§ 3. Mr. Turnerasked the Secretary of State for War whether he will offer the Borough of Woolwich an option to purchase a proportion of the 500 acres of Woolwich Arsenal land released by his Department.
§ Mr. KirkNo, Sir. It is the view of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government that the release of this substantial area of land will best contribute to the most pressing needs of Londoners if it is made available as a whole to the London County Council. It has therefore all been offered to them in one lot.
§ Mr. TurnerWill my hon. Friend appreciate that this decision will be disappointing to Woolwich Borough Council? In any future release of Arsenal land, will he bear in mind that an offer should be made to the council of part of the land concerned? Will he certainly 1056 bear in mind the importance of consulting the council in any future development which may take place in this area?
§ Mr. KirkYes, Sir. That will, of course, be considered by the review committee which, as my hon. Friend knows, is going into the matter. As I have said before, we have no intention of departing from normal planning procedures.