Planning privacy notice

Who we are

We are the Local Planning Authority for the Isle of Wight Council. This privacy notice explains how we 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 and local plans
  • 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 and promoting the best use of land

If you have questions about data or privacy contact our data protection officer.

  • Email: DPO@iow.gov.uk
  • Call: 01983 821000
  • Post: DPO, Isle of Wight Council, County Hall, High Street, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 1UD

How we get your information

We get applicant information in two ways – it is supplied to us directly (or via a planning agent on their behalf) or we receive it 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 our online consultation platforms such as our planning register.

What we do with your information

To allow us to make decisions on their applications, individuals must provide us with some personal data (e.g. name, address, contact details) and information to support their planning application. Most of the information will be made public. In a small number of circumstances individuals will provide us with ‘special category data’ in support of their application (e.g. evidence of medical history).

We use the information provided to us to make decisions about the use of land in the public interest. The lawful basis for this is known as a ‘public task’ and is why we do not need your explicit consent for your information to be used.

Some information provided to us we are legally obliged to make available on planning registers. This is a permanent record of our planning decisions that form part of the planning history of a site, along with other facts that form part of the ‘land search’. Please tell us when you have submitted information that you consider to be confidential.

How we share your information

We do not sell your information to other organisations. We do not move your information beyond the UK. We do not use your information for automated decision making.

We make details of planning applications we receive available online so that other people can contribute their comments.

Please note:

  • we do publish the name of the person applying for planning permission along with the address
  • we do not publish their signature or email contact details
  • we do publish comments received on planning applications by members of the public. If the comments include a signature and/or email contact details these will be redacted
  • we do publish comments received on planning applications by town and parish councils / amenity groups / statutory consultees

We send some planning applications to our statutory consultees for their advice on safety, infrastructure and other matters. 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.

In circumstances where a planning application is appealed, we are required to share data from a planning application with the Planning Inspectorate, which includes any comments made by statutory consultees and members of the public. We also share information with the Planning Inspectorate when they examine our local plan. This includes the names of site promoters and people submitting representations on the plan.

We also send out a follow-up ‘how did we do?’ survey to a sample of people using our service (for example by submitting or commenting on a planning application) to see how we can improve it.

Redaction (‘blanking things out’)

We operate a policy where we routinely redact the following details before making forms and documents available online:

  • personal contact details for the applicant, e.g. telephone numbers, email addresses
  • signatures

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 at the same time as submitting the application. The best way to contact us about this issue is by email to planning.enquiries@iow.gov.uk

  • Special Category Data – e.g. 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.

Retention (‘how long we keep your information for’)

We process many different types of information according to our retention policy.

A brief summary of long we keep things before they are usually destroyed

  • statutory registers (e.g. planning decisions, approved plans): for ever
  • supporting documents, reports: 6 years for committee decisions, 4 years for officer decisions
  • representations, letters, general correspondence: 4 years

Some supporting documents relating to major or otherwise significant developments may not be destroyed but instead removed from public registers.

Complaints and problems

Making decisions on planning matters is a public task and you do not have the right to withdraw consent for your data to be processed.

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 information@iow.gov.uk or by calling us on 01983 821000

If you need to make a complaint specifically about the way we have processed your data, you should in the first instance contact our Data Protection Officer.

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are not satisfied with the way that the council has handled your information.

They can also provide advice and can be contacted through the Information Commissioner’s website

  • Call: 0303 1231113
  • Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF

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