HC Deb 05 July 1960 vol 626 cc24-5W
61. Mr. Skeffington

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what progress is being made with Her Majesty's Government's review of the problems arising from the sharp rise in the price of land in certain areas; and when he expects to be able to announce measures to deal with these problems.

Mr. W. Hamilton

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if, in view of the recent rapid increase in land speculation, he will take measures to modify his policy with regard to a free market in land.

Mr. H. Brooke

What I am doing, as my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary explained in reply to the hon. Member for Bristol, Central (Mr. Awbery) last Tuesday, is to ask local planning authorities, in the reviews of their development plans now proceeding, to allocate more land to building beyond the green belts. In addition to that I am seeking to encourage the fullest use of land within the urban areas. But we have to face the fact that the demand in and around the most prosperous towns will continue to exceed the supply, unless we are to abandon planning policies of restricting the growth of towns, preserving good agricultural land and protecting the countryside; and that I am not prepared to do. What this means is that builders must turn their attention increasingly to re-development of older areas within the towns, which is our chief need.

I am not prepared to modify the policy of a free market in land, without which of course we should not have had the vigorous building progress of the last few years What the situation calls for is administrative action of the kind I have described, rather than more legislation.

62. Mr. A. Lewis

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs, in view of the greater equitability of the system of the rating of land site values, why the Government has declined to abolish the present system of rating.

Mr. H. Brooke

I cannot accept the hon. Member's assumption. Rating of site values is a question which has been examined by a succession of committees and commissions since the beginning of the century and reported against by each one of them. I see no reason to reject their advice.