We are a local planning authority. Broadly, our functions include producing a Local Plan and associated planning policy documents, which set out our planning policies for the Borough of Dartford.
Producing a Local Plan is a priority for us, for a number of reasons. The government is clear that we are expected to have up-to-date plans in place to guide development within our area, to plan for the infrastructure, homes and jobs that our residents need.
Having an up-to-date Local Plan in place also means that we retain control over where development should be located, rather than it being delivered in an ad hoc way because of speculative development, sometimes without sufficient benefit to local communities.
Through our Statement of Community Involvement, we are committed to involving as many people and organisations as possible in the planning process, including those who are traditionally under-represented. We engage with our communities in the preparation of our draft Local Plan and associated planning policy documents, which are submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination by an Independent Examiner. This examination is the last stage of the process for producing a Local Plan.
Most of the personal information we hold about you is provided by you or your appointed agent or representative when you respond to a planning policy consultation, or you have opted in to our 'Stay Connected' email service and selected local plan or planning policy updates, or you have completed our Planning Policy contact form.
Processing activity - we will process personal information relating to:
Consultations on the draft Local Plan and/or strategic planning issues - We need to process your personal information in order to prepare the Local Plan, and to manage consultations on other strategic planning and transport planning issues. In particular, we will process personal data if you have requested that we contact you about consultations. We will also hold your contact details if you have previously made a representation. We will contact you when new consultations are launched and always provide you with the opportunity to opt out of any further contact.
Brownfield Land Register - Part 1 of the register comprises all brownfield sites appropriate for residential development and Part 2, those sites granted permission in principle. This register is used as evidence to inform the preparation of our Local Plan.
Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Register - we maintain a register of individuals and groups interested in acquiring serviced plots of land in the Borough of Dartford, for their own self-build and custom housebuilding. This register is used as evidence to inform the preparation of our Local Plan.
Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) - we need to process personal information for the purpose of administering the CIL. This includes records of individuals and organisations liable for or having paid the CIL.
Planning Strategies, Design Codes, Supplementary Planning Documents – we will need to process personal information when we carry out public consultation on planning documents. This information will be used to keep you updated on the consultation process and to assist with the analysis of consultation responses.
Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP)– we will need to process your personal information when public consultation is carried out on the LCWIP. The information will be used to inform the development of the LCWIP.
Information requirements - our processing activities may include:
- your address, telephone number, email address
- date of birth
- nationality
- site address
- health data
- ethnicity
- residential and ID status such as bank statements and passport
- letter confirming service with the Ministry of Defence
- applications for the self-build and custom housebuilding register
- land ownership details submitted for consideration for allocation in the Local Plan or other planning policy documents
- record of fee payments for CIL (excluding debit/credit card details)
- analysing statistical data for service development purposes (anonymised)
- your expressed opinions or intentions in respect of planning policy consultations
Lawful bases1 - our lawful bases for processing your personal information are:
UK GDPR Article 6(1)(c)
- our legal obligations under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004
- our legal obligations under the Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010
- our legal obligations under the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012
- our legal obligation(s) under the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012
- our legal obligations under the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015
- our legal obligations under the Town and Country Planning (Brownfield Land Register) Regulations 2017
- our legal obligations under the National Planning Policy Framework
- UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) and section 8(c) DPA 2018 - necessary for the performance of a task in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in us under the legislation/framework referred to above
- UK GDPR Article 9(2)(g) and DPA 2018, section 10(3) and Schedule 1, Part 2, para.6(1) & (2)(a) -some of the information we collect is classified as special category personal data such as health data. This is processed for reasons of substantial public interest under the laws that apply to us (see above) where this helps to meet our broader social obligations such as where it is necessary for us to fulfil our legal obligations and regulatory requirements.
We have a Data Protection Policy that sets out how this information will be handled.
Data sharing - we may share your information with:
- the Planning Inspectorate as part of the Local Plan process and to allow you the opportunity to fully take part in the examination should you wish to do so once the Local Plan has been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate;
- relevant authorities in a housing market that encompasses multiple authorities (self-build and custom-house building administration matters);
- Kent County Council, as highway authority, who are our partners in the production of the LCWIP.
Representations, received during the public consultation stages of the draft Local Plan, may be published on our website and a copy may be made available for public inspection. This will also apply to counter- representations. We will not accept comments received by anonymous respondents.
Representations published on our website will only include names of respondents and the town/parish of residence. All other personal data, including addresses, personal telephone numbers, personal email addresses, signatures or any sensitive personal data will not be made public, but we will hold this information for our records . Agents’ commercial or business email addresses and names will be published.
Representations will made available to the Planning Inspector, appointed to examine the draft Local Plan, without redaction of names and addresses. A data sharing agreement is part of the arrangement for the supply of services, which sets out the steps, we and the Planning Inspectorate will take, to help deliver an efficient examination. This is available on request, by e-mailing plans.admin@planninginspectorate.gov.uk.
Where possible, representations will be made available at our offices, for public inspection, without redaction of names and addresses. There can be no expectation of privacy.
The draft Local Plan may be accompanied by a number of assessments that are also open to public comment. Please note that when you make a response to any of these assessments, as with representations to the draft Local Plan itself, this information will be made publicly available on our website, with the exception of names, addresses, personal telephone numbers, email address, signatures or any sensitive personal data.
The issues raised in representations in public consultation versions of the draft Local Plan, may be included in our consultation report(s). The report(s) will be published on our website and submitted to the Planning Inspectorate. The report(s) will reference the names of members of the public and organisations who have responded to previous consultations on our Local Plan.
We may use Snap Surveys to gather information on our behalf - it will be clear if we are using Snap Surveys. Any data collected by Snap Surveys for us is stored on UK servers.
Retention period - Please refer to our Information Asset Register for specific retention periods applying to our Planning Policy datasets. Information is held securely and disposed of confidentially.
Right to object - where processing your personal information is required for the performance of a public interest task (see our lawful bases above), you have the right to object on ‘grounds relating to your particular situation’. This right to object is not absolute. We will have to demonstrate why it is appropriate for us to continue to use your personal data.
Changes to this Privacy Notice - we review this Privacy Notice regularly and will place updates on our website.
We have a specific Privacy Notice for Planning Services:Development Management. Please refer to our Corporate Privacy Notice for further details of how we process your personal information and your rights.
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1 Note that we may process your personal information on more than one lawful basis depending on the specific purpose for which we are using your information
GDPR/Privacy Notices/Planning Policy Privacy Notice