Development Management (Building Control) Privacy Notice

Lancaster City Council is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that personal information is handled securely and in accordance with data protection legislation.

This Privacy Notice explains how the Building Control Service collects, uses, shares and retains personal information when carrying out its statutory and regulatory functions.

This notice should be read alongside Lancaster City Council’s main Privacy Statement.

Our functions

The Building Control Service carries out statutory duties relating to the regulation of building work and the safety of the built environment.

Our functions include:

• Processing Full Plans applications.
• Processing Building Notices.
• Processing Regularisation applications.
• Issuing Building Regulation completion certificates.
• Carrying out site inspections.
• Receiving and dealing with Initial Notices.
• Receiving demolition notifications.
• Responding to dangerous structures.
• Investigating Building Regulation contraventions and unauthorised works.
• Undertaking enforcement activity.
• Providing Building Control advice and responding to enquiries.
• Participating in cross-boundary and partnership working arrangements.
• Carrying out functions associated with the Building Safety Act 2022.
• Liaising and sharing information with the Building Safety Regulator.
• Supporting regulatory inspections, audits, monitoring and compliance activity.
• Administering or supporting Building Safety Levy requirements where the Council has relevant responsibilities.

The Council carries out these functions to fulfil its legal obligations, exercise its official authority and promote the safety of buildings.

When do we collect personal information?

We may collect personal information when you:

• Submit a Building Regulation application, Building Notice or Regularisation application.
• Submit plans, calculations, certificates or other supporting information.
• Contact us for Building Control advice.
• Request or arrange an inspection.
• Report a dangerous structure or possible contravention.
• Make a complaint or provide information about building work.
• Respond to an investigation, notice or enforcement action.
• Make a payment or receive an invoice.
• Provide information relating to the Building Safety Levy.
• Act as an applicant, client, owner, occupier, developer, agent, designer, contractor, dutyholder or other interested party.

We may also receive information from other council services, government bodies, emergency services, regulatory bodies, building control bodies, professional advisers and other people or organisations involved in building work.

What information do we collect?

The information collected will vary depending on the work being undertaken.

Applicant and contact information

We may collect:

• Your name.
• Your address.
• Your email address.
• Your telephone number.
• Your company or organisation.
• Your job title or professional role.
• Details of your agent, architect, designer, contractor or professional adviser.

Property and application information

We may collect:

• Site and property addresses.
• Property ownership or occupancy information.
• Building Regulation applications and notices.
• Plans, drawings and specifications.
• Structural calculations.
• Fire safety information.
• Energy performance information.
• Compliance certificates and technical reports.
• Details of proposed and completed building work.
• Inspection requests, notes and outcomes.
• Information about the use, construction and condition of a building.

Inspection and digital evidence

We may collect information and evidence during site inspections, investigations and regulatory activity, including:

• Photographs.
• Video recordings.
• Digital images.
• Site notes and measurements.
• Inspection reports.
• Records created using mobile inspection devices or Building Control systems.
• Images or records showing construction work, defects, contraventions, dangerous conditions or compliance issues.
• Relevant correspondence and documents provided by applicants, owners, occupiers, contractors or other parties.

Photographic, video and other digital evidence may incidentally include identifiable individuals, vehicle registrations, property interiors or other personal information. Officers will only collect and retain evidence that is relevant and necessary for the Building Control function being undertaken.

Financial and levy information

We may collect:

• Building Control fee information.
• Payment records.
• Invoices and receipts.
• Contact and billing details.
• Information required to establish, calculate, collect, administer or evidence a Building Safety Levy liability, exemption or payment, where applicable.
• Information needed to respond to enquiries, disputes, reviews or recovery activity connected with a relevant charge or levy.

Enforcement and investigation information

We may collect:

• Complaints and allegations.
• Details of reported Building Regulation breaches.
• Witness or informant contact details.
• Records of interviews and conversations.
• Correspondence.
• Site inspection reports.
• Photographs, videos and other site evidence.
• Enforcement investigation records.
• Information relating to dangerous structures.
• Information relating to notices, legal proceedings or prosecutions.
• Criminal or alleged offence information where it is relevant and lawful to process it.

Building Safety Act and Building Safety Regulator information

Where relevant, we may process information associated with:

• Higher-risk buildings.
• Building Safety Act 2022 responsibilities.
• Building Safety Regulator oversight.
• Building control approval and regulatory processes.
• Registered Building Inspectors and other building control professionals.
• Clients, designers, contractors and other dutyholders.
• Regulatory inspections.
• Operational standards and performance monitoring.
• Building safety complaints and concerns.
• Compliance issues and contraventions.
• Enforcement activity.
• Compliance notices, stop notices and other regulatory interventions.
• Mandatory or regulatory information requests.
• Audit, assurance and quality control activity.
• Investigations undertaken by, or involving, the Building Safety Regulator.

This may include information about building owners, occupiers, accountable organisations, developers, agents, contractors, designers, inspectors and other parties connected with building work or building safety. The Building Safety Regulator processes information for matters including registered building inspectors, registered building control approvers, higher-risk building applications, safety and assurance work, investigations and inspections.

Why do we use your information?

We may use your information to:

• Process Building Regulation applications and notices.
• Assess plans, calculations, specifications and certificates.
• Arrange and carry out statutory inspections.
• Determine whether building work complies with Building Regulations.
• Issue decisions, notices and completion certificates.
• Provide advice and respond to enquiries.
• Investigate complaints and reported contraventions.
• Respond to dangerous structures and demolition notifications.
• Exercise enforcement and legal powers.
• Maintain statutory registers and Building Control records.
• Calculate, administer, collect and monitor Building Control charges.
• Administer or support Building Safety Levy activity where applicable.
• Verify levy payments, exemptions or other relevant information.
• Share relevant information with the Building Safety Regulator.
• Respond to regulatory audits, inspections and information requests.
• Monitor the quality, performance and consistency of the service.
• Support legal proceedings, investigations and regulatory action.
• Prevent and detect fraud or misuse of council services.
• Meet our statutory, regulatory, financial and record-keeping obligations.

We do not use personal information collected for Building Control purposes to make solely automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on individuals.

Our lawful basis for using your information

The Council’s lawful bases for processing personal information are generally:

• UK GDPR Article 6(1)(c): processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation.
• UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e): processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the Council.
• UK GDPR Article 6(1)(b): processing may be necessary for a contract or to take steps connected with a contract in limited circumstances.

Where we process special category information, criminal offence information or other particularly sensitive information, we will only do so where an additional condition under data protection legislation applies.

The legislation that may apply to our functions includes:

• Building Act 1984.
• Building Regulations 2010, as amended.
• Building Safety Act 2022.
• Building Safety Regulator regulations and requirements.
• Building control regulations applying to local authorities, Registered Building Control Approvers and Registered Building Inspectors.
• Building regulations relating to higher-risk buildings.
• Building control charging legislation.
• Land Charges Act 1975.
• Local Government Act 1972.
• Other legislation relating to dangerous structures, demolitions, enforcement, public safety and local authority regulatory functions.

The final legislative list should be checked by Information Governance or Legal Services before publication, particularly the precise regulations underpinning Building Safety Levy processing.

Who do we share your information with?

Where necessary and lawful, we may share information with:

• The Building Safety Regulator.
• The Health and Safety Executive or another body carrying out Building Safety Regulator functions.
• Government departments and agencies.
• Other local authorities.
• Fire and Rescue Services.
• Police and other emergency services.
• Courts, tribunals and judicial bodies.
• Lancaster City Council Legal Services.
• Planning Services.
• Environmental Health.
• Housing Services.
• Local Land Charges.
• Council Tax, Business Rates and other relevant council services.
• Corporate Fraud and Internal Audit.
• Registered Building Control Approvers.
• Registered Building Inspectors.
• Professional advisers, consultants and contractors supporting the Council.
• Utility companies and statutory consultees.
• Other regulatory or enforcement bodies.
• Bodies involved in the administration, assurance, collection or audit of the Building Safety Levy, where applicable.

When the Building Safety Regulator investigates local authorities in England, it may require information relevant to its investigation.

Where a contractor or service provider processes information on our behalf, appropriate data protection and contractual arrangements will be put in place.

We will not routinely disclose the identity of a person reporting a concern unless disclosure is lawful and necessary. However, it may not always be possible to guarantee confidentiality, particularly where information is required for legal proceedings or must be disclosed by law.

Public registers and access to information

Certain Building Control information may be included in statutory registers or made available where legislation requires or permits this.

Application or property information may also be shared internally to enable other council services to carry out their statutory responsibilities.

We will not make personal information publicly available unless there is a lawful reason to do so. Information that is published or disclosed will be limited or redacted where this is required by data protection legislation.

How long do we keep your information?

Lancaster City Council retains Building Control records in accordance with its approved retention schedule.

The current retention periods are:

Record type	Retention period
Building Control regulation records, including Full Plans, Building Notices and inspection reports	20 years
Building Control applications, demolition, dangerous structures and building contraventions	20 years
Initial Notices	20 years
Regularisation applications	20 years
Building Regulation completion certificates	Permanent
Building Control email correspondence	15 years

These periods are taken from the Council’s current Planning and Climate Change retention schedule.

Photographs, video recordings and other digital evidence will normally be retained as part of the Building Control record to which they relate and will follow the retention period for that record.

Records connected with Building Safety Regulator activity or Building Safety Levy administration will follow the retention period applying to the relevant Building Control, financial, enforcement, audit or regulatory record. Where more than one retention requirement applies, the Council will determine the appropriate period in accordance with its retention schedule and legal obligations.

Information may be retained for longer where this is necessary because of:

• Legal proceedings.
• Enforcement action.
• An active complaint.
• A regulatory investigation.
• A Building Safety Regulator inspection or audit.
• A statutory information requirement.
• Fraud or financial investigation.
• A legal hold or other requirement preventing disposal.

How do we protect your information?

The Council uses appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, accidental loss or destruction.

Access is restricted to authorised employees, contractors and service providers who require the information to carry out their duties.

Where information is shared with another organisation, we will use appropriate legal, contractual and security arrangements where required.

Your rights

Under data protection legislation, you may have rights including:

• The right to request access to your personal information.
• The right to ask for inaccurate information to be corrected.
• The right to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
• The right to object to processing in certain circumstances.
• The right to request erasure where the relevant legal conditions apply.
• The right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

These rights are not absolute. We may need to continue holding or using information where it is required for a statutory function, regulatory activity, legal obligation, investigation or legal proceedings.

Contact details

If you have questions about how your information is used, or wish to exercise a data protection right, please contact:

Data Protection Officer
Lancaster City Council
Town Hall
Dalton Square
Lancaster
LA1 1PJ

Email: info@lancaster.gov.uk
Telephone: 01524 582205

You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commission (ICO).

Review of this notice

This notice will be reviewed periodically and updated when there are material changes to Building Control legislation, Building Safety Regulator requirements, Building Safety Levy responsibilities or the way the Council processes personal information.

Last updated: 02 October 2026