What this privacy notice is for

Our core data protection obligations and commitments are set out in the council’s primary privacy notice at: 

• Data Protection - web page

This notice provides additional privacy information for:

• Strategic Planning and Information functions in connection with the Council’s role as Local Planning

Updating our privacy notices

We may update or revise our privacy notices at any time so please refer to the version published on our website for the most up to date details.

What we use your information for

When reviewing and preparing local development documents (which make up the Local Plan) the Council will carry out public consultation at key stages.

Where persons have expressed an interest to be kept informed regarding the progress of documents prepared as part the Local Plan, personal information is collected and recorded so that the Council is able to let them know about consultation events and Local Plan progress. This ‘Local Plan mailing list’ and registration of comments is hosted by the Objective Keystone Consultation Portal which can be accessed at:

• Local Plan Consultation - web page

Further details regarding the terms and conditions for the Objective Keystone Consultation Portal are also available here together with the Objective Keystone Privacy Policy.

The type of consultation used will vary depending on the nature of the document being prepared. In addition to the consultations related to the preparation of local development documents, we may from time to time carry out consultation as part of research and evidence carried out to support the Local Plan.

In preparing the Local Plan, the Local Planning Authority must take into account any representations made in response to these consultations. A consultation statement is produced and made public at various stages in the preparation of a local development document. This consultation statement includes the respondents name, organisation where applicable and a summary of the comments received.

Copies of all representations made at the publication stage of the Local Plan preparation will be sent to the Secretary of State. These representation will considered during the independent examination of the Local Plan.

What categories of personal information we use

Personal information can be anything that identifies and relates to a living person. This can include information that when linked with other information, allows a person to be uniquely identified. For example, this could be your name and contact details.

The law treats some types of personal information as ‘special’ because the information requires more protection due to its sensitivity. This information consists of:

• Racial or ethnic origin
• Sexuality and sexual life
• Religious or philosophical beliefs
• Trade union membership
• Political opinions
• Genetic and bio-metric data
• Physical or mental health
• Criminal convictions and offences

In order to carry out these purposes we collect and obtain the following personal information.

Legal basis for processing

The legal basis for processing and or sharing your personal information is: Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, as amended

• The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012, as amended
• Local Government Act 1972, as amended
• Equalities Act 2010

Information sharing/recipients

We may share personal information about you with the following types of organisations:

• Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
• Planning Inspectorate
• Statutory and non-statutory consultees, such as the Environment Agency
• Greater Manchester Combined Authority
• Local Government Ombudsman
• Those appointed to assist the Council in the preparation of documents/studies to inform the Local Plan and to provide services / perform technical operations such as data storage (i.e. Objective)

Data Transfers beyond European Economic Area

We do not transfer any of your personal information outside the European Economic Area (‘EEA’).

Automated Decisions

All the decisions we make about you involve human intervention.

Our Guide to Exercising Your Rights outlines the procedure to ask us for an automated decision to be reviewed by an appropriate officer. This can be found at:

• Your Data Rights - web page 

How long we keep your data

We will only keep your personal information for as long as the law specifies or where the law does not specify this, for the length of time determined by our business requirements. In line with the Council’s record retention schedule such data may be kept whilst the relevant document is current and for a further 6 years.

In order to comply with its statutory obligations, comments received as part of a Local Plan related consultation cannot be treated as confidential as the Council is obliged to make all representations available for public inspection. If you choose to make a representation you will be regarded by the Council as having consented to that representation being made available for public inspection. All comments received will also be made available via the internet, along with the name of the person who submitted them. Your address will not generally be available via the internet if you submit your comments electronically through our Objective consultation portal.

Information submitted to support a representation (such as documents or plans) may also be made available via the internet.

Where the Council receive representations and supporting documents containing email addresses, telephone numbers or signatures, we will endeavour to remove them. If your postal address is shown on any accompanying documents provided, though, then this will also be accessible via the internet.

Where can I get advice

More information on how to seek advice in order to exercise your rights, raise a concern or complain about the handling of your personal information by the council can be found in the council’s privacy notice which can be found at:

• Data Protection - web page