Consultee Comments on Retrospective Planning Applications

The request was partially successful.

Stephen Whiteside

Dear Croydon Borough Council,

Please provide copies of any comments made to date, by (a) Spatial Planning, (b) Access Officer, (c) Transportation, (d) Waste Management Team, and (e) Trees Team, regarding the following CURRENT, retrospective planning applications:

28 Grasmere Road, Purley CR8 1DU - 20/02911/CONR (validated 6 July 2020 )
22 Briton Crescent, South Croydon CR2 0JF - 20/06345/CONR (validated 21 January 2021 )
43 Downsway, South Croydon CR2 0JB - 21/02186/NMA (validated 28 April 2021 )
12 The Ridge Way, South Croydon CR2 0LE - 21/03404/CONR (validated 25 June 2021 )
98 Hyde Road, Croydon, CR2 9NQ - 22/00211/CONR (validated 20 January 2022 )
54 Arkwright Road, South Croydon, CR2 0LL - 22/00085/CONR (validated 24 March 2022 )

Yours faithfully,

Stephen Whiteside

croydon@infreemation.co.uk, Croydon Borough Council

Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA

Contact: Information Team
[Croydon Borough Council request email]

 

NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email. If
you have a processing request, please ensure you quote that reference in
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DEAR Stephen Whiteside

 

Freedom of information request - FOI/7234

 

Subject: Consultee Comments on Retrospective Planning Applications

Your request is being considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days, subject to the application of
any exemptions. Where consideration is being given to exemptions the 20
working day timescale may be extended to a period considered reasonable
depending on the nature and circumstances of your request. In such cases
you will be notified and, where possible, a revised time-scale will be
indicated. In all cases we shall attempt to deal with your request at the
earliest opportunity.

If we are unable to provide you with the information requested we will
notify you of this together with the reason(s) why, and details of how you
may appeal.

Please note that the directorate team may contact you for further
information where we believe that the request is not significantly clear
for us to respond fully. 

Kind Regard

Information Management Team

 

Croydon Digital Services

Assistant Chief Executive Directorate

 

7th Floor, Zone B

Bernard Weatherill House

8 Mint Walk

Croydon CR0 1EA

Stephen Whiteside

Dear Croydon Borough Council,

By law, the Council should normally have responded by 19 April 2023 at the latest.

Please provide copies of the requested information, without further undue delay.

Yours faithfully,

Stephen Whiteside

croydon@infreemation.co.uk, Croydon Borough Council

2 Attachments

Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA

Contact: Information Team
[Croydon Borough Council request email]

 

Dear Stephen Whiteside

Request FOI/7234

Further to your request received on 20/03/2023, I confirm that the Council
has now considered your request under the Environmental Information
Regulations (2004). Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding
to your request. Specifically, you have requested the following
information:

 

"Please provide copies of any comments made to date, by (a) Spatial
Planning, (b) Access Officer, (c) Transportation, (d) Waste Management
Team, and (e) Trees Team, regarding the following CURRENT, retrospective
planning applications:

 

28 Grasmere Road, Purley CR8 1DU - 20/02911/CONR  (validated 6 July 2020 )

22 Briton Crescent, South Croydon CR2 0JF - 20/06345/CONR (validated 21
January 2021 )

43 Downsway, South Croydon CR2 0JB  - 21/02186/NMA (validated 28 April
2021 )

12 The Ridge Way, South Croydon CR2 0LE - 21/03404/CONR (validated 25 June
2021 )

98 Hyde Road, Croydon, CR2 9NQ -  22/00211/CONR (validated 20 January 2022
)

54 Arkwright Road, South Croydon, CR2 0LL - 22/00085/CONR (validated 24
March 2022)"

 

The Planning team have gone through each application and have found the
attached which relates to your request.

 

The Council publishes Access to Information requests and responses on its
online Disclosure Log. (Any request included within this log will be
anonymised appropriately)

To view the Council’s Disclosure Log, please visit our website available
here:

[1]The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act | Croydon Council
(disclosure-log.co.uk)

 

If you are dissatisfied with the way the Council has handled your request
under the Environmental Information Regulations you may ask for an
internal review. This should be submitted to us within 40 working days of
this response. You can do this by outlining the details of your complaint
by:

 

Email:        [2][Croydon Borough Council request email]

 

Writing:     Information Team

London Borough of Croydon

Bernard Weatherill House

Floor 7 - Zone B

8 Mint Walk

Croydon, CR0 1EA

 

Any requests received after the 40 working day time limit will be
considered only at the discretion of the council.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

 

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire, SK9 5AF

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Information Team

Croydon Digital Services

Assistant Chief Executive Directorate

Bernard Wetherill House,

Mint Walk,

Croydon,

CR0 1EA

 

 

[3][Croydon Borough Council request email]

[4][email address]

 

References

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1. https://croydon.disclosure-log.co.uk/
2. mailto:[Croydon Borough Council request email]
3. mailto:[Croydon Borough Council request email]
4. mailto:[email address]

Dear Mr Whiteside,

Apologies, we have now responded to your request.

Kind regards,

Information Team
Croydon Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House,
Mint Walk,
Croydon,
CR0 1EA

show quoted sections

Stephen Whiteside

Dear Croydon Borough Council,

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

I am writing to request an internal review of Croydon Borough Council's handling of my FOI request 'Consultee Comments on Retrospective Planning Applications'.

I have been told that "The Planning team have gone through each application and have found the attached which relates to your request". But only TWO relevant comments have been provided:
20/02911/CONR (28 Grasmere Road) - Transportation.
21/03404/CONR (12 The Ridge Way) - Spatial Planning.

It would appear that the 'Planning team' have restricted their search to comments posted on the Council's internal system (Uniform?). But the Council's responses to previous requests for copies of consultee comments show that in some (or many) cases these comments are contained within emails sent to the case officer, and/or their manager(s).

+++ Please now ensure that all the relevant case files are ALSO properly searched for the information requested.

I note that since submitting this request, application 21/02186/NMA (43 Downsway) was approved on 17 April 2023. The amendments now (retrospectively) approved include (but are not restricted to) matters relating to land levels (including accessibility), car parking, temporary refuse storage, landscaping and drainage.

+++ Please ensure that the search DOES include the planning case file(s) for 21/02186/NMA. It is of significant public interest to know whether the recommendation for approval and Ms Townsend's decision reflect comments made by other ('specialist') officers, or are based purely on the case officer's own 'planning judgement'.

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

Yours faithfully,

Stephen Whiteside

Passman, Howard,

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Whiteside,

 

Further to your email dated 22 April 2023, in which you requested an
Internal Review of the Council’s response to your request for
information.  This has been considered under the Environmental Information
Regulations, and I am able to reply as follows.

 

In your request for Internal Review, you asked the Council to reconsider
your request as you believed that you had not been provided with the
information requested.

 

In your request for information dated 20 March 2023, you requested the
following information:

 

“Please provide copies of any comments made to date, by (a) Spatial
Planning, (b) Access Officer, (c) Transportation, (d) Waste Management
Team, and (e) Trees Team, regarding the following CURRENT, retrospective
planning applications:

 

28 Grasmere Road, Purley CR8 1DU - 20/02911/CONR (validated 6 July 2020)

 

22 Briton Crescent, South Croydon CR2 0JF - 20/06345/CONR (validated 21
January 2021)

 

43 Downsway, South Croydon CR2 0JB - 21/02186/NMA (validated 28 April
2021)

 

12 The Ridge Way, South Croydon CR2 0LE - 21/03404/CONR (validated 25 June
2021)

 

98 Hyde Road, Croydon, CR2 9NQ - 22/00211/CONR (validated 20 January 2022)

 

54 Arkwright Road, South Croydon, CR2 0LL - 22/00085/CONR (validated 24
March 2022)”

 

The Council responded to you on the 20 April 2023 and provided the
following response:

 

“The Planning team have gone through each application and have found the
attached which relates to your request.” 

 

The Council provided you with copies of the comments received in respect
of 28 Grasmere Road and 12 The Ridge Way.

 

In your request for an Internal Review dated 22 April 2023, you stated the
following:

 

“I have been told that "The Planning team have gone through each
application and have found the attached which relates to your request". 
But only TWO relevant comments have been provided:

 

20/02911/CONR (28 Grasmere Road) - Transportation.

 

21/03404/CONR (12 The Ridge Way) - Spatial Planning.

 

It would appear that the 'Planning team' have restricted their search to
comments posted on the Council's internal system (Uniform?).  But the
Council's responses to previous requests for copies of consultee comments
show that in some (or many) cases these comments are contained within
emails sent to the case officer, and/or their manager(s).

 

+++ Please now ensure that all the relevant case files are ALSO properly
searched for the information requested.

 

I note that since submitting this request, application 21/02186/NMA (43
Downsway) was approved on 17 April 2023. The amendments now
(retrospectively) approved include (but are not restricted to) matters
relating to land levels (including accessibility), car parking, temporary
refuse storage, landscaping and drainage.

 

+++ Please ensure that the search DOES include the planning case file(s)
for 21/02186/NMA. It is of significant public interest to know whether the
recommendation for approval and Ms Townsend's decision reflect comments
made by other ('specialist') officers,or are based purely on the case
officer's own 'planning judgement'.”

 

On receiving your request for an Internal Review, I contacted the Planning
Service, who have provided additional information in answer to the issues
raised in your Internal Review.

 

I have been informed that those applications which end with the references
CONR or NMA relate to the removal of conditions or are non-material
amendment applications. They have been submitted following an original
‘Full’ application for the sites in question and therefore the majority of
consultee comments would be held on the original applications not on the
CONR or NMA applications.

 

For example, 20/02911/CONR (Grassmere Road) relates to a variation in
condition on a full application which was granted permission on the same
site 18/01575/FUL. As it is a variation of an already agreed condition;
normally would not require consultation as this would have already been
sought on the full application, in this case 18/01575/FUL.

 

Following a further search undertaken by the Planning Service please find
attached copies of Consultee comments in respect of original applications:

 

• 28 Grasmere Road, Purley CR8 1DU;
• 22 Briton Crescent, South Croydon CR2 0JF;
• 43 Downsway, South Croydon CR2 0JB;
• 12 The Ridge Way, South Croydon CR2 0LE;
• 98 Hyde Road, Croydon, CR2 9NQ; and
• 54 Arkwright Road, South Croydon, CR2 0LL.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the Internal Review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

 

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Howard Passman

020 8726 6000 ext. 27103

 

 

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