Do we have a right to see planning documents?

[Benpointer]

For the plot we are buying we will need to agree treatment of surface and foul water at some stage (no mains drains). 

 

It's occurred to me that two new houses have been built in the last two years just along the road from our plot, they are on smaller plots and will have faced the same water discharge issue - maybe we can learn was works from their solution.  When I checked they did indeed have a condition in their approved planning consent: 2/2019/1310/REM 

 

9. No development shall be commenced until a scheme for the disposal of foul, roof and surface water drainage has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. Thereafter, no part of the development shall be occupied or brought into use until the approved scheme has been fully implemented.

 

That condition has now been discharged (excuse the pun!) here 2/2020/0781/DOC

 

As requested I have considered the information that you submitted in respect of conditions attached to this planning permission and can advise as follows:
I can confirm that the information submitted in respect of condition 2, 3, 4, 6, and 9 is acceptable in accordance with the terms of the conditions.
To fully comply with these conditions, the development must be carried out in accordance with the approved plans and agreed documents.

 

However there are no drawings or other documents attached that show how condition 9 has been discharged.  

 

My question is: does the PA have to make all the documents it used to decide to discharge this condition available to view by the public?

 

 

[Temp]

I don't think they are required to put absolutely all correspondence online.

 

When we were going through planning way back in 2005 ish the planners had their own separate paper files as well. However back then you could go and see them. Initially that was as easy as dropping in to the Planning Office reception and asking to see the file but they did away with the reception. After that you had to go to the main Council reception desk in a totally different building and book an appointment. Things might have changed by now though.

 

Might be easier to knock on the door of those houses, explain who you are and ask how they are getting on with their treatment plant and do they have soakaways etc 

[DevilDamo]

3 hours ago, Benpointer said:

does the PA have to make all the documents it used to decide to discharge this condition available to view by the public?

No. As @Temp mentioned, you could approach the applicant/owner to find out who they instructed to deal with the condition.

[BigBub]

I would just contact the development management team and ask for copies of the supporting documents that were submitted alongside the discharge of condition application. I am aware of some councils adopting a policy to automatically remove information, other than the decision notice, from applications once 3 years have passed from the decision date. Probably as a measure to save space on their servers.

[Johnnyt]

You could always put a Freedom of Information Request for the documents not on their website.

There are timescales for the production of the information.

I had issues regarding deletion of some of my planning file and delved into it and mentioned section 8 of the attached document.

It worked!

 

 

 

Openness of LG Bodies Regs 2014.pdf