HC Deb 20 December 1965 vol 722 cc1669-71
27. Sir H. Kerr

asked the Minister of Public Buildings and Works what representations he has received for a public inquiry into the proposals for the redevelopment of Whitehall.

Mr. C. Pannell

A deputation from the Civic Trust led by the right hon. Member for Streatham (Mr. Sandys); the Ancient Monuments Society; and the Westminster Society, who have suggested the alternative of a Royal Commission.

Sir H. Kerr

Since the Whitehall area is the special responsibility of Parliament, and, therefore, not subject to the normal processes of inquiry, is the right hon. Gentleman satisfied that every aspect has been adequately studied, such as accessibility to the proposed precinct for Members of Parliament and the proposed waterside tunnel under the Terrace?

Mr. Pannell

With respect, the hon. Gentleman has made a paraphrase of the statement which the right hon. Member for Streatham (Mr. Sandys) made to me when he came on the deputation. I can only say that all these things are taken care of. I have always made it clear that I have never ruled out inquiries into later phases of the scheme, and I hope to announce one of these before very long. For the present, bearing in mind the failure of previous inquiries, the fact that they have not fructified but have just been laid to rest, it seems to me that what is called for now, to get the scheme off the ground, is one or two firm decisions to stick by, and this we are doing.

28. Mr. Chichester-Clark

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will reconsider his decision not to hold a public inquiry into the implementation of the Whitehall Plan.

Mr. C. Pannell

No, Sir, but I am prepared to contemplate inquiries at the appropriate time into certain longer-term aspects of the plan. For the present, as I said before, we need certain firm decisions as set out in my statement of 3rd November.

Mr. Chichester-Clark

While I recognise that the Minister is being a little more flexible today than he was with the Civic Trust—which we welcome—may I ask him why he is being so coy? Why does he not tell us more about the long-term approaches?

Mr. Pannell

I have not been coy. I looked this up. As far back as last July I indicated that I did not rule out certain inquiries. I have made that perfectly clear all the time, and I think the hon. Gentleman will agree with that. On the question of the phases of the plan, we have mentioned second steps. I cannot go through them all now because the Speaker would be after me. However, we are almost ready to announce the third phase.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

Can the right hon. Gentleman be a little clearer as to which phases of the plan are the ones into which he contemplates the possibility of further inquiry? Can he be precise? Does it mean, for instance, the Foreign Office site? Does it mean the redevelopment of Whitehall itself, or the Treasury building?

Mr. Pannell

The right hon. Gentleman is working round the wrong way. Firm decisions have been taken on the Foreign Office, the Bridge Street site, the Parliament building and the necessity for a precinct, and we have an inquiry into what one can call the tunnel road. What we have in mind there is an inquiry based on the whole of the Broad Sanctuary site.

Mr. Sandys

The right hon. Gentleman has said that he considered that firm decisions have been taken in regard to the Foreign Office and the two buildings which it is proposed to put on the Bridge Street site. On the principle of creating a Parliamentary precinct and a tunnel road, I do not think that, except for the Foreign Office, this is a very controversial issue. I should have thought there was a good deal of agreement about that. However, can the right hon. Gentleman say whether the other aspects of the plan will be subject to inquiry? That is what we want to know.

Mr. Pannell

Broadly, yes. However, I would say—this is the difficulty—that it is no use having long-term inquiries into what will happen 10 or 15 years ahead when the treatment of traffic in London may be subject to all sorts of control. All I am saying is that as far as I can see all these things will be phased off, given a certain time scale, and that there will be the fullest possible inquiry.