Information Commissioner's Office

Summary: The complainant submitted a request for information about properties that had been advertised for employment uses, or were the subject of applications for a change of use under various Council policies. The Council initially attempted to levy a charge for this information. Subsequently, the Council provided the complainant with some information but informed him that if he wished to collate additional information, he could do so himself using publicly available documents. The Council has informed the Commissioner that it would be -�too costly-� to comply with the complainant-�s request but has not applied an exception to the requested information. The Commissioner considers that the Council has not responded fully to the complainant-�s request by simply directing him to public records. The Commissioner found that the information requested would, if held, be environmental information and should have been considered under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR). The Commissioner requires the public authority to either provide the information or issue a valid refusal notice that complies with regulation 14 of the EIR within 35 days of the date of this notice.
Section of Act/EIR & Finding: FOI 1 - Complaint Upheld