Last updated: 4th May 2026
This policy applies to: sweetmandevelopments.com
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work correctly, work more efficiently, and to provide information to the website owner.
This policy explains what cookies and similar technologies we use on sweetmandevelopments.com, why we use them, and how you can manage your preferences. It should be read alongside our Privacy Notice, which sets out more detail on how we handle your personal data.
The rules on cookies in the UK are set out in the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (DUAA), alongside the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
What Does This Policy Cover?
This policy covers cookies and similar tracking technologies including:
- Cookies — small text files stored on your device
- Pixels and tracking tags — tiny invisible images or scripts that record when a page or email has been opened
- Web storage — local and session storage used by websites to hold data in your browser
Where we refer to ‘cookies’ in this policy, we mean all of the above technologies unless we specify otherwise.
Cookies and Consent
Under UK law, we are required to obtain your consent before placing any cookies on your device that are not strictly necessary for the website to function. We do this through the cookie consent banner displayed when you first visit our website.
When you first visit sweetmandevelopments.com, you will be asked to accept or decline non-essential cookies. You can:
- Accept all cookies
- Reject all non-essential cookies
- Choose which categories of cookie you are happy to accept
You can change your preferences at any time using the cookie settings link on our website. Refusing or withdrawing consent for non-essential cookies will not affect your ability to use our website, though some content such as embedded videos will not be playable without accepting the relevant cookies.
Strictly necessary cookies do not require your consent as they are essential for the website to operate. We do not use these cookies for any purpose beyond what is strictly required.
Cookies We Use
1. Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are essential for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are set in response to actions you take, such as setting your privacy preferences or logging in. Without these cookies, the website cannot operate properly.
Strictly necessary cookies do not require your consent. However, you can set your browser to block them — please be aware that doing so may affect how the website works.
Please note that the WordPress and Wordfence cookies listed below are set for site administrators only and are not visible to regular visitors.
| Cookie | Provider | Purpose | Duration | Consent? |
| wordpress_test_cookie | WordPress | Tests that your browser accepts cookies. Set temporarily and deleted immediately after the check. | Session | No |
| wordpress_logged_in_* | WordPress | Confirms you are logged in to WordPress. Set for site administrators only, not regular visitors. | Session | No |
| wordpress_sec_* | WordPress | Provides an additional layer of authentication security for logged-in users. Set for site administrators only, not regular visitors. | 2 weeks | No |
| wp-settings-* / wp-settings-time-* | WordPress | Stores your WordPress admin interface preferences. Set for site administrators only. | 1 year | No |
| wfwaf-authcookie-* | Wordfence | Used by the Wordfence security firewall to check the access level of logged-in users before WordPress loads. Set for site administrators only, not regular visitors. | Session | No |
| wpformsChallengeStep | WPForms | Used by the WPForms contact form to validate that a submission is genuine and help prevent spam. Set only when you interact with the contact form. | Session | No |
| cmplz_banner-status | Complianz | Records whether the cookie consent banner has been shown to you, so it is not displayed on every page visit. | 1 year | No |
| cmplz_marketing | Complianz | Records your consent choice for marketing cookies. | 1 year | No |
| cmplz_policy_id | Complianz | Stores the version of the cookie policy you have consented to, so your consent can be refreshed if the policy changes. | 1 year | No |
2. Analytics Cookies
These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting information about pages visited, time spent on the site and how visitors arrived. This helps us improve our website and the information we provide.
These cookies require your consent and will not be set if you decline. Google Consent Mode V2 is active on this website, meaning Google Analytics will only collect full data once you have given your consent.
| Cookie | Provider | Purpose | Duration | Consent? |
| _ga | Google Analytics (GA4) | Distinguishes unique users by assigning a randomly generated identifier. Used to calculate visitor, session and campaign data for the website. | 2 years (up to 13 months in practice) | Yes |
| _ga_W82FWD3HBM | Google Analytics (GA4) | Stores and updates a unique value for each page visited. Used to maintain session state for this specific GA4 property. | 2 years (up to 13 months in practice) | Yes |
| _gid | Google Analytics (GA4) | Used to distinguish users within a session. Expires quickly and is refreshed on each visit. | 24 hours | Yes |
Google Analytics data is processed by Google LLC. For more information please see Google’s Privacy Policy at policies.google.com/privacy
3. Functional Cookies
We do not currently use any functional cookies on sweetmandevelopments.com.
4. Marketing Cookies
Some pages on our website include videos embedded from YouTube. These videos are blocked by our cookie consent tool until you accept marketing cookies. If you decline, the videos will not be playable, but you can visit our YouTube channel directly to view them.
These cookies are set by YouTube (Google LLC) and are used to track video engagement and deliver relevant advertising. They require your consent.
| Cookie | Provider | Purpose | Duration | Consent? |
| GPS | YouTube (Google LLC) | Registers a unique ID on mobile devices to enable tracking based on geographical GPS location. | Session | Yes |
| VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE | YouTube (Google LLC) | Estimates user bandwidth on pages with embedded YouTube video. | 6 months | Yes |
| YSC | YouTube (Google LLC) | Registers a unique ID to keep statistics of videos watched on YouTube. | Session | Yes |
| PREF | YouTube (Google LLC) | Stores your preferences for embedded YouTube videos such as volume and playback quality. | 8 months | Yes |
YouTube is operated by Google LLC. For more information please see Google’s Privacy Policy at policies.google.com/privacy
Third Party Cookies
Some cookies on our website are set by third parties whose services we use. We do not control these cookies and they are subject to the third party’s own privacy and cookie policies. The third parties whose cookies may be present on our website are:
- Google (Analytics and YouTube) — policies.google.com/privacy
- Complianz (consent management) — complianz.io/privacy-statement
- Wordfence (security) — wordfence.com/privacy-policy
Where third party cookies involve transfers of data outside the UK, please refer to our Privacy Notice for details of the safeguards in place.
International Transfers
Some cookies are set by third parties based outside the UK. Where this applies the following safeguards are in place:
| Provider | Location | Safeguard |
| Google (Analytics / YouTube) | USA | UK-US Data Bridge |
| Complianz | Netherlands (EEA) | UK-EEA Adequacy Decision |
Managing Your Cookie Preferences
Using our cookie banner
When you first visit our website, you will be shown a cookie consent banner. You can use this to accept or decline non-essential cookies, or choose which categories you are happy with. You can update your preferences at any time by clicking the cookie settings link on our website.
Using your browser settings
You can also control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:
- See what cookies have been set and delete them individually
- Block third party cookies
- Block all cookies from specific sites
- Block all cookies from all sites
- Delete all cookies when you close your browser
Please be aware that blocking all cookies may affect the functionality of many websites. Guidance on managing cookies in common browsers:
- Google Chrome: support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647
- Mozilla Firefox: support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/cookies-information-websites-store-on-your-computer
- Microsoft Edge: support.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-edge
- Safari: support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/safari/sfri11471
Opting out of Google Analytics
You can prevent Google Analytics from collecting data about your visits by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, available at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
YouTube and advertising preferences
If you have a Google account, you can manage your YouTube and advertising preferences at adssettings.google.com. You can also opt out of interest-based advertising from Google at google.com/settings/ads
Updates to This Policy
We may update this cookie policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use or changes in the law. We will update the date at the top of this page whenever we make changes. Where changes are significant, we will display a notice on our website and ask for your consent again where required.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about our use of cookies or this policy, please contact us:
Sweetman Developments Ltd
2 Wyevale Business Park, Kings Acre Road, Hereford HR4 7BS
roger@sweetmandevelopments.com
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
Sweetman Developments Ltd — Registered in England and Wales, Company No. 7090089 — sweetmandevelopments.com