FI16323

Request

I would like access to the process of decision making in agreeing an application for amendments to planning application 23/0059 which was already the subject of a breach of planning conditions. I would like to know how the decision approved an incorrect site plan to be knowingly submitted by the builder and approved by the planning department

Internal Review Documents

Internal Review Request:

Thank you for you email dated 20th of October 2025 regarding Form reference 1189681 an enquiry regarding the process undertaken to agree planning amendments to 1 Mayfield Villas Shepherdswell. The document in question is Ref.25/00517. We noted that you had sent us information regarding this planning which we already had access to. The question that we want answering was the process taken to agree that planning application. What we have received is the outcomes which we know already. We want to know how this decision was made. In the body of the officers report it states that the build was in the centre of the plot as in the submitted site plan. The reality is that the build is not as illustrated. So we would like to know why it was approved and how. In his email to us on the 17th of December 2024 [redacted] stated that he would be visiting the site as we had reported the build to planning enforcement. However in an email to us dated the 13th of January in an email from [redacted] he stated that he had spoken to the builder regaling a breach of planning. We are now unclear as to whether a visit had been made, because had a visit taken place it would have been absolutely obvious that the build did not match the plan that had originally been approved. Subsequently when the builder submitted the amended plan 25/00517 the site plan yet again did not match the build., despite us reporting it to planning enforcement. As a result the almost completed house bears no resemblance to the site plan. Our enquiry to the Freedom of Information department was related to the process that was undertaken to approve a plan which was already the subject of a planning enforcement order, when the builder had knowingly submitted an incorrect site plan. In this instance we would be most grateful if you can forward us the information we have requested. I.e. notes of visit to the site, minutes of the meeting which agreed the amendments and the reasons why the planning department approved a plan that was blatantly incorrect.

Internal Review Response:

In your original request you were seeking 'access to the process of decision making in agreeing an application for amendments to planning application 23/0059 which was already the subject of a breach of planning conditions. I would like to know how the decision approved an incorrect site plan to be knowingly submitted by the builder and approved by the planning department'. The response you received provided copies of the planning reports advising the reasons for the decisions were documented within the report.

The Freedom of Information Act grants people the right to access information held by public authorities, to promote greater openness and transparency. It gives individuals a legal right to access recorded information held by public bodies, promoting greater openness and transparency and helping them understand how public authorities work. The key word is that the Act allows access to ‘recorded’ information. If information is not recorded there is no requirement to create new information. In this instance the information provided to you in respect of the Planning Officer's reports, is the only documented information that details why the Planning decision was taken. There is no other documented information explaining why this decision was taken.

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