HC Deb 24 July 1996 vol 282 cc632-3W
Mrs. Maddock

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will list the plots of Forestry Commission land in Dorset which are(a) currently for sale and (b) being considered for sale; and in each case (i) what is the size of the plot, (ii) what consultation will be made in advance of the sale and (iii) how many representations he has received to date for and against the proposed sale; [38169]

(2) if he will list the plots of land which have been sold by the Forestry Commission in Dorset in each of the last five years; and in each case (a) what was the size of the plot, (b) what consultation was made in advance of the sale and (c) how many representations he received for and against the sale. [38168]

Mr. Boswell

The subjects of the questions relate to matters undertaken by Forest Enterprise. I have asked its chief executive, Mr. Gordon Cowie, to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Gordon M. Cowie to Mrs. Diana Maddock, dated 24 July 1996: The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to your Questions about the plots of Forestry Commission land, in Dorset, that are being considered for sale, as well as those that have been sold in the last five years. [38168 & 38169] There are no plots of Forestry Commission land on the market for sale in Dorset at present. However there are four cases which are being considered for sale and the details are as follows:

Name of property Area (ha)
Alders Coppice 7.0
Black Dog Plantation 3.0
Heathy Field Coppice 4.7
Bryanston Estate 9.5
which consists of the following group:
Folly Clump 1.5
Four Acre Coppice 2.5
Lower and Higher Prensham 3.0
Beechy Clump 2.5

There have only been two sales completed within the last five years, and their details are as follows:

Year sold Name of property Area (ha)
1992 Blackwater Copse 13.0
1996 Stapehill Wood 3.0

All properties, prior to sale, are notified in the Estates Gazette. The proposed sales of Alders coppice and Black Dog plantation were also notified to the local authority under the continued public access arrangements so that they could consider whether they wished to enter into an agreement for a continued public access after sale. In both cases, the local authorities declined the offers to enter into agreements.

There have been no representations on any of the above cases.