Railway Land

HC Deb 21 July 1971 vol 821 cc1444-6

32. Miss Fookes

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the total extent of railway land not in use.

Mr. Eldon Griffiths

My right hon. Friend has no detailed estimate of the extent of such land, but he has pressed on the Board the importance of obtaining the greatest financial advantage from all its land.

Miss Fookes

Could some such estimate be presented within a reasonable space of time so that we may know the extent of the problem?

Mr. Griffiths

It is not easy to do that because the amount of railway property is bound to fluctuate almost from day to day, with various areas of land being used or ceasing to be used for operational purposes.

Dame Irene Ward

Will my hon. Friend bear in mind that I fully support my hon. Friend on this question? The British Railways Board has always been very bad indeed in releasing land when it ought to have been released, and has done a great deal of harm which has put people to a great deal of expense to which they ought not to have been put. Therefore, can we have some action?

Mr. Griffiths

I assure my hon. Friend that my Department has pressed upon British Rail the need to dispose of surplus property as rapidly as possible. I am glad to say that in 1970 some £13½ million worth of such property was disposed of.

Mr. Blenkinsop

Could the hon. Gentleman give preference to the consideration of the situation in development areas, such as Tyneside, where land is urgently needed for new industrial development?

Mr. Griffiths

Yes, Sir ; but the Railways Board is required to operate as a commercial undertaking and must make a judgment on these matters.

33. Miss Fookes

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has yet agreed the terms of his circular to local authorities on the restoration of derelict railway land.

Mr. Graham Page

I expect to get agreement shortly on the terms of a circular on the procedure for disposing of disused railway lines in the countryside.

Miss Fookes

Would my hon. Friend please interpret "shortly"?

Mr. Page

I have asked the bodies concerned for any comments by the end of July, and I then hope to issue a circular.

Mr. Heffer

Would the hon. Gentleman encourage local authorities to purchase such land, particularly in industrialised areas, so that it may be turned over to housing or be made into parks and recreation areas which are so badly needed? Is he aware—indeed, I know he is aware—that in my constituency, as in his constituency, we have such land which could well be used for recreational purposes?

Mr. Page

Yes. This matter is dealt with in the circular which I shall be issuing, and there are power in the hands of local authorities to take over such land for approved purposes, for which there are grants in relation to countryside parks, and so on.

Mr. Arthur Jones

Is my hon. Friend aware that the Estates Department of British Rail takes a considerable length of time to reach agreement on these matters? I hope there will be a move by the Government, by any means open to them, to bring a sense of reality and urgency into that Estates Department.

Mr. Page

But what we are concerned with in this Question is the use of railway land and making certain that when disposed of by British Rail it is used for good purposes. In future it will be for the local planning authorities, ahead of disposal, to decide the right purpose for these lines.

Mr. Freeson

The hon. Gentleman will appreciate that supplementary questions have referred to railway land rather than just railway lines. Is he aware that during the time of the Labour Government there was general agreement on the part of Government Departments, British Rail and local authorities that the first offer of all surplus railway land should be made to local authorities in order that they might consider housing and other community needs? Is he further aware that a few years ago a major survey was undertaken in Greater London establishing in some detail what was to become surplus for a period of five to seven years ahead? Cannot the same thing be done for other conurbations?

Mr. Page

Yes. What we are aiming at is co-operation between British Rail and the local planning authorities—first, to get surplus land out of the hands of British Rail and into a useful purpose ; and, secondly, for the local planning authorities to co-operate on what that purpose may be.