Request ID: FOI-1728-2425 Date published: 26 September 2024
You asked
My request concerns TFL seeking a possession order for the central reservation at the north end of Park Lane.
Please advise why there was a delay of six months before seeking this order since the encampment started.
Please provide copies of all email correspondence regarding the encampment and consideration of seeking a possession order.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-1728-2425
Thank you for your request received on 31 August 2024 asking for information about the Park Lane green space.
Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. I can confirm that we do hold the information you require.
Helping rough sleepers to get the support they need is a safeguarding priority for TfL. People sleeping rough are highly vulnerable and require support from specialist outreach and other services. We work closely with the Greater London Authority and outreach services to understand how best to help support those rough sleeping in London and on the transport network.
Approximately six months ago our Safeguarding team were informed about a growing number of people sleeping rough on the central reservation on Park Lane. Park Lane is a busy part of the road network that is not a safe place for people to sleep rough and our focus is on the safety and welfare of everyone involved. TfL is the highway authority for Park Lane, however we do not have the expertise or resources to tackle problems associated with rough sleeping. For Park Lane, several organisations have been engaged in order to tackle rough sleeping, including Westminster City Council, St Mungo’s Community Housing Association, the Metropolitan Police Service and the Greater London Authority. We worked with outreach services to support those sleeping rough allowing them time to engage individuals and move them into appropriate accommodation and provide support services that could meet their needs and mean they do not return to sleeping rough. At the Park Lane site, we have seen a very high turnover of individuals so effective engagement is further complicated. Utilising a Possession Order for a rough sleeping site is a last resort but necessary in this case as all other options to engage and enable those sleeping there to move on safely and appropriately have been exhausted.
As you will appreciate, there are many emails and records of these communications and it will take a lot of time to collate them. Locating and collating this information 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. Please note that some information may also be legally privileged and therefore may still be withheld.
If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
