Planning Applications for the Civic Centre, North Walk, Barnstaple

Dear Mr Johns

Thank you for your request for information received earlier today, for which I acknowledge receipt and respond accordingly.

Section 1(1)(a) of the Act requires the Council to inform you whether it holds information of the description specified in your request. I confirm that the Council does hold this information. In discharge of its obligation under section 1(1)(b) I can provide you with the following response.

Planning applications are a matter of public record and as such the information is already accessible within the public domain. I can confirm that via the Council's Planning Tracker I have identified the details of two Planning applications for the Civic Centre, Barnstaple, and which can be accessed via the following link:

http://planning.northdevon.gov.uk/search...

From the link, enter in the 'Site address (1st Line)' field - Civic Centre and then click search. This will identify two applicable applications:

- 28665 - March 2000 - Installation of BBC Broadcast Camera
- 36565 - February 2004 - Installation of Solar Panels to South West And South East Elevations of Annexe and Roof

In accordance with Section 21(1) of the Act, the Council is not required to provide information that is already a matter of public record as it is accessible by other means. In this case it can be accessed via the Council's Planning Tracker and/or by contacting the Council's Planning department directly. If the website does not provide you with the information you require, the physical planning application files can be viewed at Council Offices in Barnstaple, however you would need to make an appointment with the Planning Admin team either by e-mail or telephone: [email address] or 01271 388288.

The Council has a duty under Section 16(1) to provide all applicants advice and assistance in order to assist with locating the information they seek, which I have done so in providing you with the link to the Council's Planning Tracker above in order to access to the published applications.

It may be possible that there are further records of applications for the Civic Centre retained dating back to beyond what is available via the Planning Tracker and so I have referred this part of your request onto the Planning Department to check and respond to you direct as they will be able to supply you with a planning history of the building and provide you with assistance in accessing any applicable application files that may be held.

Should you not received a response from the Planning department by the end of next week, please contact them direct via the details as provided above.

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to request an internal review which should be received within two months from the date of the response letter and should be sent to;

Head of Corporate & Community
Legal Services
North Devon Council
PO Box 379, Barnstaple, EX32 2GR
[North Devon Council request email]

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Tel: 01625 545 745
Fax: 01625 524 510
Email: [email address]

Yours sincerely

Vicky Eagle
Administrator, FOI & EIR
Legal Services
North Devon Council
PO Box 379, Barnstaple, EX32 2GR
[North Devon Council request email]

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Dear Mr Johns

Thank you for your e-mail received earlier today.

We do not have a specific procedure in place, however we will always consider applicant's needs and requirements on a case by case basis. Therefore should an applicant inform us that they are unable to attend Council Offices to view any information due a disability, then all reasonable assistance will be made to supply information either via the website or through e-mail where this is possible.

I can confirm that an officer within the Planning department will be in touch with you direct by the end of this week with regard to your request and will be able assist you with accessing information that is in the public domain but not currently available via the website.

Yours sincerely

Vicky Eagle
Administrator – FOI and EIR
Legal Services
North Devon Council
PO Box 379, Barnstaple, EX32 2GR
[North Devon Council request email]

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Our ref: PD/SMT/CRL/2345

Dear Mr Johns,

I have been contacted by my colleague in the Legal Services Team and
understand that you are seeking information about the Civic Centre in
Barnstaple – specifically details of any relevant planning applications
made in respect of the site.

The site comprises 3 main elements:

•             The main 9 level tower block – currently unoccupied

•             The Police & Court buildings

•             The 3 level  “annexe” - currently used by Devon County
Council

Associated with the complex is a large car park bounded by the river and
North Walk (used by DCC staff on weekdays and as a public car park at
other times)  as well as a smaller car park accessed separately – this
smaller car park is used by D & C Police.

I have assumed that you are interested in the site in its entirety.

Many of the following cases are not in fact applications for Planning
Permission but are notifications of works “deemed” to be approved under
various Planning Acts and Regulations. As such we may not hold all of the
documents etc. that would have been used to determine the cases but I
should be able to provide you with copies of the decision notices and
location/block plans associated with them. As you can see there are quite
a few records so I would be grateful if you would indicate which ones you
are particularly interested in.

NA 2935 – Proposed Barnstaple Civic Centre – Deemed Consent 3/9/1965

NA 3589 – Extension to office block – Deemed Consent 8/9/1972

NA 5191 – Town & Country General Regs 1969 -  Alterations to cycle shed –
Deemed Consent 8/9/1972

74/160/4/3 – T & CP Gen Regs 1974 – Notification by Devon County Council 
- Conversion of 9th floor to form office accommodation – Deemed Consent
10/4/75

74/301/4/4 – Change of use: Living accommodation to offices at Police
Station - Conditional Consent 22/1/75

75/486/4/3 – Extension to existing motor repair workshop at Police Station
– Conditional Consent 20/5/75

75/746/4/3 – T & C P Gen Regs 1974 -: Notification by DCC: Extension to
existing cycle shed – Unconditional Consent 9/2/76

77/1327/4/3 – Alterations to Barnstaple Police Garage – Unconditional
Consent  28/9/77

79/244/4/3 - T & CP Gen Regs 1976: Proposed piling operations, temporary
car park & accesses in connection with extension to Civic Centre – Deemed
Consent 2/4/79

79/1142/4/3 - T & CP Gen Regs 1976: Extension to offices & additional car
parking & alterations to vehicular access – Deemed Consent  20/8/79

85/1644/4/3 – Alterations to Police Station – Conditional Consent 18/11/86

86/1325/4/4 - Proposed temporary change of use part of existing private
car park to overnight parking of minibuses – Conditional Consent 3/9/86

6542 - T & CP Gen Regs 1976 notification by DCC proposed alterations to
existing vehicular accesses – Deemed Consent 7/2/89

8473 – Installation of 8000 gallon petrol & diesel tanks plus fuel pumps &
canopy at Police Station – Conditional Consent 25/5/89

13713 – Conversion of part of garage to form offices (Police Station)  –
Conditional Consent 21/5/91

18582 – Alterations to Custody Centre at Police Station – Conditional
Consent 4/4/95

26074 - Retrospective application under regulation 3 of the T & C P
general regulations 1992 notification by Devon County Council in respect
of proposed replacement roof (Police Station) – Deemed Consent 15/12/98

28665 – Installation of BBC broadcast camera –Conditional Consent 30/3/00

34052 – Extension & alterations to Police Station – Conditional Consent
23/4/03

35543 – Temporary siting of 3 no. offices – Barnstaple Police Station -
Withdrawn

36565 - Application under regulation 3 of the T & C P General Regulations
1992 in respect of installation of solar panels to south west & south east
elevations of annexe & to roof – Conditional Consent 2/2/04

38193 - Application under regulation 3 of the T & C P General Regulations
1992 notification by Devon County Council in respect of provision of a
footway from the car park to the entrance to the Civic Centre, with
provision of speed reduction measures to the vehicular access way adjacent
to the car parking area – Deemed Consent 27/7/04

60469 – Application under Reg 3 of the T & C P Gen Regs 1992 –
Notification by Devon County Council in respect of external alterations to
office block (Civic Centre Annexe) – DCC Conditional Consent 20/1/16

Once you have identified which of the above cases are of interest to you
please do not hesitate to contact me (either by return email or by
telephone) and I will arrange for the details of those cases to be sent on
to you.

Yours sincerely

Sue Thomas | Senior Planning Support Officer (Appeals) ~ Strategic
Development and Planning, Economic Development & Town Centres

North Devon Council | Barnstaple

Tel: 01271 388 296 | [1]www.northdevon.gov.uk

[2]cid:image002.gif@01D454BB.24B22820

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