Hastings Borough Council

The complainant has requested information relating to planning applications for Hasting Harbour Quarter (the Harbour). The Commissioner’s decision is that on the balance of probabilities, Hastings Borough Council (the Council) has not disclosed all the information it holds relating to the development of the Harbour. The Commissioner requires the public authority to take the following steps to ensure compliance with the legislation. Conduct new searches for the two questions in the last paragraph of the request. The Council should then either issue a new response or provide an adequate refusal notice. The public authority must take these steps within 35 calendar days of the date of this decision notice. Failure to comply may result in the Commissioner making written certification of this fact to the High Court pursuant to section 54 of FOIA and may be dealt with as a contempt of court.