Response 3859997

Response to request for information

Reference

3859997

Response date

3 December 2025

Request

I am writing to request the following information for each of the past three financial years (2023–24, 2024–25 and 2025-26 to date):

1. The number of applications submitted to discharge any of the following types of planning conditions attached to residential developments involving new-build dwellings:
   • Pre-commencement conditions
   • Pre-slab / pre-foundation conditions
   • Above-ground conditions (i.e., conditions that must be discharged before development can progress above ground floor level)
2. For each of the categories listed above, the number of discharge applications determined within the statutory 8-week period.
3. For each of the categories listed above, the average, minimum, and maximum determination times (in calendar days) for discharge-of-condition applications.

Response

Unfortunately, the way in which we file and catalogue Discharge of Condition Applications does not differentiate between discharges on applications which create new dwellings and those which do not. In addition, our records also do not differentiate between applications which seek to discharge pre-commencement conditions, or Pre-foundation conditions, or above ground conditions.

In order to generate the information you have requested, we would need to manually search through all Discharge of Condition Applications received during this period and identify those linked to applications which included new dwellings and then further manually compare the conditions they relate to back to decision notices in order to determine if any fell into the 3 categories you have referenced.

Under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act a public authority is not obliged to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the 'appropriate limit' prescribed in the regulations. The time required to undertake this work is considered to easily exceed the threshold of £450  set as a limit within the Freedom of Information Act for local authorities. For requests which would incur costs beyond this limit the Council would be entitled to request payment for the production of the information in order to cover its costs.

As such the Council would not be able to make this information available unless it is confirmed that you would be willing to cover the costs involved in extracting this information from our records.