37. Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTasked the President of the Board of Agriculture on what grounds it is considered imperative to extend the leases of St. John's Lodge and St. Katherine's Lodge in Regent's Park before the 1st July next; and whether the old lease of St. Katherine's Lodge has recently changed hands for £10,000 and would not expire till 1929 in the normal course?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANThe lessees of each of these residences applied for renewed leases, and in the interests of the land revenues it was considered expedient in the case of residences of the expensive character of these lodges to take advantage of opportunities that may occur to renew the leases to substantial lessees some years before the existing leases expire, in accordance with the practice of the Commissioners and of all good ground landlords. The lease of St. John's Lodge expires in 1916 and that of St. Katherine's Lodge in 1929. I understand that the latter has recently changed hands at. £10,000. When the subject was under discussion in January of this year, I undertook to have negotiations suspended till 1st July next, in order that the St. Pancras and Marylebone Borough Councils and the London County Council might have time to consider the situation and take over these leases if they wished to do so. The St. Pancras Borough Council decided that they were not prepared to take any action in the matter, and the London County Council passed the following resolution:—
That the council regards with satisfaction the action of His Majesty's Government in adding to Regent's Park, in connection with the reletting of certain properties adjoining the park, three acres of land and expresses the hope that this policy will be continued when arrangements are made for reletting other properties adjoining the park.Even if further time were offered to these local authorities for consideration of the proposal, I have no reason to believe that they would alter their decisions.
38. Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTasked what aggregate increase of revenue has been obtained for the Crown through the recently completed extensions of leases in Regent's Park?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI assume that the hon. Member by "Regent's Park" refers to the area situated within the Outer 965 Circle Road. If that is so, the increased rental obtained for the Crown through the recently completed extensions of three leases amounts to about £1,609 per annum, including the rental represented by the premium obtained in one case.
39. Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether the Royal Toxophilite Society is privileged to exclude the public from 6½ acres of public land in Regent's Park by paying a rental of £200 a year; whether the society consists of about seventy members paying an annual subscription of five guineas each; and whether he will consider the desirability of giving this society a year's notice to quit and adding the land to the public portion of the park?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANThe 6½ acres are let to the Royal Toxophilite Society at a rent of £200 a year. This land has never been open to the public. I have no information as to the numbers or subscriptions of the members of the society. The Commissioner is now arranging to add to the open park a strip of land alongside the lake which has up to the present been within the enclosure.
§ Mr. MORRELLWhat is the Royal Toxophilite Society, and what does it try to do?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI believe they are archers.
Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether this rental of £200 a year represents the real value of the land, or whether it represents so small a portion of the real value as to be a subsidy towards these seventy persons who constitute the society?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANSo far as we can tell, the value of the land, if it were used for purely building purposes, would, of course, be greater than this £200, but if it is to be used in any sense as an open space, it is its full rental value.
§ Sir RYLAND ADKINSWhat is the acreage of this land?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI could not say without notice.
§ Mr. RUNCIMANNo, Sir. Crown lands are not valued under the Budget. They are subject to no form of taxation.
Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTDoes the right hon. Gentleman think that this area of land, if it is not being used for building purposes and is not bringing in a revenue for that purpose, is not as much worth £200 a year to the public of London as to the seventy persons who now use it?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI cannot answer that question, but if any proposal is made to me by a local authority I will transmit it to my colleague, the Commissioner, with a recommendation that the local authority should be preferred to a private society.