§ 12. Mr. Boydenasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what is the total amount of derelict land shown in the planning authorities' development plans; and for how much of this land schemes of improvement have been approved or are in course of preparation.
§ Mr. CorfieldDevelopment plans so far submitted show 37,700 acres of derelict land. Schemes of which I am aware are not necessarily related to this figure, but 1,874 acres are known to be included in reclamation schemes approved or in course of preparation.
§ Mr. BoydenIs not that a surprisingly small figure for land reclamation? Is not the whole procedure for the reclamation of derelict land cumbersome and the results unsatisfactory? The national results are most haphazard. Will the hon. Gentleman look at this whole problem so that we can advance generally on this front?
§ Mr. CorfieldLocal planning authorities have been asked to provide information showing the amount of derelict land they have in their areas and their proposals for reclaiming it in the development plans. My difficulty in giving exact figures is that the development plans all run for different periods so that I am not in a position to give the precise situation at any one time. But the present plans show that about 11,000 of the total of 37,000 acres are programmed for reclamation. I do not think that that is a bad proportion.
§ Mr. MacCollIs it not the case that most of this programmed land is in the development districts and that this is why more progress has been made there?
§ Mr. CorfieldI think that, to a large extent, a lot of it is in the North and that the figures represent a fair proportion. I cannot, however, give the breakdown figures and be absolutely certain of the accuracy of the answer.
§ 13. Mr. Boydenasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how much derelict land there is in national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty; how much of this land has been reclaimed since 1960; and what grant has been paid on this account.
§ Mr. CorfieldLocal authorities are not required to inform my right hon. Friend of the amount of derelict land in national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty. Since 1st April, 1960, 15 schemes for treating 89 acres of derelict land in these areas have been approved for grant under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, 1949, and grant of £1,954 has been paid in respect of eight of these schemes. Grant estimated at £6,824 will be payable when claims are made for the remaining schemes.
§ Mr. BoydenDoes the hon. Gentleman think that a sum short of £7,000 is 224 adequate to clear derelict land in these areas? Surely there should, indeed, be practically no derelict land in such areas and those parts which have it should be cleared at once. What is the hon. Gentleman doing about it?
§ Mr. CorfieldThe hon. Gentleman has answered the question himself. There is probably very little of such land in national parks, which accounts for the very few applications for loans to improve it.
§ 24. Mr. Probertasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many applications have been received from Welsh local authorities for grants towards the cost of carrying out works of improvement on derelict land under the provisions of the Local Employment Act, 1960.
§ Sir K. JosephSixteen.
§ Mr. ProbertDoes not the right hon. Gentleman agree that this is wholly unsatisfactory progress? Does he not consider that the time is ripe for a new approach to this problem, which is outside the provisions of the Local Employment Act, 1960, so that areas which are not now designated as scheduled districts receive financial inducement? Furthermore, does he not agree, again in view of the unsatisfactory progress, that there should be a national survey to indicate where these problems exist and so that we can take the necessary and urgent action?
§ Sir K. JosephYes, I agree that there should be a survey, and the Welsh Office will be making this survey as part of its Welsh plan to be produced next year.