§ 21. Mr. Swinglerasked the Minister of Health why he requires local authorities in possession of undeveloped land to obtain planning consent under Circular No. 61 of the Ministry of Town and Country Planning where planning consent had already been obtained under the old procedure prior to the issue of the circular.
§ Mr. BevanI am sending my hon. Friend a copy of a circular which I issued on 11th April to housing authorities on this question.
§ Mr. SwinglerWill the Minister state whether he is prepared to waive this requirement where it can be shown that the council will experience delay in developing its housing scheme when it has already obtained planning consent to develop under the old procedure?
§ Mr. BevanIf my hon. Friend will examine the circular which I am sending to him I think he will find that we are simplifying the procedure, because of the matters raised by him.
§ 22. Mr. Swinglerasked the Minister of Health whether in dealing with applications for the speedy acquisition of land from Rural District Councils, it is his policy to refuse authorisation under Section 2 of the Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) Act, 1946, where the local authority already possesses undeveloped land in some part of its district.
§ Mr. BevanNo, Sir. My decision whether to issue such an authorisation depends on the circumstances of each individual case.