§ MR. C. REEDsaid, he would beg to ask the First Commissioner of Works, What portion of the Royal Park, known as the Victoria Park, has been leased for building sites; what average annual revenue is derived from the land so leased; what is the value of the land yet remaining unleased retained for the Park; what is the average annual cost of maintaining the Park; and whether, having regard to the population in the Eastern part of the Metropolis, the Government will sanction the permanent retention of such lands as are unleased for the public advantage?
§ MR. LAYARD, in reply, said, that every part of his hon. Friend's Question, except one, belonged to the province of the Commissioner of Woods, but he had obtained the information necessary to enable him to give an answer. With regard to the first part of the Question, he had to state that no part of Victoria Park had been leased for building purposes. The Crown possessed property in that quarter, consisting of 265 acres, part of which was appropriated to Victoria Park, the remainder, under two Acts of Parliament was leased by the Commissioner of Woods for the purposes of revenue and for the maintenance of the Park. The present revenue derived from the land so leased was £1,500 a year. The value of the land still unleased was, he understood, about £4,000 a year. The average annual cost of maintaining the Park was £6,300, consequently the annual rental of the Crown land when the whole was leased would go far towards meeting it. With regard to the last Question, he would say that the Government had no power to retain those lands under the Act. They were leased by the Office of Woods for the benefit of the revenue and the maintenance of Victoria Park.