§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether any land has been disposed of at the three sites at Shoeburyness, Essex, in the last three years, in the light of the Nugent Committee Report on Defence Lands, and the abandonment of plans for a third London airport.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownNo. With the abandonment of plans for a third London airport at Maplin, the Proof and Experimental Establishment, which the Nugent Committee acknowledged would be difficult to relocate, could remain at Shoesburyness. There is, therefore, now no question of spare land arising from locating it elsewhere.
§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether any land has been or will be disposed of at the site of Sealand, Cheshire, as a result of reviews on the Dee Estuary, and 578W following the recommendations of the Nugent Committee Report on Defence Lands.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownIn accordance with the recommendations of the Nugent Committee, the Ministry of Defence use of Sealand will be reviewed when decisions about the future of the Dee Estuary have been taken.
§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the disposal of 400 acres at Pershore, Worcestershire, which was endorsed by the Report of the Nugent Committee on Defence Lands, has been carried out.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownAlthough this land has not yet been formally declared to be surplus to Ministry of Defence requirements, disposal is still expected to take place within the timescale given to the Nugent Committee of three-five years from the date of its report.
§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Defence what decision has been taken about the site at Bawdsey, Suffolk, following the recommendations of the Nugent Committee Report on Defence Lands.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownFollowing the defence review it has been decided that Bawdsey is to be retained. However, three acres for car parking are being sold to the Suffolk Coastal District Council through the Property Services Agency.
§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Defence what decision has been taken about the future of the site at Maidstone (Sandling Wood), Kent, following the recommendations of the Nugent Committee Report on Defence Lands.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownThe question of an alternative site for Service married quarters has not yet been resolved and no decision can, therefore, be taken on the future of Sandling Wood.
§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether the 31 acres of Purfleet Camp and 320 acres in the north-west of the site at Purfleet, Greater London-Essex have been disposed of, following the recommendations of the Nugent Committee Report on Defence Lands.
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§ Mr. Robert C. BrownSince August 1975 the borough of Thurrock has been in possession of 54 acres at Purfleet but disposal of a further 230 acres must await completion of certain works on the rest of the range. Another one and a half acres is being sold to the Essex County Council.
§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Defence why only 38 acres have been released at the site at Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire, when the Nugent Committee Report on Defence Lands recommended that 75 acres be released.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownThe Nugent Committee recommended that some 75 acres be released, and in fact 62½ acres were considered for disposal. Of this, 38 acres have been disposed of. The remainder of the land has been retained; firstly to provide a camping site for visiting Army and Combined Cadet Forces parties so that they can make use of the training facilities at Bassingbourn; and secondly because an irregular shaped piece of the land contains the only mature trees on the site to vary the terrain for training purposes. Other trees are being planted on other parts of the site for this purpose, but it will be a long time before these reach maturity.