LONDON SQUARES AND ENCLOSURES (PRESERVATION). (Hansard, 23 February 1927)

§ Mr. SCURR

I beg to move, That leave be given to introduce a Bill to prohibit the erection of buildings and structures on certain lands in the administrative county of London and for other purposes. For some time now, those of us who are responsible for the administration of certain areas in the county of London have been concerned by the fact that a large number of the squares which exist in many parts of this great city, and which may be described as oases in a Sahara of bricks, are being built over, not always for housing purposes but in some cases for manufacturing purposes. Recently in St. Pancras a beautiful square which used to be in the Euston Road, Endsleigh Gardens, has been built over by the admirable Society of Friends, and more recently Mornington Crescent has been taken over by a firm for the manufacture of cigarettes. This process is going on. In my own constituency the London County Council has been maintaining a square for a few years past, and renting it from the landlord at the nominal rent of 5s. a year. On the death of the landlord they have now been compelled in order to retain this square on behalf of the public, to pay a rental of £52 a year and the new landlord will not give them a lease of more than 14 years. Recently there was before Parliament a Bill, which has fortunately been withdrawn, in which an attempt was made to deal with two squares in the metropolis. Many of these squares, although they are not used by the general public, are very beneficial to everyone, and I contend that they ought to be maintained.

In the Bill I am now asking leave to introduce I am not interfering or proposing to interfere with any existing rights. All that is laid down in the Bill is that the square shall not be built over, and if at any time the London County Council or a borough council consider that a 1769 square should be acquired for the public then an inquiry shall be held, and if as a result of that inquiry it is agreed that a square shall become public property compensation will be paid under the Town Planning Act. The Bill interferes with no existing rights, and I feel sure it will commend itself to all parts of the House. After the sympathetic reply of the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Holborn (Sir James Remnant) the other day, I hope that the Patronage Secretary will be able to give facilities for the passage of the Measure.