Nature of work
The Development Management team, commonly known as the ‘planning department’ undertakes work including the following:
- The processing and determining of applications to the department for planning permission and allied application.
- The processing and determining of applications relating to protected trees.
- Providing pre-application advice before the formal submission of a planning application.
- Investigating and responding to allegations of unlawful development.
- Monitor on-going development.
Why we need your information
Planning Applications - In order to determine applications submitted for planning permission, we process information provided as part of an application including application forms, plans, documents and other supporting information. This information is published on our website and is available to anyone with internet access to view. We also require contact details of the applicant, typically in the form of a telephone number and email address in order to contact them as part of the application process or to organise a site visit. To protect applicants’ privacy, email addresses, telephone numbers and signatures are redacted from documents before publication. We may invite statutory consultees, other council departments and local residents to comment on these planning applications.
The Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 requires the Council to publish a ‘planning register’. This should contain the applicant’s name and address. The register is available for public inspection and also published on our website.
Views about Planning Applications - In order to comment on a planning application, a name and postal address must be provided in order for the representation to be considered. When submitting a comment via our website, we also request an email address in order to provide you with an acknowledgement of this comment.
Comments made by individuals as part of the application process are not published on our website as a matter of course, however they can be shared with 3rd parties when requested. When shared email addresses, telephone numbers and any signatures if provided will be redacted.
Breaches of Planning Legislation (Planning Enforcement) - If you make a complaint about a possible breach of planning legislation, we will ask for your name, address and contact details as well as information about the alleged breach. We ask for your contact details in order to update you on the progress of the investigation.
Pre-Planning Advice - If you apply for pre-application advice from the department, we will ask for your name, address and an email address in order to inform you of progress of your application.
Type/Classes of information processed
We process the following types of personal information for individuals who wish to apply for Planning Permission, wish to make a representation on a Planning application, report an enforcement complaint, form part of an enforcement investigation or apply for pre-application advice:
- Names
- Addresses
- Telephone Number and Email Address
As part of supporting documentation for a planning application the following information could be provided:
- Financial information
- Medical Information
Who information is processed about
The classes of personal information we process include:
- Individuals applying for Planning Permission
- Individuals making representations on Planning applications
- Individuals reporting enforcement complaints
- Individuals forming part of an enforcement investigation
- Individuals applying for pre-application advice
Who information may be shared with
Planning Applications - application forms, plans and documentation submitted as part of a planning application are published on our website. Email addresses, telephone numbers and signatures are redacted from any forms of submitted documentation.
Views about Planning Applications - Comments received from both statutory consultees and other Council departments are also published on our website without any redaction.
Comments received from individuals are not published on our website but are shared with our Parish Councils, Ward Councillors and other Council departments who comment on planning applications such as our Highways Department.
All comments received as part of an application can also be requested by any individual and the council has a duty to release these in a redacted form. Your name, address and comments will be disclosed, however, to protect your privacy your email address, telephone numbers and signatures will be redacted.
Information will also be shared with the Planning Inspectorate in the result of any appeal to an application. This will be undertaken in accordance with the PINs and LPA Data Sharing Agreement and relevant Schedule.
Information may also be shared with the Courts under rare cases of legal challenge against a planning decision or the Local Government Ombudsman in the case of a complaint against the Council.
Breaches of Planning Legislation (Planning Enforcement) - Information submitted to the council regarding a breach of planning control is available to review exclusively within the planning department. However, details of the breach and investigation can be shared with other parts of the Council, e.g. Regulatory Services, when required.
Complaints and matters relating to breaches of planning control are kept confidential until a decision is taken to commence formal planning enforcement action. At this point, details of the breach and its location will be added to the enforcement register which is available on our website.
Full details of enforcement cases can be shared on occasion with the Planning Inspectorate and Courts system. Where necessary, this will be undertaken in accordance with the PINs and LPA Data Sharing Agreement and relevant Schedule.
Pre-Planning Advice - Documentation provided as part of a pre-application advice submission could be shared with other parts of the council, where we would seek specialist views on the application, for example, the authorities Ecology team.
We do not publish pre-application proposals on our website due primarily to matters of commercial sensitivity. However, these can be shared, on request, following a submission of a formal planning application having regard to matters of relevance and public interest.
How long we will keep your information
Details regarding planning applications, such as the application form, plans and supported documents are to be retained on the Planning Register indefinitely, in line with the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015.
Where an enforcement notice is served, background information is retained for 15 years following the closure of the case.
Where an enforcement case has been investigated and subsequently closed with no formal action taken, the information is retained for 15 years following the closure of the case.
Applications for pre-application advice are kept for 15 years.
Transfers Overseas
No content is transferred overseas.
Further Information
For more information about this service please contact the following email address: planning@solihull.gov.uk.