§ 25. Mr. John Hallasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government why he refused to accept the recommendations of his inspector following an inquiry into an appeal against the refusal of the Buckinghamshire County Council to permit the erection of a vicarage and garage on the land opposite the entrance of Hughenden Church, High Wycombe.
§ Mr. SkeffingtonBecause my right hon. Friend considered that the highway and environmental objections outweighed the merits of the proposal.
§ Mr. HallIs the Minister aware that, from personal knowledge of the area, I would support the statement of his Inspector, who said that the objections on traffic grounds could not reasonably be upheld? Would he not consider it a waste of time to hold a local inquiry when a Minister, without knowledge of the local conditions, overrules his own inspector?
§ Mr. SkeffingtonThe hon. Member would be unwise to assume that the Minister has no information. He has the whole of the information which was given to the inquiry. I sympathise with the appellants, who, for very good reasons, wanted the vicarage to be put in the particular place. What happened was that the Minister was minded to dismiss the appeal, but he referred it again to the parties for further consideration. The appellants produced a traffic expert on that side of the matter who gave his evidence, and the local elected authority contested it. All that my right hon. Friend did in his judicial or appellate capacity was to consider those points of view and to make up his mind on the lines I have stated.