Harrogate Borough Council has blamed a computer error for accidentally redacting sections of a resident’s objection to a housing development.
Bill Shaw, a keen birdwatcher who lives near Richborough Homes’ proposed 95-home development at Granby Farm in Harrogate, wrote to the council highlighting the site’s wildlife value.
Mr Shaw, of Roseville Drive, was then shocked to discover some of his comments had been redacted on the council’s online planning portal.
Under privacy laws, the council can redact words or sentences if they refer to people or places.
But Mr Shaw found it difficult to understand why merely making observations such as that owls roost on the site, and red kite feed there, merited such action.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“It’s censorship and it doesn’t seem right at all”
The original letter (left) and the redacted version (right)
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The Stray Ferret contacted Harrogate Borough Council, which today said the comments had been removed in error by a “redaction algorithm”.
The council uses a computer programme to automatically black out private information.
It said the original letter would be “reinstated imminently”.
A council spokesman said:
“We normally redact information regarding protected species. However, our redaction algorithm has been over zealous and removed information in error.
“Thank you to the resident who has spotted this error. It will be reinstated imminently.”
