§ Mr. Vosperasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what proposals he has in hand for the expansion of new towns already designated.
§ Sir K. JosephI am consulting the local authorities concerned about the expansions of Peterlee and Aycliffe proposed in paragraphs 84 and 85 of the White Paper on the North East (Cmnd. 2206). I am also considering the possibility of expanding Harlow and Stevenage. Increases in the area of land designated for both Bracknell and Corby were approved about a year ago and the development corporations are now preparing plans for the expansions.
§ Mr. Vosperasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will state the acreage of the original designation orders for the new towns of Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage and Skelmersdale, together with any additions which may have been made at a later date.
§ Sir K. JosephNo additions have been made to the land originally designated for these towns. The acreages are as follows:
110W
Hemel Hempstead 5976 Stevenage 6156 Skelmersdale 4029
§ Mr. Vosperasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will state the housing density in the Furnace Green neighbourhood unit of Crawley New Town and that proposed for the first neighbourhood unit of Skelmersdale New Town.
§ Sir K. JosephNet housing densities in the Furnace Green neighbourhood unit of Crawley New Town range from 8 to the acre for houses being built by a Self-Build Group to 14 to the acre for dwellings being built by the local authority; and average 9. 7 dwellings to the acre. There is, as yet, no Master Plan for Skelmersdale but the first housing scheme proposes 583 dwellings at a net density of 14 dwellings per acre.
§ Mr. Vosperasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if the powers of Section 22 of the Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1963, have been applied in any of the designated new towns; and with what effect.
§ Sir K. JosephI understand that the powers have not been used in these cases to date.
§ Lord Balnielasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs (1) what proportion of the total number of houses built by each New Town Development Corporation have been built for sale;
(2) what percentage of the total number of houses built in each new town has been built for sale;
(3) how many houses were built for sale and to let in each of the new towns since their inception.
§ Sir K. JosephThe figures of completed dwellings up to 30th September, 1963, are given in the table below. They take account of all dwellings (including flats) built by the development corporations and the Commission for the New Towns, and of all dwellings built by private enterprise builders on land sold or leased for the purpose by the corporations or the Commission. The figures of dwellings for sale also include 111W a number originally built for letting but subsequently sold—e.g., to sitting tenants. The table does not, however, take account of dwellings built by local authorities or built by local authorities or built by private interests on land not disposed of for the purpose by the corporations or the Commission, since the designated area of a new town
— (1) (2) (3) Percentage for sale of dwellings built by development corporations or Commission Percentage for sale of total dwellings built Number of dwellings built for sale Number of dwellings built to let by corporations and Commission By corporations or Commission By private enterprise Total Aycliffe … … 1.0 2.0 44 43 87 4,209 Basildon … 0.4 4.0 43 436 479 11,379 Bracknell … 4.1 5.4 212 70 282 4,898 Corby … … 0.8 2.4 38 82 120 4,952 Crawley … 2.8 16.3 310 1,826 2,136 10,934 Cwmbran … 3.5 8.4 169 255 424 4,602 Harlow … … 2.7 6.0 407 531 938 14,791 Hatfield … … 6.1 9.6 209 118 327 3,197 Hemel Hempstead 0.9 9.6 93 1,046 1,139 10,726 Peterlee … … 0.2 0.6 10 17 27 4,275 Stevenage … 0.7 4.5 85 460 545 11,649 Welwyn Garden City … … 12.2 16.1 625 234 859 4,474