HL Deb 24 January 1983 vol 438 cc1-3
Lord Gainford

My 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 how many acres currently recorded on the local authority registers of vacant and under-utilised land for England are in local authority possession.

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, the six-monthly returns for the end of December are currently being analysed, but at the count on 1st July last, local authorities owned 61,000 acres, nearly two-thirds of the total of all publicly owned land on the registers.

Lord Gainford

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for his Answer. May I ask him whether he is able to say if Her Majesty's Government can give any direction to these councils to make use of this land rather than to frustrate possible housing development?

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, if I may correct my noble friend on one point, not all of this land is in the remit of the councils. Quite a lot of other public land is included. So far as directions are concerned, my right honourable friend is actively considering this matter in respect of a number of sites on the registers. The procedure would be to invite the owning public body to state whether there is any reason why a direction should not be given and, in the light of its reply, to consider what action to take.

Baroness Birk

My Lords, is it not a fact that much of this land remains vacant or under-used because of the cutbacks in the rate support grant and the capital control restrictions which were introduced by the Local Government Act 1980? Is it not also true that the Government are, perhaps unintentionally but nevertheless actually, adding land to these registers every week as firms close down, largely due to Government policy?

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, so far as the last point is concerned. I should have thought that the land in question there would be privately owned. I agree, however, that there are advance sites, factory sites, for which local councils and others would have the responsibility. So far as the capital allocation, and so on, goes with the rate support grant, or the GRE as I understand it is now called, my understanding is that there is a capital underspend by councils. I do not believe, therefore, that this can be a reason. However, I agree with the noble Baroness that there may be good reasons why some sites should be retained and put to use in the public sector. Naturally, the Secretary of State cannot properly make directions without considering the merits of each case.

Baroness Fisher of Rednal

My Lords, could the noble Lord give any advice to local authorities in the West Midlands area in particular, where large industrial establishments have been completely closed down, which has resulted in acres of dereliction? Can the Minister give any encouragement to local authorities about what they are to do with that land?

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, as a general tenet, I should think that if they are able to use that land they should use it. If not, they should allow somebody else to make use of it. However, as I have already said, my right honourable friend cannot do anything without considering each case on its merits. If the noble Baroness has in mind any particular area of land to which she would like to draw my attention, naturally I shall do what I can in that case to give her the advice which she seeks.

Baroness Fisher of Rednal

My Lords, may I ask the noble Minister to tour the West Midlands area and see these derelict sites? If he could do something about getting industry on to these sites we should be only too grateful.

Lord Skelmersdale

My Lords, if that is an invitation, I shall be most grateful to accept it. However, I would point out that this has not happened during the lifetime of this Government only. Some of these sites have been derelict for very many years.

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