§ 2. Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will order an inquiry into the total effect on the local environment of the concentration of oil refineries and other industrial plant, existing and planned, in the Thames estuary with special reference to Canvey Island, Benfleet and Southend-on-Sea.
§ The Secretary of State for the Environment (Mr. Peter Walker)I assure my hon. Friend that, when proposals for new developments of this sort are before the local planning authorities, or being considered by me on call-in or on appeal, the wider effects are taken into account.
§ Sir Bernard BraineWill my right hon. Friend take into account the fact that there is deep and widespread concern in South-East Essex—where many people have made their homes, and more are coming as a result of the Government's decision to site the third London airport at Foulness—about the deterioration of our environment by piecemeal development, with oil refinery after oil refinery being authorised? If my right hon. Friend means what he says about protecting the human environment, will he set up a planning inquiry commission 523 to inquire into the totality of the threat to our environment?
§ Mr. WalkerAs my hon. Friend knows, when I was last concerned with a major decision on this matter he was satisfied with the manner in which we took account of all the environmental factors in the region in which he takes such an interest. It is also true that, as a result of the activities of various sections of my Department, air pollution in Southend and other areas has diminished rather than increased during the more recent period. I do not consider that there is any evidence of a need for a further wide inquiry into this matter, but again I assure my hon. Friend that we shall carefully consider any application in this area in terms of its effect on the totality of the area and not in isolation.