We are residents, not solicitors
Nobody here is a lawyer, a planner or an ecologist. We wrote these requests ourselves using the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. Where this page describes what a document says or what a rule requires, that is our reading of it, and we may have it wrong. Nothing here is legal advice.
We have tried to record the Council's position fairly, including where it has answered well. If you think we have described something unfairly or inaccurately, tell us and we will change it.
What is published here
We publish what was asked and what came back, not the letters themselves, because those carry the sender's home address and email. No substance is lost by that. Documents the Council has released are linked at the bottom of the page in full, unedited.
Reply periods are the twenty working days we understand to apply. Dates are approximate because a recorded date of receipt can differ from the date of sending.
At a glance
Every request, in one table
| Request | Sent to | Sent | Reply due | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ecology surveys and the decisions behind them | Sefton Council | 11 Apr 2026 | 12 May 2026 | Part answered 29 Jul, after a refusal and a review |
| 2. Natural England's dealings with Sefton | Natural England | 30 Jul 2026 | ~28 Aug 2026 | Awaiting reply |
| 3. The gaps in the ecology evidence | Sefton Council | 5 Aug 2026 | ~3 Sept 2026 | Awaiting reply |
| 4. Confirmation of reference and which rules apply | Sefton Council | 5 Aug 2026 | Housekeeping | No substantive reply |
| 5. Demolition, site clearance and asbestos | Sefton Council | 7 Aug 2026 | ~7 Sept 2026 | Awaiting reply |
| 6. Building condition at a nearby primary school | Academy trust | 3 Aug 2026 | ~28 Sept 2026 | Awaiting reply |
Why they are spaced out. Our understanding is that sending several requests at once can lead to them being refused together as an unreasonable burden, so we send them one at a time and wait for a reply before the next. That is our reading of how it works, not a rule we can point to.
This page is updated when something is sent or something comes back, so it will not always be complete on the day you read it.
The record
Request by request
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1. Ecological survey work, and the decisions behind it
What we asked, in seven parts
- All ecological surveys and reports held for the site.
- The dates, methods and personnel behind each one.
- Who commissioned each report and who paid for it.
- Any Habitats Regulations Assessment for the site.
- Any pre-application advice on developing it.
- Correspondence with statutory bodies and wildlife organisations.
- The Strategic Asset Review papers relating to the land.
What came back
- 15 Apr: acknowledged, recorded as received 13 April.
- 12 May: the reply date passed with nothing received.
- 5 Jun: refused in full under the Environmental Information Regulations, on the basis that the reports were commissioned to inform the Council's valuation of the land for sale and disclosure could affect the price.
- 5 Jun: we asked for an internal review the same day.
- 2 Jul: the Council wrote to say it would miss its own review deadline of 3 July.
- 29 Jul: six ecology reports released. Five in full, one redacted. In fairness, that is a substantial disclosure and more than we held at any earlier point.
Still outstanding on this request
- A missing appendix. The 2023 bat report lists a 2022 Preliminary Ecological Appraisal as Appendix 3 and describes its findings. The appendix supplied is a divider page with nothing behind it.
- Advice quoted but not supplied. Three of the released reports quote a pre-application ecology advice document by name, reference and date. The Council's answer is that the pre-application closed with no report provided.
- No newt survey. A great crested newt was recorded on the field by the Council's own licensed ecologist in May 2023, with further survey described in that report as highly recommended. No such survey has been disclosed.
- Correspondence refused. Letters and emails with Natural England and wildlife bodies were refused as an unreasonable burden, on the basis the information is not held in a readily available format. No estimate of the work involved was given.
- Habitats Regulations Assessment. The Council's answer was "No recent reports of this type have been commissioned", pointing us to historic assessments on its Local Plan webpage. The part of the question about its correspondence with Natural England was not answered at all.
- Redactions. A vegetation map and species lists were withheld from one survey, while a comparable map in another report was released in full.
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2. Natural England: its dealings with Sefton over this site
What we asked
- Correspondence between Natural England and Sefton about this land.
- Any record of site meetings or advice given.
- Any licence application or enquiry relating to protected species here.
What came back
- Acknowledged. Nothing substantive yet.
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3. The apparent gaps in the Council's ecology evidence
What we asked
- Bats. A 2023 report says a further roost survey "will be required in 2024". A 2025 report says it "is yet to be undertaken". Has it now been done, and how was the amount of survey work decided?
- Why one building only was surveyed, on emergence only, when the surveyors record not being able to observe all of it.
- Great crested newts. Has the further survey described as highly recommended been carried out?
- Reptiles and amphibians. The mitigation plan recommended in 2023, and any buffer width discussed with Natural England.
- The age of the evidence. Does the Council consider 2023 fieldwork current, given its consultants' own note that reports over three years old are unlikely to be valid?
- The missing appendix, the pre-application advice, and the redactions listed under request 1.
What came back
- Automatic acknowledgement within minutes on 5 August.
- Nothing substantive yet.
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4. Confirmation of reference, receipt date, and which rules apply
What we asked
- The reference number for the 5 August request.
- The date it was recorded as received.
- Whether it is being handled under the Environmental Information Regulations or the Freedom of Information Act.
What came back
- The automatic acknowledgement only.
- This is housekeeping, but the two sets of rules work differently, so which one applies affects what can be withheld and how any challenge works.
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5. Demolition, site clearance and asbestos
What we asked
- Any programme, instruction, quotation, tender or budget provision for demolition or clearance.
- Whether any site clearance, vegetation stripping or enabling works are planned.
- The licence under which the Council's housing partner is doing feasibility work, and what it permits.
- Correspondence with contractors about intrusive works, trial pits, boreholes or demolition.
- Any notice of intended demolition under section 80 of the Building Act 1984.
- Six questions on asbestos: surveys, registers, what was found and where, licensed removal, air monitoring and clearance certificates.
- If nothing is planned, an express confirmation of that.
What came back
- Acknowledged within a minute on 7 August.
- Nothing substantive yet.
Why it was asked
- A resident was told on site that demolition is scheduled for October. We have not been able to confirm that independently.
- When the school's dining block and sports hall came down in 2014, the planning record shows the process took about thirty days and the conclusion was that prior approval was not required.
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6. Building condition at a nearby primary school
What we asked
- The condition and structural safety of the school buildings, and any survey work on them.
What came back
- Nothing yet. This one runs on a school-term clock, so the reply is not due until late September.
- Submitted by a second resident in his own name.
The short version
What is still outstanding
- Five replies are owed, due between late August and late September 2026.
- The 2022 Preliminary Ecological Appraisal, listed as an appendix and described in the text, has never been supplied.
- The pre-application ecology advice, quoted by three separate consultants with a reference and a date, has not been supplied.
- The further great crested newt survey recommended by the Council's own ecologist in 2023 has not been disclosed, and we do not know whether it was carried out.
- The further bat roost survey the Council's own reports said was required in 2024 has not been disclosed, and a 2025 report records it as still not done.
- Correspondence with Natural England and wildlife bodies was refused as too burdensome, with no estimate of the work involved.
- The redacted vegetation map and species lists have not been released, while a comparable map elsewhere was.
- On the Habitats Regulations Assessment, the Council's answer was that "no recent reports of this type have been commissioned", pointing to historic assessments on its Local Plan webpage. The adopted plan singles this site out as one where an application must carry enough information for such an assessment, expressly covering recreational pressure on the internationally protected coast. In fairness to the Council, that requirement bites when an application is made, and none has been made.
If replies do not arrive by their due dates, the next step available to anyone is a free complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office. We have not made one. Our reading is that a complaint is stronger once a deadline has actually passed, so we are waiting for the dates above.
If you want to send one
We will help you write a request
Anyone can make one. There is no fee, you do not have to give a reason, and you do not have to live nearby. If you would like to ask the Council something and are not sure how to word it, ask in the residents' group and one of us will draft it with you.
- Ask for documents, not opinions. "Please provide all reports held on X" works. "Why did you do X?" can be refused, because it asks for a view rather than recorded information.
- Keep it narrow and numbered. A short numbered list is harder to refuse in one go than a broad sweep, and easier for you to chase.
- Say it is a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and, if it concerns the environment, the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. Ask them to confirm which one they are using.
- Send it to replytoinfo@sefton.gov.uk and keep the acknowledgement. The clock is twenty working days.
- Tell the group what you have sent, so two people do not ask the same thing and give the Council a reason to bundle them together.
- Check the planning register first. Documents about other local developments are already public there, free and the same day, with no request needed.
One thing to avoid
Do not ask for something that is already published. A request for a document the Council has already put on its website can be refused, and it makes the requests that matter look less serious. If you are not sure, ask in the group and someone will check.
Released
The documents, in full
Exactly as they were provided to us, with no editing on our part, other than the Council's own redactions to one report.
What the Council wrote
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The original refusal of the whole request.
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The letter releasing the six reports, and setting out what it would not release.
The six ecology reports
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The report that records a great crested newt on the field in May 2023.
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Records a common pipistrelle day roost. Appendix 3 is the empty divider page.
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The map and species lists were withheld.
Public documents, kept here for convenience
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The decision to declare the site surplus and licence feasibility work.
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Submitted into a public consultation at the time. One page has been removed because it carried a home address.
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Pages 1 to 4 only. The final page carried trustees' personal contact details.
Why this page still exists
The campaign website has come down. This record has not.
We decided a website was not a useful way to organise, so everything else has gone. This page stays up because a public record of what was asked and what was answered is worth keeping, and because it does not depend on anyone maintaining it.
Where things happen now
The residents' group
Sightings, documents and deadlines get shared there. Factual and civil, planning matters only, no party politics. New members are approved by an admin.
Join the group →