§ Mr. Freesonasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps he will take to restore residential buildings in the old metropolitan area of London from office to housing uses, particularly in the inner central area.
§ Mr. MellishA number of such buildings are being used for offices with temporary planning permission. My right hon. Friend is sure the planning authorities will be anxious, when these permissions expire, to ensure that the buildings are restored to residential use, if they are still suitable for it.
Where, however, buildings have permanent permission for office use, the authorities would have to buy them, or pay compensation to ensure their return to residential use. My right hon. Friend doubts whether the cost of doing this would normally be justified, especially as many of the buildings would be expensive to adapt for modern living conditions.