§ LORD RAGLANMy 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 to what extent central Government funds have been and will be made available for the preservation of Bath.
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT (LORD SANDFORD)My Lords, contrary to the impression which might be created by letters in the Press, grants totalling over £250,000 have already been offered through the Historic Buildings Council for the repair of Bath's outstanding historic buildings. The Government paid half of the cost of the Buchanan Report on conservation and are considering the possibility of helping with the cost of further studies by Professor Sir Colin Buchanan. The Government paid 75 per cent. of the cost of the feasibility study on the Bath Tunnel. If the Tunnel scheme (which is aimed at relieving the historic centre of extraneous traffic) is approved, the Government contribution to that will be of the order of £6 million.
§ LORD RAGLANMy Lords, I am glad that the noble Lord has been able to make that clear. Can he also make clear with what machinery, or how, the Historic Buildings Council are going to work in with the Bath Council to achieve the sort of effect they desire? And will the opinions of the local preservation society be taken into account and respected?
§ LORD SANDFORDMy Lords, your Lordships will recall that a clause was 1276 added to the Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Bill in another place which would extend the scope of Historic Buildings Council grants to cover any expenditure on the conservation of outstanding areas such as Bath, either by the owners of buildings or by the local authority or by amenities societies. If your Lordships agree to this clause when the Bill comes back to us, I hope the Bath City Council and the owners and the amenities societies there will take the opportunity to work out, in consultation with the Historic Buildings Council, a long-term programme for the conservation of the whole of Bath's heritage, which the Government could then assist through the new grant.
§ LORD RAGLANMy Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for that reply. Are the Government aware that more money will have to be made available for the preservation of Bath and other historic towns besides Bath? Is he also aware that the matter is very much one not only of spending money but of generating the adoption of an attitude of mind among the inhabitants which is congenial to the preservation of their surroundings?
§ LORD SANDFORDYes, my Lords, I agree that more money may be required. We are increasing the Historic Buildings Council budget by 50 per cent. under this new grant. We may have to increase it further. I would certainly agree that there is room for greater and deeper understanding at all levels of the problems of conservation.