Privacy and Building Control

This privacy notice explains how the Building Control service at Buckinghamshire Council (the data controller) will use the personal information we collect about you when you use this service.

We can hold the following information on you:

• your name and address
• your contact details, including telephone number and email address
• contact we have had with you, such as correspondence
• details of any agent, contractor, architect or any other third party relating to your application that you have supplied as part of your application
• your financial information relating to the cost of the project

We will hold additional information on your property, such as structural drawings and the people who are carrying out the works.

We need your information to:

• process your application in relation to building control matters in accordance with appropriate legislation, including publishing certain details in public registers as required
• ensure our database is accurate for the administration of the service and for the purpose of providing inspection certificates
• ensure the correct billing
• contact you regarding your application or any subsequent inspections, including providing you with relevant advice and information
• respond to allegations of unauthorised building activity or to protect members of the public from dangerous buildings or structures
• provide this information to third parties for the purpose of consultee comments, eg Bucks Fire and Rescue Service
• contact you to take part in reviews or surveys and ask your opinion about our services to understand how we can deliver a better service

We may not be able to help you or provide you with a service unless we have enough information.

The legal basis for processing the data under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 is:

• Article 6(1)(c) We have a legal obligation
• Article 6(1)(e) We need it to perform a public task

We deal with building control related matters such as the determination of applications made under the Building Regulations (as amended) 2010 and the Building Act (as amended) 1984 and other associated legislation.

Any processing of special category data, such as any health information you give us, will be based on Article 9(2)(a) Explicit consent.

We will share your information, if appropriate, with:

• third parties (data processors) contracted by Buckinghamshire Council to work on behalf of the Council to support the service, such as technical consultants
• other bodies in connection with the prevention of crime, criminal or legal investigations or proceedings including fraud (and the National Fraud Initiative) or regulatory functions (such as the Local Government Ombudsman) or in relation to safeguarding purposes
• other relevant services within the Council
• third parties for the purpose of statutory consultee comments
• a nominated third party or personal representative, following authority from you to do so

We will securely hold your information and only keep it for as long as is necessary. Where information is no longer needed it will be confidentially disposed of.

The Council may transfer personal data that is processed for the purposes of this privacy notice to countries outside of the territorial scope of UK data protection laws, including:

• EEA countries

We do not carry out any automated decision making in relation to this information.

You have legal rights over your information. For details of those rights, see our corporate privacy policy. Your rights will differ depending on our lawful basis for processing your data.

Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at Buckinghamshire Council, The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF, by email at [email protected].

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to the Data Protection Officer. You can also then complain to the ICO if you remain unhappy with how we have used your data.

Date of publication/last update: October 2021