Environmental Information Regulations

Important Information

The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 give you the right to see information that relates to the environment and anything which may have a negative effect upon it.  

The definition of 'environmental information' is wide and includes information relating to the state of elements of the environment, such as land, water, biological organisms etc - as well as measures and activities which may affect these, including economic analysis of such measures and activities.   Typical examples of requests might include:

• Details of landfill sites within a specified distance from a site, or details of specific sites or former sites
• Details regarding incidents of pollution within a specified distance from a site  
• Abatement notices in relation to statutory nuisances within a distance from a site
• LAPC or IPPC processes within a specified distance from a site
• Private water extractions within the vicinity of the site
• Details of levels of radon in the area  
• Monitoring information  

Publication scheme

Some environmental information is made available through this website and our Publication Scheme. Please check our Environment pages carefully before making a request for information. Other areas of the site that may hold the environmental information that you're looking for include:

• Planning
• About the Council
• Council meetings and agendas

Other websites that may hold relevant information include:

• www.gov.uk (external link)
• Office of Public Sector Information (external link)

How to make a request for information

If the information you want is not in our scheme, you can submit a request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. In all cases, please clearly state what information you are requesting and in what format you would like the information to be provided. Requests can be made:

• Email: to freedomofinformation@westlancs.gov.uk
• Post: to Information Governance Officer, West Lancashire Borough Council, Council Offices, 52 Derby Street, Ormskirk, L39 2DF.  

When will you get a response?

The council will normally be required to respond to your request within 20 working days from the date of receipt. However, this period can be extended in certain circumstances.   If there is a charge for the information, we will ask you to confirm you are willing to pay before answering the request.

In certain circumstances - for example for large requests - we reserve the right to ask for prepayment, in which case the 20 working days will begin once the payment has been received.  

If we refuse to give you all or part of the information, we will write to you explaining why. The reason will be based on the exceptions in the regulations. You can appeal against decisions. 

For information about exceptions to Environmental Information Regulations 2004, please read the page on exemptions.

Data protection is important to us. Information on how we handle and protect your data including our Corporate Privacy Policy can be found here.