§ 18. Mr. Clark Hutchisonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what advice he has given to city planning authorities about open spaces and recreational facilities in new housing areas.
§ Dr. Dickson MabonAdvice on the layout of housing developments, including provision for open spaces and recreation, is given in the Scottish Housing Handbook.
§ Mr. Clark HutchisonHas the Minister of State noticed that housing estates in Edinburgh and other cities never seem to be quite completed? Can he do more to see that proper recreational space is provided, and that there is, perhaps, a bit of landscaping? It would make all the difference.
§ Dr. MabonI accept that fair criticism can be made of local authority estates in Edinburgh and elsewhere in Scotland—as, indeed, is the case in many private developments in Scotland. With this in mind, we are revising the housing handbook jointly with the Ministry of Housing and Local Government. I hope that a new bulletin will be ready by the end of next year. The hon. Gentleman will appreciate that this is an extremely complicated matter, but if we can raise standards all round it is really worth the effort.