This privacy notice explains how the London Borough of Camden will use information in the course of our work as a local planning authority. This work includes:
- making decisions and providing advice on planning applications
- making planning policies
- working with neighbourhoods on their plans
- working with neighbouring authorities on strategic policies
- responding to allegations of unlawful development
- monitoring development
- entering legal agreements, serving notices, promoting the best use of land
- providing searches of and maintaining the Local Land Charge register.
If you have questions about Camden’s approach to data or privacy contact our data protection officer:
Andrew Maughan, Borough Solicitor
London Borough of Camden,
Judd Street
London.
WC1H 9JE
020 7974 4444,
dpo@camden.gov.uk
How we get your information
The council receives information related to our planning functions in two ways. It is either supplied to us directly (or via a planning agent on behalf of an applicant) or from a third party website that provides a transaction service.
These include:
- The Planning Portal
- iApply
We also receive comments, representations, allegations and questions via email, letter, and through the Council’s website.
What we do with your information
To allow the council to make decisions on their applications individuals must provide us with some personal data (eg name, address, contact details). In a small number of circumstances individuals will provide us with “special category data” in support of their application (eg evidence of medical history).
We use the information provided to us to make decisions about the use of land in the public interest. This is known as a “public task” and is why we do not need you to “opt in” to allow your information to be used.
Some information provided to us we are obliged under the regulations to make available on planning registers. This is a permanent record of the councils’ planning decisions that form part of the planning history of a site, along with other facts that form part of the “land search”.
We routinely publish comments we receive on planning applications on the Council’s website and this will include the name and address of objectors and/or supporters of planning applications. Before we publish this information, we remove any OTHER personal or special category information.
Find out what is special category information.
How we share your information
We do not sell your information to other organisations. We do not move your information beyond the UK/EU/EEA. We do not use your information for automated decision making.
We will make details of planning applications available online so that people can contribute their comments. We will sometimes need to share the information we have with other parts of the council-for example to establish how long a building has been used as a dwelling.
We may contact you following the determination of your planning application to ask you to carry out a survey to help us to improve our service.
Redaction (‘blanking things out’)
We operate a policy where we routinely redact the following details before making forms, documents and any representations available online:
- personal contact details for the applicant or person making the representation - telephone numbers, email addresses
- signatures
- Special Category Data - supporting statements that include information about health
- conditions or ethnic origin
- information agreed to be confidential.
Sometimes we might decide it is necessary, justified and lawful to disclose data that appears in the list above. In these circumstances we will let you know of our intention before we publish anything.
If you are submitting supporting information which you would like to be treated confidentially or wish to be specifically withheld from the public register, please let us know as soon as you can - ideally in advance of submitting the application or comment. The best way to contact us about this issue is by emailing planning@camden.gov.uk
Retention (‘how long we keep your information for’)
We process many different types of information according to our retention policy. A brief summary of how long we keep things before they are destroyed:
- statutory registers (eg planning decisions, approved plans, legal agreements) – for ever
- supporting documents, reports – 6 years for committee decisions, 4 years for officer decisions
- representations, letters, general correspondence – 4 years
Complaints and problems
Making decisions on planning matters is a public task and you do not have the right to withdraw consent. However if you think we have got something wrong or there is a reason you would prefer for something to not be disclosed please ask us by emailing planning@camden.gov.uk
You can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how the council has handled your personal data. It would be helpful if you contacted us first at dpa@camden.gov.uk to see if we can resolve the problem. You can contact the ICO at casework@ico.org.uk telephone 0303 123 1113, or post to Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.