FOI release

Building Control Activity Data

Some or all of the information requested was not provided because we determined that the cost to do so would exceed the appropriate limit.

Case reference EIR2026/00895

Received 8 April 2026

Published 21 April 2026

Request

1. Initial Notices from Approved Inspectors / Registered Building Control Approvers The number of Initial Notices received and accepted by the council in each year, broken down by: * Building type, using whatever categorisation is held in your case management system * New build vs alteration/extension/refurbishment * The identity of the Approved Inspector/RBCA named on each notice, where held

2. Lapsed Initial Notices The number of Initial Notices that lapsed or were cancelled in each year, and where held, the identity of the Approved Inspector/RBCA named on the original notice.

3. Local Authority Building Control Applications The number of building control applications received by the council in each year, broken down by: * Application type: Full Plans (FP), Building Notice (BN), Regularisation * Building type, using whatever categorisation is held in your case management system * New build vs alteration/extension/refurbishment

4. Performance Any performance data held by the council relating to the Building Control Service, including but not limited to average application processing times, time to first site inspection, or any metrics reported internally or to committee. Please provide the data in whatever format is most convenient for you. If providing the full dataset from 2015/16 would exceed the cost limit under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act, please provide data from 2019/20 onwards as a minimum, prioritising sections 1 and 3 above. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any clarification on this request.

Response

I am writing to request data held by Herefordshire Council on building control activities in your area under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Please could you provide the following data for each financial year from 2015/16 to 2025/26:
1. Initial Notices from Approved Inspectors / Registered Building Control Approvers
The number of Initial Notices received and accepted by the council in each year, broken down by:

        Building type, using whatever categorisation is held in your case management system
        New build vs alteration/extension/refurbishment
        The identity of the Approved Inspector/RBCA named on each notice, where held
2. Lapsed Initial Notices
The number of Initial Notices that lapsed or were cancelled in each year, and where held, the identity of the Approved Inspector/RBCA named on the original notice.
3. Local Authority Building Control Applications
The number of building control applications received by the council in each year, broken down by:

        Application type: Full Plans (FP), Building Notice (BN), Regularisation
        Building type, using whatever categorisation is held in your case management system
        New build vs alteration/extension/refurbishment
4. Performance
Any performance data held by the council relating to the Building Control Service, including but not limited to average application processing times, time to first site inspection, or any metrics reported internally or to committee.
Please provide the data in whatever format is most convenient for you.
If providing the full dataset from 2015/16 would exceed the cost limit under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act, please provide data from 2019/20 onwards as a minimum, prioritising sections 1 and 3 above.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any clarification on this request.

A. Herefordshire Council holds information on Initial Notices, this information is held by the Building Control team.

However, some elements of your request cannot be extracted by report and would require extensive manual review of individual application records as outlined below:

Question 1. Building type Initial Notices

Regarding the building type breakdown using internal categorization, this involves a manual search of approximately 402 Initial Notice applications. It is estimated that this would take 20 minutes per application to extract.

Total estimated time: 133.33 hours

Question 3. Building type, Local Authority Building Control applications

Regarding the building type breakdown using internal categorization, this involves a manual search of approximately 11,391 applications. It is estimated that this would take 10 minutes per application

Total estimated time: 1,898.5 hours

Question 4. Performance data

Regarding Performance metrics such as application processing times, time to first inspection, or other internal/committee-reported measures, the service areas have confirmed we have no reportable dataset held

To collate this information, we would therefore need to review approximately 11,391 individual applications. This would take an estimated time of 10 minutes per application

Total estimated time: 1,898.5 hours

Under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, public authorities can make a ‘reasonable’ charge for staff time and costs in such requests. Due to the complexity and volume of the information which needs to be searched through, there will be a fee payable for this information to be retrieved, collated and provided to you. The fee is in accordance with Regulation 8 of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, and with our information requests charging policy.

The Information Commissioner’s Office suggests that public authorities use a rate of £25 per hour for any staff time involved. This in line with the rate applicable under the Freedom of Information Act by virtue of The Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limits and Fees) Regulations 2004.

The fee payable is £98,258.25

This has been calculated as follows:

Officer time to retrieve, collate and provide information at rate of £25 per hour (3,930.33 hours hours @ £25 per hour) = £98,258.25

Please therefore take this letter as a charging notice under Regulation 8 of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

Payment may be made online via the council’s website using the council’s 24 hour secure payment service, which accepts most major debit or credit cards. Please select ‘Information Requests’ from the list of services.

If you are unable to make payment online, and require an alternative payment option, please let me know.

You have 60 working days in which to pay this fee. The information will be sent to you following receipt of this fee and the work being carried out as specified above. If remittance is not received during this time we will consider the request closed.

I have been advised by the Service Area that the below parts of your request could possibly be answered:

1. Initial Notices from Approved Inspectors / Registered Building Control Approvers

New build vs alteration / extension / refurbishment
Identity of the Approved Inspector / RBCA – where held

2. Lapsed or Cancelled Initial Notices

Number of Initial Notices that lapsed or were cancelled
Identity of the Approved Inspector / RBCA – where held

3. Local Authority Building Control Applications

Application type (Full Plans, Building Notice, Regularisation)
New build vs alteration / extension / refurbishment

Please note that the information will still need to be checked to see whether any exceptions apply, for example, whether any information is the personal data of a third party, or whether any is commercially sensitive, etc. If it is considered that any exceptions do apply, then this information may be withheld in part or in its entirety. If that is the case, you will be advised of the reasons for this and given details of your right to appeal.

Documents

There are no documents for this release.

This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.

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