Freedom of Information Request - Warblaw Woodland Creation
Date: 05 May 2025
Our ref: SIR179766/A5121812
Information Request – Warblaw Woodland Creation
Your Request
'I would like all information about the Warblaw Hill woodland creation scheme near Langholm which is being designed by Scottish Woodlands on behalf of landowner James Jones. Please provide copies of all information that you hold on this scheme and all correspondence with all other individuals, agencies or organisations for this proposed development scheme.'
Our Response
We have discussed your request with the Operations Team, and we found a large number of documents that meet the terms of your request. Copies of these documents are attached separately to this response.
While we always try to provide all of the information that has been requested, in this case have had to redact out some information, for the following reasons:
− We have redacted out personal data e.g. names because releasing this information in response to your request would breach the Data Protection Act 2018, so we have applied the exemption 11(2)(Personal Data) to this information
− We have also redacted out a very small amount of information relating to charges for information by an external organisation. It is not in the public interest for NatureScot to release private information as how much should be charged by others for work to be done. We are therefore withholding this information under the exemption 10(5)(e)(Confidentiality of commercial or industrial information).
− Information relating to birds has been redacted out because releasing this information could cause disturbance to these birds and we do not feel that it is in the public interest to release this information into the public domain in response to your request we are therefore exempting this information under 10(5)(g)(Protection of the environment).
− We have also marked out a very small amount of information relating to another site and not owned by James Jones.
How We Handled Your Request
We believe you have asked for environmental information as defined in the Environmental Information (Scotland Regulations 2004 (‘the EIRs’), so we are dealing with your request under those regulations. To be able to use the EIRs, we must apply an exemption under section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (‘FOISA’). The Scottish Information Commissioner’s guidance recommends that public authorities apply this exemption to environmental information and handle request under the EIRs.
If you would like to find out more about the access to information legislation, there is a guidance booklet available on the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website.
Review and Appeal
I hope this information meets your requirements, but if you are dissatisfied with how we have responded to your information request, please write to us within 40 working days explaining your concerns. You can contact us at Battleby, Redgorton, Perth, PH1 3EW or email us at [email protected]. We will carry out a review of our response and contact you with our findings within 20 working days.
If you are not satisfied following this, you can make an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner within 6 months. The Scottish Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Yours sincerely
FOI Officer,
NatureScot
Document downloads
Due to accessibility issues the attached information, referenced above, is available on request by contacting the FOI team at [email protected]. Please reference the case number (starting with SIR).
