Request and Response:
Sale of Council owned Land
Dear Sir or Madam,
Notice of request for information - Freedom of Information Act 2000
I would be grateful if you would treat this correspondence as a formal request for disclosure of the following information, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 ("FoI").
Description of information sought:
1. Please state how many plots of council-owned land Sandwell Council has sold since 2013.
a) Please break down the figure for each year since 2013.
2. Please state how much money the council has made from selling council-owned land since 2013.
a) Please break down the cost for each year.
3. Please describe the different types of land which have been sold off.
4. Please state the top 5 plots of land which have sold for the most money since 2013.
a) Please provide how much money each was sold for.
Please send me the information by email. Please provide me with a summary of the information I have requested.
I look forward to hearing from you promptly, and at any rate, within the statutory time limit of 20 working days from your receipt of this letter.
Whilst writing, I take this opportunity to remind you of the Information Commissioner's public statements, in which he has stated that there is a "presumption of disclosure" under FoI.
Please note that if this request for FoI disclosure is refused, I reserve the right to take up the matter with the Information Commissioner and/or to pursue all legal avenues of appeal. I trust this will not be necessary.
Thank you for your Freedom of Information request.
Please see below the letter in response to your enquiry.
Dear Mr Brassington
Freedom of Information Request No FS50348685: Sale of Council Owned
Thank you for your Freedom of Information request seeking information relating to the sale of Council owned land since 2013.
Firstly, I apologise for the delay in replying which is wholly as a result of an oversight on my part. I am nevertheless now pleased to provide, as far as I am able, a response to the questions you pose as follows:
Q1.Please state how many plots of council-owned land Sandwell Council has sold since 2013.
The total number of plots of land sold between 1st April 2012 and 31 March 2017 is 598.
1a.Please break down the figure for each year since 2013.
The break down of sales for each year is:
Financial Year / No. of plots of land2012/2013 / 80
2013/2014 / 99
2014/2015 / 151
2015/2016 / 196
2016/2017 / 72
Q2.Please state how much money the council has made from selling council-owned land since 2013.
The total capital receipt generated as a result of the sale of plots of land from 1st April 2012 to 31 March 2017 is £27,233,798
2aPlease break down the cost for each year.
The break down for each year is:
Financial Year / Total Receipt£
2012/2013 / 6,549,059
2013/2014 / 4,920,875
2014/2015 / 4,928,500
2015/2016 / 6,237,997
2016/2017 / 4,597,367
Q3. Please describe the different types of land which have been sold off.
The land disposed of has generally been vacant sites, or areas of unused land and/or land subject to ground leases where the tenant has built a building.
Q4. Please state the top 5 plots of land which have sold for the most money since 2013.
According to my records the top five sales during the period 1st April 2012 to 31 March 2017 are:
1 / Land off Greenside Way, former Fir Tree School, Yew Tree Estate2 / Land at High Street/Foxoak Street, Cradley Heath
3 / Land off Palmerston Drive, West Bromwich
4 / Land off Devereux Road, West Bromwich
5 / Land off Popes Lane, Oldbury
4a.Please provide how much money each was sold for.
Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 allows public authorities not to disclose information reasonably available to the requestor by other means. In this case, the information you have requested is already publicly available at Coventry District Land Registry, Leigh Court, Torrington Avenue, Coventry, CV4 9.
(Tel No. 0300 060411)
I trust this information provided is to your satisfaction but iif you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your request, and should be addressed to:
Information Management Unit
Sandwell Council House
Freeth Street
Oldbury
West Midlands
B69 3DE
Email –
Please note that any additional questions to your original request will not be answered at internal review stage and should be presented in a separate, new Freedom of Information request.
If you are not content with the outcome of an internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.
Yours sincerely
If you wish to receive further information in regards to this request or wish to submit a Freedom of Information Request please forward your request to or Information Management Unit, Sandwell Council House, Freeth Street, Oldbury, West Midlands, B69 3DE.