§ Mr. HARDIEasked the Minister of Health what is the area of each of the sites acquired in Maidstone in connection with Government and municipal housing schemes; what was the price of the land in each case; what was the rateable value previous to purchase; what legal or arbitration costs were incurred in acquisition; and what portion of the total area has been or is being developed for housing purposes?
§ Mr. WHEATLEYAccording to the information in my Department's possession the following sites have been acquired by the Town Council of Maidstone under the provisions of the Housing Acts:—
736W
Area. Acres. (1) Tonbridge road site … 1.18 (2) Upper Faut road site … 1.25 (3) Old Tovil road site … 17 In addition, the town council appropriated 15.26 acres of corporate land on the Cherry Orchard Estate for housing. The prices paid were:—
I have no information as to the rateable value of the sites prior to their acquisition by the town council. The legal costs incurred in connection with the acquisition of the Old Tovil road site amounted to £103, which amount is included in the figure of £5,089 already given. I have no information as to the legal costs involved in the acquisition of the other two sites. The Tonbridge road site, the Upper Faut road site and a portion of the Cherry Orchard Estate which was appropriated for housing purposes have been fully developed. As regards the site at Old Tovil road, the land was acquired with the intention that only 5¼ acres should be utilised for housing, and the remainder held for other purposes, but the town council recently adopted proposals for developing 7–44 acres for housing purposes.
£ Tonbridge road … 640 Upper Faut road … 600 Old Tovil road … 5,089