Environmental Information Regulations (EIR)

You have the right to access environmental information we hold. Legislation requires us to process such requests as a Freedom of Information request.

The definition of environmental information is very broad and includes information about:

• the state of the elements of the environment including air and atmosphere, water, soil, land, landscape and natural sites, and genetically modified organisms
• substances including energy, noise, radiation or waste
• measures and administration including policies, legislation, plans, programmes, environmental agreements and activities
• reports on the implementation of environmental legislation including analyses and assumptions
• the state of human health and safety including contamination of the food chain, conditions of human life, cultural sites and built structures

Make a request for environmental information

To request information under the EIRs, you must:

• contact us directly
• make the request in writing, for example in a letter or an email, or verbally to a member of staff (if you wish to make a verbal request, contact the Corporate Freedom of Information Officer, see below)
• provide your real name
• provide a postal or email address so the council can send a reply
• state the format you'd like the information to be provided in

Contact us

You can make an FOI request by: 

• writing to Finance and Governance Department, Information Governance Team, PO Box 64529, London, SE1P 5LX
• emailing accessinfo@southwark.gov.uk
• calling 020 7525 7511

How we process your request

We usually respond to a request within 20 working days. This can be extended to 40 working days if the request is complex or lengthy. If your request is unclear or too general, we'll ask you for more specific information.

We may charge a reasonable fee for sending you the information. We will not charge a fee if you visit our offices to inspect the information.

The Environmental Information Regulations allow us to withhold certain information. We'll tell you what exception we've used and why.