§ Mr. Snowasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representation he has received concerning the transfer of agricultural land to housebuilding purposes at Alrewas, Burton-on-Trent what advice has been offered by his land utilisation officer in this regard ; and what is the total acreage so transferred in principle out of agriculture in this area since January, 1962.
§ Mr. Scott-Hopkins: Responsibility for deciding planning applications rests with the local planning authorities. They are not required to consult my Ministry's Land Commissioner on applications for housing development unless the area to be taken out of agricultural use exceeds 5 acres. When consulted the Land Commissioner advises on whether the development would be contrary to established Government policy of conserving good agricultural land wherever possible. Since 1962 the Land Commissioner has been consulted on 2 such applications, covering a total of 122
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Metropolitan Police District City of London Total Under 18 18 and under 21 Total Under 18 18 and under 21 Number of convictions 35,485 182 1,405 231 3 6 acres, in the neighbourhood of Alrewas. The land ranges from medium to good general purpose farm land. Apart from opposing development of a small area of high quality land, the Land Commissioner, recognising the urgency of housing needs in the West Midlands, has not attempted to influence the local planning authority's decision on the applications for the remaining 103 acres. I have no knowledge of the authority's decision on these 103 acres.