Privacy notice – building control

North Somerset Council is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office for the purposes of processing personal data. Part of our service is administrated on behalf of North Somerset Council by our partner Agilisys,

The personal data you provide will be held and used in accordance with the requirements of UK and European data protection law and will be held for period time that is appropriate to the service being provided as listed below.

Unless otherwise agreed with you, we will only collect the minimum personal data required to deliver the service, which includes your name, address, contact details and any other personal information that you decide to send to us in support of your application or as part of a consultation comment. We do not require any special category personal information, or information relating to criminal convictions or offences.

Retention periods

• applications for building regulations – indefinitely
• dangerous structures – one year from decision
• pre-application advice – 15 years from issue
• enforcement notices – indefinitely
• enforcement correspondence – 15 years from receipt
• general enquiries or service requests – four months from last contact

The information will be used for the administration of the planning service; our statutory duty under The Building Act 1084 (GDPR Article 6(1)(c)) and the processing of the information provided as part of any non-statutory service is lawful as it is necessary in order to take these steps prior to entering into a contract (GDPR Article 6(1)(b)).

We will not use your personal information in a way that may cause you unwarranted nuisance. Failure to provide the information is likely to result in applications, comments about applications and other service requests not being considered or provided.

We may lawfully disclose information to public sector agencies to prevent or detect fraud or other crime, or to support the national fraud initiatives and protect public funds under the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. Under the conditions of the Digital Economy Act 2017, we may also share personal data provided to us with other public authorities as defined in the Act, for the purposes of fraud or crime detection or prevention, to recover monies owed to us, to improve public service delivery, or for statistical research. We do not share the information with other organisations for commercial purposes.

You have the right to see the personal data we process about you, as well as the right of rectification and restriction (to destruction of records only).  

If you have submitted information to us but now want to withdraw it you should request this using our online contact form. We will withdraw the information and it will not be taken into consideration. You may still provide your views by either submitting a modified version or asking your local councillor, town council or parish council to present your views for you.

If you have any questions or concerns about the way we process your personal data, contact our Data Protection Officer at DPO@n-somerset.gov.uk

You should only use this website for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not infringe the rights of, or restrict or inhibit the use and enjoyment of this site by anyone else. Restriction or inhibition includes (without limitation):

• conduct which is unlawful
• conduct which may harass or cause distress or inconvenience to anyone
• the transmission of obscene or offensive content
• the disruption of normal flow of dialogue within this site

You must not post or transmit via this website:

• any unlawful, defamatory, obscene, offensive or scandalous material
• any material that constitutes or encourages conduct that would be considered a criminal offence, likely to give rise to civil liability or otherwise violates any law

We will fully co-operate with any law enforcement authorities or court order lawfully requesting or directing us to disclose the identity of anyone posting any such information or materials on this website.

Our site and material relating to government information, products and services (or to third party information, products and services) is provided without any representation or endorsement made and without warranty of any kind.

This includes the implied warranties of satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, compatibility, security, completeness and accuracy.

We do not guarantee that the functions contained in the material available on this site will be uninterrupted or error free, that defects will be corrected, or that this site or the server that makes it available are free of viruses or represent the full functionality, accuracy or reliability of the materials.

We will not be liable for any expense, loss or damage in connection with the use of our site or reliance on its content including (without limitation):

• indirect or consequential loss or damage
• use or loss of use of data
• loss of profits

No data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed as totally secure. While we strive to protect such information, we do not warrant and cannot ensure the security of any information which you transmit to us. Accordingly, any information which you transmit to us is transmitted at your own risk.

Our site is not a substitute for independent professional advice and users should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances. The material on our site may include the views or recommendations of third parties, which do not necessarily reflect the views of HM Government or indicate its commitment to a particular course of action.

We assume no responsibility or liability arising in respect of any such third-party material.

These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute arising under these terms and conditions shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

We are not responsible for the content of any linked site. Links on our website will lead to other websites which are not under our control. We cannot guarantee these links will work all of the time and have no control over the availability of the linked pages.