This Privacy Policy explains how Save Greensward Green belt (“we”, “us”, or “our”) collects, uses and shares personal information of people (“you”) who visit and use our website and online forms (the “Website”), which is currently hosted using Systeme.io.
1. Who we are
Save Greensward Green belt is a volunteer-led community group in Hockley concerned about proposals by Pigeon Developments to build on the green belt land at Beckney Woods, Malvern Road and Greensward Lane. Our Website helps us:
- Share information about the proposed development and its impacts.
- Provide updates on the planning process and campaign activity.
- Invite residents to stay informed, get involved, or support the campaign.
2. Personal information we collect
We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide, and some technical information automatically.
2.1 Information you provide directly
- Contact and sign-up details: such as your name, email address and any other details you choose to give us when you complete a contact form or mailing list sign-up form.
- Messages and responses: the content of any message or enquiry you send to us (for example via a contact form).
2.2 Technical and usage data
When you visit the Website, some information may be collected automatically by our website host (Systeme.io) and related tools. This can include:
- IP address and approximate location.
- Device type, browser type and operating system.
- Pages viewed, links clicked and how you navigate the site.
- Information collected through cookies and similar technologies (for example, to remember your preferences or to understand how the site is used).
For more detail on cookies and similar technologies, please also see our separate Cookie policy.
3. How we use your personal information
We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:
- To respond to you: to answer your questions, respond to your messages, and manage any requests or feedback you send via the Website.
- To send updates and information: if you sign up to receive email updates, we will use your email address to send campaign news, key dates and guidance on how to object to the planning application. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails or by contacting us.
- To improve and protect the Website: to monitor how the Website is used, fix issues, and keep the site secure (for example, by reviewing technical logs and security events).
- To comply with legal obligations: to meet any legal or regulatory requirements that apply to us, or to respond to a lawful request from a public authority.
4. Legal basis for using your information
Under UK data protection law (including the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018), we must have a legal basis to process your personal information. Depending on the context, we rely on:
- Consent: for example, when you tick a box or otherwise clearly agree to receive email updates from us. You can withdraw your consent at any time, and we will stop sending you those communications.
- Legitimate interests: for example, where we analyse technical data to keep the Website secure and functioning properly, or where we use your contact details to respond to an enquiry you have sent us. We do this only where our interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.
- Legal obligations: where we need to process or keep certain information to meet legal, regulatory or accounting requirements.
5. Sharing your personal information
We do not sell or rent your personal information. We only share it in limited circumstances where necessary:
- Service providers: we use trusted third-party providers to host and operate the Website and our email lists – in particular, Systeme.io (our website and email platform). These providers are only allowed to use your information to provide services to us and must keep it secure.
- Legal and safety reasons: we may share information if we are required to do so by law, or where we reasonably believe it is necessary to protect our rights, your safety or the safety of others.
6. Where your information is stored
Our Website and mailing list are currently hosted using Systeme.io. According to Systeme.io’s own privacy information, its servers are hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Ireland, meaning personal data is stored within the European Economic Area (EEA) on secure servers.
If we ever need to transfer your personal information outside the UK or EEA, we will take appropriate steps to ensure it is protected in line with applicable data protection laws (for example, by using approved contractual safeguards where required).
7. How we keep your information secure
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse or alteration. These measures include:
- Using a reputable, GDPR-compliant hosting and email platform.
- Using HTTPS to encrypt data transmitted between your browser and the Website (where provided by the host).
- Restricting access to personal data to volunteers who need it for the campaign.
However, no website or internet transmission can be completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we do our best to protect your information.
8. How long we keep your information
We keep personal information only for as long as we reasonably need it for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, or as required by law. In particular:
- Contact form enquiries: we normally keep these for up to 12 months after we have resolved your enquiry, unless we need to keep them for longer for record-keeping or legal reasons.
- Mailing list subscribers: we keep your information for as long as you choose to receive our updates. If you unsubscribe, we will stop sending emails and either delete or anonymise your data after a reasonable period, except where we need to retain some limited information to prove that you previously gave consent or to comply with our legal obligations.
- Technical data: logs and analytics data may be kept for a longer period for security or aggregate statistical purposes, but where possible we will anonymise or aggregate this information.
9. Your rights
Under UK data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal information. These include the right to:
- Access – request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Rectification – ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Erasure (“right to be forgotten”) – ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances.
- Restriction – ask us to restrict how we use your data in certain circumstances (for example, while a complaint is being investigated).
- Data portability – receive the personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly-used, machine-readable format, and/or ask us to send it to another organisation where this is technically possible.
- Object – object to our processing of your data in certain situations, including for direct marketing.
- Withdraw consent – where we rely on your consent (for example, for email updates), you can withdraw this at any time. This will not affect any processing carried out before you withdrew consent.
If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in section 12 below. We may need to verify your identity before we can act on your request.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we are handling your personal data. More information is available at ico.org.uk.
10. Cookies and similar technologies
Our Website may use cookies and similar technologies to help it function properly, remember your preferences, and understand how visitors use the site. Some cookies may be strictly necessary for the site to work; others may be used for analytics or to support embedded services.
For more detail about the cookies we use and how you can manage your preferences, please refer to our separate Cookie policy.
11. Links to other websites
The Website may contain links to other websites or services that we do not operate (for example, council planning pages, news articles or social media platforms). This Privacy Policy does not apply to those websites. We recommend that you read the privacy information on any other sites you visit.
12. Contact us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, how we use your personal information, or if you would like to exercise your rights, you can contact us at:
Save Greensward Green belt
Hockley, Essex (community campaign group)
Email: info@savegreenswardgreenbelt.co.uk
13. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example if our activities or the law changes. Any updates will be posted on this page with an updated “Last updated” date. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we use your personal information.