HC Deb 07 March 1966 vol 725 cc405-6W
11. Mr. Chapman

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources whether, under his proposals for leasehold enfranchisement, owners of leases on such estates as the Bournville Village Trust in Birmingham will be able to purchase their freeholds; and what steps he envisages to preserve the amenities of this estate once some of the freeholds are no longer under the Trust's control.

Mr. Willey

The answer to the first part of the Question is "Yes". As regards the second part, it is proposed to provide for the continuance of estate management on the lines described in paragraph 22 of the White Paper on Leasehold Reform in England and Wales.

12. Mr. Chapman

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources what, under the Government's proposals for leasehold enfranchisement, would be the estimated enfranchisement price of a house, without development value, in the Midlands, with a vacant possession value of £2,750, let at an annual ground rent of £10 and with 50 years of the lease still to run.

Mr. Willey

The actual price for enfranchisement is in the first instance a matter for negotiation between the parties concerned. Accordingly any example I may quote must be treated as hypothetical and not applicable to any specific case whatever the apparent similarity. In this example the price for enfranchisement might well range from, say, £150 to a figure in the region of £230, unless there were very exceptional circumstances.

Mr. G. Elfed Davies

asked the Minister of Land and Natural Resources how many houses in Wales will be affected by the Government's proposals on leasehold reform.

Mr. Willey

This depends on the number of houses occupied by qualified leaseholders, which I cannot estimate. The total number of leasehold houses in Wales is of the order of 400,000.