West Cross Route

HC Deb 16 May 1973 vol 856 c1482

4. Mr. Jay

asked the Secretary of Slate for the Environment if he can now say when he will publish the report of the inspector on the proposed West Cross Route motorway in west London.

Mr. Rippon

I anounced my decision and published the inspectors' report on 7th May.

Mr. Jay

Cannot this report be made available to any member of the public who wishes to have it, and not just to objectors? Further, cannot such reports be published without a six-months' delay?

Mr. Rippon

As I have said, the report is available to objectors. It is not confidential to objectors. They can make it available to whom they like. As for the delay about which the right hon. Gentleman complains, this was a particularly difficult and complex inquiry, involving development plan amendments, a number of compulsory purchase orders, schemes under the Highways Act, and so forth. We expedited it as much as we could.