FOI release

Runoff ponds

Some or all of the information requested was not provided because we didn't hold it.

Case reference EIR2024/01163

Received 23 September 2024

Published 13 December 2024

Request

Hello, I have clearly asked for locations in Greater Manchester – a defined county. Whether you decide to give me data for the whole of the North West in order to fulfil the request in the timelines as required by statute is up to you, but I find it astonishing that you would think it acceptable to wait until the day before the request is due for response to raise this issue.

As far as I am aware, no provision of the EIR allows refusal to provide information in a geographical area just because your organisation usually stores that information in differently defined regions.

I disagree that my request has been made in too general a manner – indeed, the fact you’ve been able to address individual parts of my request would indicate your organisation understands exactly what I am requesting. You have identified Greater Manchester is in the north west region, so you know where this is.

The regulations state responses and refusals should be provided ‘as soon as possible, and no later than 20 working days after the date of receipt of the request’.

In answer to your further clarifications, please interpret the definitions as widely as reasonably possible, to include all examples you have given. ‘Any other relevant information’ is an optional field.

Response

Please provide me with an Excel or ODS format spreadsheet with information about runoff ponds and interceptors for roads managed by your agency in Greater Manchester.

Please provide data with the following columns:

Runoff pond name (if any), Location (co-ordinates), Greater Manchester borough, Internal reference (if any), Road (e.g. M60, A666(M), etc.),Last sediment removal date, Last inspection date, Last cleanse date (interceptors), Any other relevant information.

Information provided

Please find attached a spreadsheet titled 'Greater Manchester Runoff Ponds and Interceptors Oct 2024' which shows the information we hold in Confirm, our asset management database.

Because the boundaries of our management areas and operational regions differ from those of local authorities, we have had to manually cross check this information against a list of interceptors located in Area 10 in the North West Region (held in another system called HADDMS) and see which of the run off ponds also fall within the Greater Manchester Combined Authority areas of:

  • Rochdale

  • Trafford

  • Manchester

  • Stockport

  • Bury

  • Thameside

  • Bolton

  • Oldham

  • Stafford

  • Wigan

Please note that the run off ponds with inspections dating between 2007- 2012 are likely to have been inspected since, but our records are unable to verify this.

Please also note that in tab 2 'Greater Manchester Run Off Ponds', the last sediment removal date for Kenworthy Lane Balancing Pond is recorded as 'No sediment recorded'. No sediment was removed at the time of the inspection because there was no requirement to do so.

Information not held

Last Inspection Date, Last Cleanse Date - A627M, Asset Numbers 320006 and 320008.

I can confirm that National Highways does not hold this information, and as such this part of your request has been refused under Regulation 12(4)(a) of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 as information not held.

Advice and Assistance

This information was missing from our inventory but will be recorded going forward.

Documents

This is National Highways' response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.

You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.