon.gov.uk and [5]www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk

 

Customer Service: 01235 422600

 

[6]cid:image001.jpg@01D073AB.E7B783F0

 

References

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