§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he has instigated a study of ways of reducing the amount of unimplemented planning permissions for office development in London;
(2) if he will list the research projects on office development and office floor space demand and supply in Greater London which have been commissioned or undertaken by his Department since January 1982; when such studies will be or have been completed; and whether they will be published;
(3) what studies his property advisory group has undertaken or proposes to undertake of office demand and supply in central London or Greater London; and if the outcome of any studies will be made available to the public and to persons concerned with office development in London.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneMy Department is actively considering the need for research into office development policy, including the question of unimplemented planning permissions and office demand and supply in London and elsewhere. No such studies have been initiated by my Department since 1982. The property advisory group is being consulted as necessary.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what information he has, respectively, for Greater London and for central London, on (a) the 261W gross floor space in main use office developments completed each year in the period 1971 to 1983 inclusive, (b) the level of vacant main use office floor space at the end of 1983 or at the most recent date for which data are available, (c) the level of main use office floor space under construction and (d) the quantity of main use office floor space with planning permission but where construction has not yet begun;
(2) if he will estimate the main use office floor space, in terms of gross floor space rather than net lettable area, in 1983 in (a) Greater London, (b) the statistical central area, (c) inner London and (d) outer London and the occupied main use office stock for the same areas;
(3) if he will estimate the main use office floor space either vacant or being marketed in September 1980 and September 1983 and the percentage change, for central London (or the nearest approximation for which statistics are available) and for the rest of Greater London; and if he has any information as to the highest level of available or vacant office floor space previously recorded in central London.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneSuch statistics are not maintained by my Department.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will (a) list the main use office permissions of over 10,000 sq. ft. gross floor space granted in central London on appeal or as a result of a special development order during the period 1971 to 1983, (b) state what proportion they constitute of the total permissions granted during this period and (c) list those permissions which have expired, remain unimplemented, have yet to be completed or are completed but remain unoccupied.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneSuch information could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he estimates that the take-up of main use office floor space in central London and in the rest of Greater London during the period 1981 to 1990 will be as high, higher or lower than it was during the period 1971 to 1980 for (a) the public sector, (b) the private sector, and (c) both sectors combined.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneNo such estimate has been made.