HC Deb 01 December 1988 vol 142 cc328-9W
Mr. Chapman

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many consultations with local planning authorities for non-agricultural development on agricultural land not in accordance with the development plan were received in the first six months of 1988; what was the Ministry's response to these consultations and what area they covered for each grade and subgrade of land, as defined by the agricultural land classification.

Mr. Ryder

From our records it is not possible to identify solely those consultations for non-agricultural development which were not in accordance with the development plan.

Latest figures for the first six months of 1988 indicate that MAFF/WOAD responded to some 690 consultations from local planning authorities in England and Wales relating to individual planning applications for non-agricultural development. Those responses involved 17 objections, six conditional objections, 100 conditional acceptances, 284 appraisals, 231 no objections and 52 cases which were either withdrawn or the referral was inappropriate. The grades of agricultural land and areas involved were 232 hectares of grade 1, 999 hectares of grade 2, 1,514 hectares of grade 3 (not subdivided), 2,097 hectares of grade 3a, 2,423 hectares of grade 3b, 1,247 hectares of grade 3c, 779 hectares of grade 4 and 147 hectares of grade 5.

Mr. Chapman

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries of Food what proportion of consultations with local planning authorities for non-agricultural development on agricultural land not in accordance with the development plan are(a) in respect of an area of agricultural land in excess of 20 hectares and (b) in respect of agricultural land of grades 1, 2 or 3a, as defined by the agricultural land classification.

Mr. Ryder

From our records it is not possible to identify solely those consultations for non-agricultural development which were not in accordance with the development plan.

In 1987 some 17 per cent. of the consultations by planning authorities in England and Wales related to areas of agricultural land in excess of 20 hectares and some 28 per cent. related to grades 1, 2 or 3a agricultural land.