§ Mr. BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many(a) sites of special scientific interest, (b) areas of outstanding natural beauty, (c) national parks and (d) hectares were affected by road building, housing or retail developments; and how many miles of roads were built on (a) to (c) in each of the last 12 years by (i) county and (ii) region. [32318]
§ Mr. RaynsfordInformation on the number of designated area sites affected by road building, housing or retail development is not available. Information on damage to sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) is published, but does not specifically cite damage by road building or housing and retail development. This information is published in "Digest of Environmental Statistics No. 19 1997", table 8.18. A copy of this is available in the House of Commons Library.
Local Authorities and the Highways Agency provide information on road lengths and changes in road lengths each year. However, they are required to provide only brief details of roads built and so statistics of road building in environmentally sensitive areas are not available.
The Department's Land Use Change Statistics for England provide some information on the number of hectares of land changing to highways and road transport, residential and retail uses. The table shows estimates of the number of hectares of land changing use to these three categories, for the period 1985 to 1992 (the latest data available). The figures represent all recorded changes to the specified new use; some of these changes will have been on previously developed sites.
556W
Total land1 changing to particular developed uses: England hectares2 New use Highways and transportation3 Residential Retail 1985 1,970 8,750 705 1986 1,780 7,050 570 1987 1,725 7,495 615 1988 2,185 7,720 830 1989 1,840 6,070 920
Total land1 changing to particular developed uses: England hectares2 New use Highways and transportation3 Residential Retail 1990 2,595 8,065 930 1991 1,895 4,990 645 1992 1,875 5,640 680 1 Estimates of the area of a site changing use, and the year in which the change took place, are made by OS surveyors, sometimes some years after the change happened. When a surveyor is uncertain of the exact year, their estimate is more likely to be for a round number such as 1990, than 1989 or 1991, say. Thus the allocation of change to specific years should be treated with caution. 2 Rounded to the nearest 5 hectares. 3 Includes bus stations and car parks. Source:
Land Use Change Statistics.
§ Mr. BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what is the number and surface area of out-of-town shopping centres and leisure centres that have been built on Green Belt land in each of the last 12 years by(a) county and (b) region in England;[32327]
- (2) what is the number and surface area of out-of-town shopping centres and leisure centres that have been built on greenfield land, excluding Green Belt, in each of the last 12 years by (a) county and (b) region in England; [32326]
- (3) what is the number and surface area of out-of-town shopping centres and leisure centres that have been built on recycled land in each of the last 12 years by (a) county and (b) region in England. [32328]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe information requested is not held centrally. Most decisions on planning applications for out-of-town shopping and leisure developments are taken by local planning authorities. They provide statistical returns of all major "retail, distribution and servicing" applications which they handle, in order to provide an overall picture of planning activity. These data do not classify applications by location. It is, therefore, not feasible at the moment, to assemble such information, except at disproportionate cost.