§ 2. Mr. DevlinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 20 January, Official Report, column 437, if he will announce his decision on the future of Stockton city challenge high street redevelopment scheme. [12501]
§ The Minister for Construction, Planning and Energy Efficiency (Mr. Robert B. Jones)The orders and applications for this scheme are now before my right 783 hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, for decision. They have raised some complex issues, but good progress is being made and the decisions will be issued as soon as it is practicable to do so.
§ Mr. DevlinGiven that it is a year since the public inquiry ended and that the whole of the town centre scheme in Stockton has been left in limbo because his officials have been sitting on it for so long, will my hon. Friend now deal with the matter as an urgent priority and disregard the representations that are obviously being received from Chesterfield Properties, which has a vested interest in wrecking the scheme?
§ Mr. JonesI fully recognise that my hon. Friend has been leading a vigorous campaign to get the scheme approved; he has certainly left neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment nor my hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport in any doubt as to the importance of the scheme to Stockton. As he said, however, there is a legal challenge to the scheme, and it would be extremely unwise to make a decision that could not stand up in law.