Vacant Land (Hansard, 21 March 1990)

§ 4. Mr. Bevan
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres of vacant, dormant, underutilised and derelict land is currently in Government ownership; how much has been disposed of since the land register was set up; and when he estimates the remaining areas will disposed of.

§ Mr. Michael Spicer
By 30 September 1989 some 5,600 acres had been disposed of and 1,400 brought into use. At that date, some 7,200 acres were on the register. Their future will depend on a variety of circumstances related to individual sites, including marketability.

§ Mr. Bevan
If, like me, my hon. Friend is dissatisfied with the speed of disposal of land on the register, and if he believes that the lack of purchasers shows a lack of interest in such property, will he take measures at once to speed disposals and to transfer suitably located parcels of land at low, nil or negative values to housing associations or to building societies, to create stocks of low-value, low-rent homes for those in housing need, and to encourage a property-occupying and saving society?

§ Mr. Spicer
I very much agree with my hon. Friend that we should make use of derelict land for purposes other than keeping it derelict. I also agree that much more can be done to make such land more marketable. We are giving the matter urgent attention at the moment and I listened carefully to what my hon. Friend said.

§ Mr. Hardy
Is the Minister aware that in my constituency and in surrounding constituencies, many people would agree that they do not wish to see the land remain derelict? However, is he also aware that in the past few years hundreds of acres of land have become derelict in that area and that until the Government bring forward an intelligent and far-sighted view of derelict land grants, there is no prospect of the desperately needed improvements being made in that area?

§ Mr. Spicer
The Government have greatly increased derelict land grants, which now amount to £71 million per year. We have nothing to be ashamed of in that. In fact, the grants have been put to extremely good use. The question is whether anything can be done over and above simply throwing money at the problem. We must consider other ways of trying to make such land marketable.

§ Mr. Steen
Is the Minister aware that there are now about 500,000 acres of vacant, dormant, derelict and underutilised land in both public and private ownership and that 60,000 acres of public vacant land have been added to the register since 1981? Does he agree that a private initiative is now required to market that land and to ensure that the people who hold the land at the moment—the public authorities—have a share in the asset value as it increases?

§ Mr. Spicer
I am very much aware of the fact that my hon. Friend the Member for South Hams (Mr. Steen) has taken a great interest in this matter for many years and has written a learned treatise on it. I am studying his writings., which relate to his question, very carefully.

§ Mr. O'Brien
Is not it clear that the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley (Mr. Bevan) was requesting the Minister to give the Government's policies on derelict land, particularly land in Government ownership, but that those policies were not forthcoming? Is not it also clear that the £71 million derelict land grant is insufficient to meet the needs expressed by hon. Members on both sides of the House? When will the Minister allow a debate in the House on derelict land? Let us have some policy directives so that people in local government and outside it who must deal with derelict land know exactly what will happen.

§ Mr. Spicer
Personally, I should be more than happy for there to be a debate on derelict land, but that is not in my gift. I am sure that those responsible for such matters will listen to the hon. Gentleman. The question is whether it is just a matter of throwing more money at the problem, in addition to the £71 million available. If the land can be made marketable, such additional expenditure would be a waste of public money. We are carefully considering whether we can do more to make such land marketable, to enable it to pass into the hands of those who would turn it into something that would not necessarily require public moneys. We are considering the matter urgently and I should welcome a debate on it.