HC Deb 05 May 1998 vol 311 cc309-10W
14. Mr. Blizzard

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what support he will give for re-establishing industrial use of brown-field sites. [39519]

Mr. Caborn

Through its programmes and agencies the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions sponsors a range of projects which support the re-establishment of industrial uses on previously used sites. Information on land reclaimed, new business start-ups and jobs created is available in the Department's Annual Report 1998 (Cm 3906). Among the key output measures of English Partnerships, which has a statutory objective to promote job creation and environmental improvement through the reclamation of vacant and derelict land, are the amount of industrial and commercial floorspace created, and land reclaimed and/or serviced. For the year 1996/97 these figures were 910,000 square metres and 1,100 hectares respectively.

Local authorities have powers to designate sites for industrial use in their development plans and, if necessary, to assemble sites using compulsory purchase powers. I am looking at the effectiveness of current powers for site assembly, and a Task Force has been created under Lord Rogers to look at better use of recycled land.

My Department has commissioned a National Land Use Database, which will, as an early output, identify vacant and derelict previously-used land and buildings. Although primarily aimed at identifying land for housing, the exercise could help identify and assess potential sites for industrial use. This will complement existing local authority studies of commercial land availability.

Mr. Soames

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the brown-field sites he has located in mid-Sussex. [40770]

Mr. Raynsford

The information is not centrally available in this form, but the Regional Planning Conference for the South East is looking at the potential of different sites, including previously developed sites, for accommodation housing growth. We have commissioned a survey which will lead to the production of a national database of land use. This will provide a national assessment of previously developed land available for housing. Also, we have recently established a task force under the chairmanship of Lord Rogers to develop best practice and innovation on housing on previously developed land, especially in urban areas.