Environmental Information Regulations

The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 govern the public’s right to request environmental information held by the Council. Environmental information is defined as :

(a) the state of the elements of the environment, such as air and atmosphere, water, soil, land, landscape and natural sites including wetlands, coastal and marine areas, biological diversity and its components, including genetically modified organisms, and the interaction among these elements;
(b) factors, such as substances, energy, noise, radiation or waste, including radioactive waste, emissions, discharges and other releases into the environment, affecting or likely to affect the elements of the environment referred to in (a);
(c) measures (including administrative measures), such as policies, legislation, plans, programmes, environmental agreements, and activities affecting or likely to affect the elements and factors referred to in (a) and (b) as well as measures or activities designed to protect those elements;
(d) reports on the implementation of environmental legislation;
(e) cost-benefit and other economic analyses and assumptions used within the framework of the measures and activities referred to in (c); and
(f) the state of human health and safety, including the contamination of the food chain, where relevant, conditions of human life, cultural sites and built structures inasmuch as they are or may be affected by the state of the elements of the environment referred to in (a) or, through those elements, by any of the matters referred to in (b) and (c);

These regulations say that we must respond to a request received verbally or in writing as soon as possible but within 20 working days of receiving the request.

There are exceptions which provide us with a means of refusing a request. Before we are able to refuse a request on the grounds of an exception, we must balance the public interest in disclosure of the information against the public interest in withholding it. Only when the balance favours withholding can we refuse to disclose the information requested.

Before making a request please consult our publication scheme.

Extensive amounts of natural and historic environmental information are published on:

If you still can’t find the information you are looking for, you can make a request in one of the following ways:

If you require support with making a request please phone the Access to Information Team on 01392 380100.

More information about the regulations is provided by the Information Commissioner’s Office.