HC Deb 27 July 1977 vol 936 cc615-6
7. Mr. MacGregor

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much land has been acquired by local authorities to date under the Community Land Act.

Mr. Guy Barnett

It is too early to add to the provisional figures given to my hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Scunthorpe (Mr. Ellis) on 12th May.

Mr. MacGregor

As the Minister, from an earlier answer, seems unaware of the evidence of a forthcoming land shortage for housing, will he look at the recent House-Builders Federation report "Land for Housing", which clearly shows that a land famine is taking place in some parts of the country? Now that his right hon. Friend has adopted a welcome and more practical approach to extending home ownership in his Green Paper, will he complete the process by putting the Community Land Act on ice and making representations about reducing development land tax to ensure that land is forthcoming?

Mr. Barnett

Under the Community Land Act 1,500 acres have been acquired from willing sellers in the first year, which was a short year because it began as late as August. There does not appear to be any difficulty in the current year in obtaining land for building purposes. Obviously my right hon. Friend and I will examine the situation in the light of what the hon. Gentleman said.

Mr. Blenkinsop

So far from freezing the Community Land Act, will my hon. Friend unfreeze it to enable local authorities that are eager to make fuller use of it to do precisely that?

Mr. Barnett

Yes. We want to encourage local authorities to buy land, particularly for industrial and housing purposes, so long as the likelihood is that it will be taken up within a reasonable time. We are afraid that land that has been purchased will lie vacant and unused for some years. We hope to operate the Act in the light of demands for land.

Mr. Michael Latham

Will the Minister now give the House the figure that he did not give in his first answer—namely, that while local authorities bought 1,571 acres of land last year, they resold only 29 acres? Does he agree that builders looking for land from that source will be disappointed?

Mr. Barnett

When we consider that the purchases of land were from August onwards, the fact that only 29 acres for house building purposes have so far been disposed of should not be surprising. The hon. Gentleman, with his professional background, should not find it at all surprising.