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14th January 2026

A Romiley resident has highlighted a past planning case as evidence of what they describe as repeated misuse of Freedom of Information procedures by Stockport Council, arguing that FOIA has been used to obstruct rather than enable public scrutiny.

The resident says the issue dates back to a planning decision meeting held several years ago, some time before a North Reddish school opened in 2011. At the time, the resident raised concerns about traffic safety and access arrangements and asked a planning question in advance of the decision meeting.

“Planning should be open and above board,” the resident said. “I asked a straightforward planning question about a live application. Instead of answering it, I was told to submit a FOIA request.”

The resident says they objected, pointing out that FOIA requests take up to 20 working days and were not an appropriate mechanism for obtaining basic planning information ahead of am upcoming decision. Despite this, they say council officers insisted on the FOIA route. The request was made on 14/8/2007 and the decision making planning meeting was to be held the following Thursday.

Shortly after the school opened in 2011, police raised concerns about traffic congestion, unsafe manoeuvres, and parking issues around the site — concerns the resident says mirrored warnings they had already made.

“I was proved correct,” the resident said. “The police complained immediately after the school opened. Yet the issues were allowed to persist.”

According to the resident, the planning advice at the time included proposals that children as young as four should be dropped off at a turning circle and then walk along a very narrow, traffic-laden lane to access a school of around 600 pupils — an arrangement they described as unsafe and unrealistic.

The resident also says that, despite the passage of time, restrictions imposed on them during that period remain in place, which they believe further demonstrates an imbalance in how public challenge is handled.

“This is not about reopening the planning decision,” the resident said. “It is about showing how FOIA was used to deflect legitimate questions and limit scrutiny — and how that approach has had long-term consequences.”

By raising the issue now, the resident hopes to draw attention to what they see as a broader pattern in how FOIA legislation is applied by the council.

“FOIA is meant to promote transparency,” they said. “Using it to delay or block public engagement undermines trust in the planning system.”

Stockport Council has been approached for comment.