AN investigation has been launched after it emerged that planning documents are being unlawfully withheld or charged for by Redbridge Council.

Residents fighting unpopular developments are being made to pay up to £18 for public information such as planning decision notices which should, by law, be provided at no more than commercial photocopying rates - at 10p a sheet.

Architects' drawings should also be made available for public viewing, but council officers have erroneously told residents that they are not entitled to them due to copyright laws.

Bernice Van Loen, of Tempus Court, South Woodford, attempted to get plans for neighbouring Winston House School but was told that they were not available.

She said: "It was only when I contacted Planning Aid that they told me the correct paragraphs of relevant legislation to quote and the council relented - although it took us about two weeks."

Her husband Barry added: "They were most obstructive and there was a lot of false information. After being denied we forced the point and they conceded that they were wrong.

"They claimed that the plans were the copyright of the architect with is just not true and of course the architect is working for the other party and is never going to help us."

In 2004 the Information Tribunal, in a test case, ruled that neither staff costs nor significance of content' should play a part in determining the price of public documents.

Currently, the council charge up to £17.79 for the retrieval of one Planning Decision Notice although some information is available free of charge on their website.

Victor Mishiku, of the Covenant Movement, campaigns against unfair planning charges made by local authorities.

He said: "People should be able to check that their neighbour's new conservatory is not going to be too big or want to see all previous planning applications on a property they have bought.

"They should only be charged a flat photocopying fee for the number of A4 pages they receive, so people in Redbridge are currently being overcharged by up to 88 times for a two-page document."

A spokeswoman for Redbridge Council said it was investigating the matter.