Staffordshire County Council

The complainant requested information relating to a planning application. Most of the information held within the scope of the request had been published by the public authority on its planning portal. The remaining information was disclosed to the complainant at the time of his request save copies of pre-planning application discussions between the developer and the public authority. The public authority withheld the pre-planning application discussions on the basis of the exception at regulation 12(5)(f) of the EIR (adverse effect on the interests of a person who provided information). The Commissioner’s decision is that the public authority was entitled to withhold the pre-planning application discussions (the disputed information) on the basis of the exception at regulation 12(5)(f). He however finds the public authority in breach of regulation 14(2) of the EIR. No steps are required.