HL Deb 29 July 1957 vol 205 cc221-2

3.6 p.m.

LORD CONESFORD

My Lords, I beg; to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the application for permission to erect an office block on the site of the St. James's Theatre was ever considered by the town planning committee of the London County Council before permission in outline was granted in 1954; if so, on what date the town planning committee met to consider it; or whether the decision was made by the then vice-chairman of the town planning committee acting alone.]

THE EARL OF ONSLOW

My Lords, my right honourable friend does not regard it as among his responsibilities to furnish information about the internal arrangements made by local authorities for dealing with planning applications. In the special circumstances of this particular case, however, the London County Council have been good enough to give him the information for which the noble Lord asks, and, by courtesy of the Council. I am able to say that the report on the application for planning permission to erect an office block on the site of St. James's Theatre was dealt with by the vice-chairman of the Town Planning Committee on October 29, 1954. I should go on to explain that the vast majority of the hundreds of applications received each week by the London County Council are dealt with either by a panel of three members, or by the chairman or vice-chairman of the committee, and that all applications so dealt with are laid on the table at the next meeting of the committee so that any member may examine them or bring them to the attention of the full committee.

LORD CONESFORD

My Lords, may I thank the noble Earl for that Answer? Am I right in understanding that that is the normal way in which the London County Council deal with these applications. or was this particular application thought of as of small importance?

THE EARL OF ONSLOW

My Lords, I cannot go inside the minds of members of the London County Council committee, and I cannot say whether they thought it was of small or of large importance; but I do understand that, by their Standing Orders, this is the normal way of dealing with such matters.