§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will meet representatives of Devon county council, the South Hams district council, the Slapton, Stokenham, Stoke Fleming and Strete parish councils and the hon. Member for Totnes to discuss the continued closure of the A379 between Strete Gate and Torcross, Devon and its effect on local business and tourism. [153739]
§ Ms Beverley HughesI fully appreciate that local people want to see as swift a resolution as possible to this situation.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, my hon. Friend the Member for Streatham, (Mr. Hill), recently concluded that meeting South Hams district council would not assist the process of finding the most rapid solution possible to this issue. However the Government Office for the South West Region has been asked to liaise with all the bodies concerned to ensure that the urgency of the situation is appreciated and that all work to resolve the problem is undertaken as quickly as possible.
§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will instruct Devon county council not to pursue a statutory environmental impact assessment before providing a temporary reinstatement of the A379 between Strete Gate and Torcross, South Devon. [153741]
§ Ms Beverley HughesDecisions on whether an environmental impact assessment is required for projects requiring planning permission are in the first place a matter for the local planning authority. Devon county council is the local planning authority, and in this role it has issued a "screening opinion" that an EIA is required. No appeal has been made to the Secretary of State.
§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the steps he is taking to arrange for the reinstatement of the A379 between Strete Gate and Torcross, Devon. [153740]
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§ Ms Beverley HughesI fully appreciate the concern which the hon. Member and the people of South Hams feel, and the impact which the closure of this road is having.
Devon county council, English Nature and MAFF are working together to reach a consensus on the way forward. I am advised that jointly Devon county council and South Hams district council are arranging meetings on the 19 and 23 March for all local interested parties to be given the up to date situation in their endeavours to resolve this matter.
The Government Office for the South West Region has been asked to liaise with all the bodies concerned to ensure that the urgency of the situation is appreciated and that all work to resolve the problem is undertaken as quickly as possible.
§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the cost of conducting a statutory environmental impact assessment before reinstating permanently the A379 between Strete Gate and Torcross, Devon. [153742]
§ Ms Beverley HughesIt is not for the Secretary of State to carry out an environmental impact assessment in this situation and therefore the Secretary of State has not made an assessment of the cost.