§ 4. Sir W. Smithersasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air if he will introduce legislation which will enable him to compensate owners of property situated near aerodromes who, through no fault of their own, find that owing to the development of jet aeroplanes their premises have become uninhabitable and who are unable to sell their property as the value of them, has been depreciated.
§ Sir W. SmithersIs my hon. Friend, aware that at Biggin Hill, in my constituency, houses have been destroyed or have had to be evacuated, through no fault of the tenants, because of the development of jet aircraft, that they cannot sell the houses and that their value has depreciated? Will he take steps to compensate these people, because the treatment hitherto received is most unsympathetic, if not unfair?
Mr. WardWhile I have the greatest possible sympathy with these people, the presence of jet aircraft is by no means the only way in which the value of property can be depreciated. It would be quite impossible to draft any sort of legislation on the matter.
§ Sir W. SmithersIt is no good being sympathetic. What we want is proper compensation.