§ 2.35 p.m.
§ LORD AMULREEMy Lords, I beg leave 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 proposal to replace Queen Anne's Mansions with 300.000 square feet of office accommodation designed by Sir Basil Spence is in line with their policy on the control of office development in Central London.]
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF PUBLIC BUILDING AND WORKS (LORD WINTERBOTTOM)My Lords, although the Government keep a tight control over new office development in Central London, it is not their policy to prevent the modernisation of out-dated offices. The Queen Anne's Mansions building is nearly eighty years old, has been in use as Government offices for almost thirty years, and does not conform with present day standards of office accommodation. The Government therefore took the view that approval should be given for the redevelopment of this prominent London site, on condition that the offices would be used only by an organisation which had to be in Central London. In view of the proximity of the site to Whitehall, it has been taken for use by a block of Government staff whose work requires them to be in the central area.
§ LORD AMULREEMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply, but I would ask him one supplementary question; namely, whether he does not think that a site like that in Central London, which is very near to shops and public transport, is fairly quiet and has a public park round the corner, would be more 1186 suitable for residential accommodation than office accommodation?
§ LORD WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, I think that everybody sympathises with the noble Lord's point of view, but unfortunately civil servants have to be housed. They should be housed in decent accommodation, and the present accommodation is entirely unsuitable.
§ LORD AMULREEMy Lords, does the noble Lord mean by that statement that this office building is going to lead to more civil servants? I was under the impression that the number of civil servants was coming down, not increasing.
§ LORD WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, over 14,000 civil servants have been moved from the London area by this Government. Nevertheless, those who remain in London have to be house d in reasonably efficient accommodation, and since this office block is converted flats it is extremely wasteful of space.
§ LORD MOLSONMy Lords, will the effect of the reconstruction of the site mean that there will be a larger number of occupants of the site? And has full account been taken of the undesirability, from the traffic point of view, of adding to the number of occupants of that site?
§ LORD WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, in spite of the very large superficial area of this former block of flats, the number of people using it at the moment is approximately 1,800, which is a very small number for a surface area of this size. That is why I said that the office accommodation was inefficient. But if additional efficient use of space is achieved and a larger number of civil servants is housed on this particular site, then other sites throughout the centre of London will be freed for other purposes.
§ VISCOUNT DILHORNEMy Lords, can the noble Lord say what will be the increased number of offices consequent upon this redevelopment?
§ LORD WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, I am afraid that I cannot. If the noble and learned Viscount will put down another Question, I will give him an Answer.
§ LORD BYERSMy Lords, is it not quite wrong that there should be this increased concentration in the centre 1187 of London? Is it not worth while to reconsider this whole policy?
§ LORD WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, the policy of Her Majesty's Government is well known. We are moving large numbers of civil servants out of the London area, but obviously some must remain.
§ LORD STRATHCLYDEMy Lords, would the noble Lord say how many bodies will be housed in this new building?
§ LORD WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, again, if a Question is put down, I will answer it.
§ LORD AMULREEMy Lords, some people have to work in Government or Parliament. Would it not be possible in some future reconstruction to have flats to accommodate Members of Parliament? It would be a convenient place for them to live. Would it not be a better solution to accommodate Members of Parliament, who would not have to live so far away?