§ 2. Mr. RathboneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when last he met representatives of the CPRE to discuss new housing development in the south-east; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Minister for Housing, Inner Cities and Construction (Sir George Young)My right hon. Friend met a delegation from the CPRE led by Lord Marlesford on 8 July. My hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Planning met another one on 1 September. The CPRE's views on the proposed level of housing for the south-east are well known to my Department and will be taken into account, together with those of other bodies, in the final version of the regional planning guidance for the south-east to be published later this year.
§ Mr. RathboneI welcome my right hon. Friend's contact with the CPRE. Does that lead him to conclude that the aim to have 35,000 more houses in East Sussex is over the top and that there are opportunities for building on derlict urban land of which advantage has not yet been fully taken? Any development of housing, whether in urban or rural areas, must be environmentally sensitive.
§ Sir George YoungI agree with my hon. Friend. No final decision has been taken on the figure of 35,000, and we are consulting on that. I agree that all use should be 262 made of derelict and underused land, the so-called brown land, before we make further encroachments into green fields. On my hon. Friend's last point, what we want to do is what he wants to do—provide decent homes for those living in his constituency without making unacceptable environmental sacrifices.