§ 6. Mr. Bottomleyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will monitor progress of local authority and statutory undertakers in developing their land within the two-year period allowed and which, but for that development, would have been included in the land registers.
§ Sir George YoungThe criteria for the inclusion of land on the registers formerly excluded land programmed for development within two years, but that is no longer the case except for land subject to planning blight. Apart from the latter, land which in other respects qualifies for entry falls to be registered unless a contract has been let for development.
§ Mr. BottomleyWill my hon. Friend confirm that more than 100,000 acres are on the land register and that less than 10 per cent. of it has come into use and come off the register? When will we see some ministerial action taken under the powers provided by section 98 of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980, to compel the disposal of more of that land?
§ Sir George YoungMy hon. Friend's statistics are broadly accurate. More than 112,000 acres were on the register on 1 January, and 9,300 acres had been disposed of. More than 4,300 acres were removed from the register because the land had been brought into use, making a total of 13,600 acres. With regard to direction, my right hon. Friend is prepared to use his powers of direction to dispose of specific sites when the case merits that. So far, we have preferred to make progress by persuasion.
§ Mr. MeadowcroftWill the Minister take into account the land held by health authorities and the British Railways Board, both of which are public bodies that hoard land and are reluctant to divest it although they have much land that could be developed?
§ Sir George YoungAll public bodies are obliged to register their land. The bodies mentioned by the hon. Gentleman would be included in the figures that I gave earlier.
§ Mr. SteenWhile the Government are waiting for the public sector to sell off its land, is my hon. Friend aware that 60,000 acres of good agricultural land are being lost every year to urban sprawl? Is there not a case for speeding up the disposal of sites to prevent such loss, and will the Government take speedy action?
§ Sir George YoungThe Government are most anxious that the 36,000 acres available for development should be brought into good use, which will reduce the pressure on the land mentioned by my hon. Friend. Should my hon. Friend feel that there is a good case for direction and intervention in relation to particular sites, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will consider it.
§ Mr. Allan RobertsIs the Minister willing to admit that one of the reasons why local authorities cannot develop their land as quickly as they wish is that the money to be allocated for housebuilding and other capital projects has been cut by the Government? Does not the Minister's answer to this and other questions demonstrate clearly that the Government are interested only in selling off capital assets and forcing local authorities to do so, which will not meet the real housing needs of the homeless and those on the waiting lists?
§ Sir George YoungThe hon. Gentleman's approach is particularly dogmatic. Local authorities should sell the land in question to private developers on condition that they build houses at low cost and offer the properties first to those on the waiting list or living in local authority estates. If local authorities do that, they will meet the real needs of their areas without making demands on public expenditure.