Planning applications: your personal data, our disclaimer and copyright

In accordance with the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, we must make the documentation for planning applications and any representations received in response to them, whether objections or supporting statements, available for public inspection. Provision is made within the Data Protection Act 2018 for publishing such information. This means that we cannot treat planning application documentation or representations as confidential and they will continue to be held as part of the planning file.

Documents submitted, and any comments made, will form part of the background documentation to the planning application, and are evidential information for this legal process. In accordance with the requirements of The Environmental Information Regulations 2004, we publish planning applications and supporting documents on the website as well as making these available for inspection in hard copy. You should be aware that address details, including email addresses, which form part of the application documentation will therefore be available online.

Personal data

Submitting a planning application

If you are submitting a planning application and wish to avoid your personal email address being accessible within your documents, we suggest you set up a separate email address just for the purposes of the application. You can then use the bcc (blind copying) address field to copy emails to your personal email account. By using bcc rather than cc to copy emails to your personal email account, you can ensure that your personal email address is not visible on the permanent record.

View our Privacy Notice online
 

Commenting on a planning application

If you are making a representation (comment), you will need to provide us with your name and address. If you don't, your comments will be considered anonymous and your views cannot be taken into account. 

If you wish your personal data to be withheld, we recommend that comments sent by email are included in an attachment without personal information. If you send your representation to us by letter, include your comments on a separate sheet to your personal information. Please state clearly on these submissions that you wish your personal data to be withheld. In both cases the attachment containing the comments only will be published on the website.

Comments submitted via Public Access will be posted on the website shortly after receipt (usually within 48 hours), but personal details will only be removed when we receive a specific request to do so.

We reserve the right to withhold from publication on this website any comments or parts of comments not considered suitable for public view for reasons including offensive or personal content.

Disclaimer

The material on this website does not necessarily represent the full extent of information available in respect of planning applications, or necessarily all that is retained on the Statutory Planning Register (a requirement of all Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) to maintain and allow public access to details relating to planning applications), held by us, the Planning Authority.

Certain information may be withheld from internet publication. Access to the full content of planning applications will continue to be available at the council offices.

Whilst we make every effort to ensure that the information provided on this website is correct and accurate, we cannot accept any liability or responsibility should you rely on the information provided and later find it to have been inaccurate.

Please do not rely on any information from this site as an alternative to traditional searches. If you have any reason to believe that any information is incorrect, please let the Planning Service know.

Copyright: terms and conditions of using documents and maps

Plans, drawings and other material submitted to West Berkshire Council are protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (section 47). You may only use material which is downloaded and/or printed from our website for consultation purposes, to compare current planning applications with previous schemes and to check whether developments have been completed in accordance with approved plans.

Further copies must not be made without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

Ordnance Survey maps and maps created from Ordnance Survey material are subject to Crown copyright. You may view or download this material for private and non-commercial purposes only. Such mapping may not be further sub-licensed, sold, demonstrated, lent, or otherwise transferred or exploited without the prior written permission of the Ordnance Survey.