Illuminated Advertisement O/S 173 Upper Selsdon Road, Sanderstead
Dear Croydon Borough Council,
The minutes of the meeting of Planning Sub-Committee on 5 January 1995 (page 6), refers to a Director of Planning's report that included a recommendation that consent be REFUSED for the installation of illuminated advertisement panels at the above address and a number of other sites. (The panels were to be an integral part of Decaux bus shelters).
+++ Please provide a copy of the relevant officer report.
I believe that the report was with regard to planning application 94/1000/A, which is not accessible on the Council's website.
Yours faithfully,
Stephen Whiteside
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
your emails to us.
DEAR Stephen Whiteside
Freedom of information request - FOI/6685
Subject: Illuminated Advertisement O/S 173 Upper Selsdon Road, Sanderstead
We are just emailing you to update you on your open Information Request.
We are currently in the process of updating our systems and part of this
update will mean that your open Information Request has been assigned a
new reference: FOI/6685
Thank you in advanced for your patients patience and whilst we will
continue top process your request. We will issue a response or update to
you as soon as we are able.
Unfortunately, the Council is currently experiencing a delay in our
response times due to demand and resource. As an organisation we are aware
of our legal duties under the legislation and are making every effort to
improve our position and respond to requests within our statutory
timeframes as quickly as possible. All requests are being monitored and
continually reviewed to provide you with an expected date for disclosure.
London Borough of Croydon takes its role as a Data Controller seriously
and would like to thank you for your continued patience and understanding
whilst we improve our service to you.
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
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/6685
Further to your request received on 23/12/2022, I confirm that the Council
has now considered your request under the Freedom of Information Act
2000. Specifically, you have requested the following information:
"The minutes of the meeting of Planning Sub-Committee on 5 January 1995
(page 6), refers to a Director of Planning's report that included a
recommendation that consent be REFUSED for the installation of illuminated
advertisement panels at the above address and a number of other sites.
(The panels were to be an integral part of Decaux bus shelters).
+++ Please provide a copy of the relevant officer report.
I believe that the report was with regard to planning application
94/1000/A, which is not accessible on the Council's website."
Please see document attached.
If you are dissatisfied with the way the Council has handled your request
under the Freedom of Information Act, 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: [1][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 Council
References
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1. mailto:[Croydon Borough Council request email]
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 'Illuminated Advertisement O/S 173 Upper Selsdon Road, Sanderstead'.
My request was for a copy of the 1995 officer report that included a recommendation that consent be REFUSED for the installation of illuminated advertisement panels at the above address and a number of other sites.
What you have provided (thank you) appears to be two copies of the officer report (with appendices) regarding planning application 94/1000/A, which as it's opening paragraph states as follows:
"This report concerns one of two applications which together seek advertisement consent for proposed advertisements at 60 locations throughout the Borough. For administrative puposes this application relates to the 32 sites where it is recommended that consent be granted. 94/1001/A relates to the remaining 28 sites where it is recommended that consent be REFUSED (my emphasis)."
+++ Please provide a full copy of the officer report regarding planning application 94/1001/A
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/i...
Yours faithfully,
Stephen Whiteside
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
Acknowledgement: Internal Review in relation to request FOI/6685
Thank you for your email, which was received on 18/01/2023.
As a result of your complaint we will be carrying out an internal review.
An officer, not involved in the original decision, will reconsider your
request for information and notify you of their decision..
If you have any queries regarding this matter please do not hesitate to
contact us.
Kind regards
Information Compliance Team
Dear Croydon Borough Council,
The outcome of this internal review is now well overdue.
If I do not receive this information by close of play Wednesday, 29 March (which would be two weeks late!) I will again complain to Information Commissioner.
Yours faithfully,
Stephen Whiteside
Dear Croydon Borough Council,
LBC Ref: FOI/6685 ICO Ref: IC-224850-D5L5
My complaint to the Information Commissioner has been accepted for investigation without an internal review, as it has (yet again) already been more than 40 working days since I requested it.
Yours faithfully,
Stephen Whiteside
Dear Mr Whiteside,
Further to your request for an Internal Review of the Council’s response
to your request for information, I writing to provide you with an interim
reply as I have not been able concluded this review.
Having made enquiries of the Planning Service they have informed me that
they do not hold a copy of the report that you are seeking, 94/1001/A.
Following which, I contacted the Borough Archivist, who has informed me
that some planning committee reports are held in the Council’s archive
which date from 1995. These are not indexed, so the contents are not
known. As such I will have to make arrangements access these documents to
undertake a search of what is held in an effort to locate the requested
report.
I will provide you with a formal response as soon as this search has been
completed.
Yours sincerely,
Howard Passman
020 8726 6000 ext. 27103
Resources Directorate
Legal Services Division
7th Floor Zone C
Bernard Weatherill House
8 Mint Walk
Croydon CR0 1EA
Council services, online, 24/7 www.croydon.gov.uk/myaccount.
Please use this web site address to view the council's e-mail disclaimer -
http://www.croydon.gov.uk/email-disclaimer
Dear Mr Passman,
That it was a report dating back to 1995 was made clear in my original request, dated 22 December 2022.
According to the minutes, the report regarding 94/1001/A was considered along with that regarding 94/1000/A, at the same meeting of the Planning Sub-Committee, on 5 January 1995.
The 'Planning Service' were able to locate a copy of the report on 94/1000/A and to provide a copy (in duplicate) as part of this request and I find it inconceivable/unbelievable that the two reports are not kept together, whether in the unindexed (really?) 'archives' or elsewhere.
As made clear to the Information Commissioner, I believe that the reason why the Council is withholding this information is because disclosure could prove detrimental to its case in a current claim in the High Court.
I will now go back to the Commissioner and ask that they put some sort of time limit on the Council's continuing, very deliberate and thoroughly distasteful delay.
Yours sincerely,
Stephen Whiteside
Dear Mr. Whiteside,
Further to your email dated 17 January 2023, in which you requested an
Internal Review of the Council’s response to your request for information,
which has been considered as being made under the Freedom of Information
Act. I have now concluded this review and I am able to reply as follows.
In your request for Internal Review, you asked the Council to reconsider
your request as had not been provided with the information requested.
In your request for information dated 23 December 2023, you requested the
following information:
“The minutes of the meeting of Planning Sub-Committee on 5 January 1995
(page 6), refers to a Director of Planning's report that included a
recommendation that consent be REFUSED for the installation of illuminated
advertisement panels at the above address and a number of other sites.
(The panels were to be an integral part of Decaux bus shelters).
+++ Please provide a copy of the relevant officer report.
I believe that the report was with regard to planning application
94/1000/A, which is not accessible on the Council's website."
The Council responded to you on the 17 January 2023 and provided you with
a copy of 94/1000/A.
In your request for an Internal Review dated 17 January 2023, you stated
the following:
“My request was for a copy of the 1995 officer report that included a
recommendation that consent be REFUSED for the installation of illuminated
advertisement panels at the above address and a number of other sites.
What you have provided (thank you) appears to be two copies of the officer
report (with appendices) regarding planning application 94/1000/A, which
as it's opening paragraph states as follows:
"This report concerns one of two applications which together seek
advertisement consent for proposed advertisements at 60 locations
throughout the Borough. For administrative purposes this application
relates to the 32 sites where it is recommended that consent be granted.
94/1001/A relates to the remaining 28 sites where it is recommended that
consent be REFUSED (my emphasis)."
+++ Please provide a full copy of the officer report regarding planning
application 94/1001/A”
On receiving your request for an Internal Review, I contacted the Planning
Service to confirm whether they held the Plans Sub-Committee report that
you were seeking and they informed me that they did not hold a copy of
94/1001/A and that the report provided to you was all that they held in
their records for that site.
As a result of which and in an effort to provide you with assistance, I
contacted the Museums and Archives Service, to enquire whether they held
any ‘Planning Committee’ reports for the 1995 time period. I was aware
that historically that public copies of committee agenda were provided to
the library service and that they may be held in their archive.
I was informed that the Museums and Archives Service archive did hold in
fact hold a number of boxes of potentially relevant items. Although these
were not individually catalogued, and only indexed by date range and
committee title; requiring a physical search of what was held.
Following which, I visited the Museums and Archives Service archive and I
was able to locate the enclosed copy of the report 94/1001/A and the
Minutes of the 25 January 1995 Plans Sub Committee.
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
[1]cid:image001.png@01D95015.8FDF4650
Resources Directorate
Legal Services Division
7th Floor Zone C
Bernard Weatherill House
8 Mint Walk
Croydon CR0 1EA
Council services, online, 24/7 www.croydon.gov.uk/myaccount.
Please use this web site address to view the council's e-mail disclaimer -
http://www.croydon.gov.uk/email-disclaimer
References
Visible links
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