The Baroness Gardner of Parkesasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Secretary of State for the Environment can announce his decision on the application for consent to move the Temple Bar from St. Theobalds Park in Hertfordshire to St. Paul's Churchyard and whether he will make a statement.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment (The Earl of Avon)This application was the subject of a public inquiry held between October 1983 and January 1984 and a resumed hearing in December 1984 to examine fresh evidence submitted by the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has accepted the advice of the Inquiry Inspector, who recommended in favour of granting consent. In reaching this decision my right honourable friend paid particular attention to the possibility of damage to the monument and to the setting of St. Paul's Churchyard, but concluded that these factors were outweighed by the advantages of returning this important monument to the City where it could be seen and enjoyed by many more people than if retained at Theobalds Park. The consent is subject to stringent conditions to ensure that the dismantling, repair and re-erection of the monument is carried out with every contractual and architectual care and to the satisfaction of the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission.