§ MR. DANIEL GRANTasked the First Commissioner of Works, Whether any decision has been arrived at with respect to the inclosure in Regent's Park; and, if so, whether he will state the same to the House?
§ MR. SHAW LEFEVRESir, the subject of the inclosure of Regent's Park, which from a time before the throwing open of the Park has been reserved for the exclusive use of the lessees of the Crown houses in the neighbourhood and others, has occupied my attention for some months past, and I have been very anxious to throw open as much as possible of it to the public, especially as the inclosure cuts off access to the Park by the public for a long distance. The Law Officers to whom the question of right was referred, held that although the lessees had no certain legal rights to its continued reservation, yet that a private owner in the position of the Crown would be acting in bad faith if he were to deprive the lessees of their privilege. In this view, the Government considered that it was a subject for a compromise, and it became 1884 my duty to negotiate with the lessees. I am glad to say that I have now come to terms with them which I consider will be very favourable to the public. Under this arrangement nearly half of the inclosure will be thrown into the Park. A new entrance to the Park will be made at Clarence Gate, and a broad strip of ornamental garden will be open to the public from this gate by the side of the lake as far as Hanover Gate. On the other hand, two separate parts of the inclosure will be reserved, as heretofore, for the lessees, and will be secured to them for the remainder of their leases. At the same time, the Commissioners of Woods and Forests were instructed to negotiate with the lessees of the villas within the precincts of Regent's Park in respect of certain other plots of land not legally parts of the Park, but the property of the Crown, and let to these villa holders. They have come to an arrangement by which considerable parts of this land, amounting in the whole to 14 acres, and, indeed, so much of it as would not detract from the value of the villas, will be thrown into the Park upon terms that the villa holders will pay the same rent for the residue as they had hitherto paid for the whole, and that they will have these residues secured to them for the remainder of their leases. Under these arrangements more than about 20 acres will be added to Regent's Park, which I need hardly say will be very much to the interest of the public.
§ MR. DANIEL GRANTAt the termination of the leases will the existing extra land also be thrown into the Park?
§ MR. SHAW LEFEVREThe whole subject will be re-opened at the end of the leases.