Our Ref:         FOI-1259-1718

Thank you for your request received on 24 August 2017 asking for information about the Thames Water works at Angel.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and TfL’s information access policy. I can confirm we do hold the information you require.

Unfortunately, to provide the information you have requested would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.

Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with a request if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. This is calculated at £25 per hour for every hour spent on the activities described. This is because it is estimated that it would take over 18 working hours to retrieve and compile the information you have requested.

These works have been on the ground since April, with planning and co-ordination work starting well before that. Given the size and nature of the works (which has involved three road closures, including the A1) there is a large amount of correspondence - involving meetings most weeks and hundreds of emails. The works have at various stages involved temporary traffic signal arrangements and plans being implemented at numerous junctions and pedestrian crossings in order to keep traffic moving around the works and in the wider area, and to provide facilities for pedestrians.

To help bring the cost of responding to your request within the £450 limit, you may wish to consider narrowing its scope so that we can more easily locate, retrieve and extract the information you are seeking. For example, you may wish to focus your request more specifically about the traffic management measures that were proposed by Thames Water and were agreed by TfL. You might also consider limiting your request to a shorter period of time.

If you want to refine your request or make a Freedom of Information Act request in future, please bear in mind that the Freedom of Information Act allows you to request recorded information held by Transport for London. You should identify the information that you want as clearly and concisely as you can, specifying the types of document that you are looking for.

Although your request can take the form of a question, rather than a request for specific documents, TfL does not have to answer your question if it would require the creation of new information or the provision of a judgement, explanation, advice or opinion that was not already recorded at the time of your request.

Please note that we will not be taking further action until we receive your revised request.

In the meantime, if you have any queries or would like to discuss your request, please feel free to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

Gemma Jacob
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
[email protected]