HC Deb 30 January 1940 vol 356 cc990-1W
Sir R. Glyn

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many shops and offices in Regent Street, the property of Crown Lands, have been vacated, and to what extent has the annual rent roll been affected?

Sir R. Dorman-Smith

Omitting small shops in side arcades, there are now 30 shops and 19 half shops empty in Regent Street, as compared with 21 and seven respectively shortly before the outbreak of the war. Information is not available in regard to offices, as the buildings in Regent Street are not under the direct control of the Commissioners of Crown Lands but are in the possession of lessees who pay a ground rent for the whole property in each case. For this reason the emptying of individual shops does not affect the Crown's annual rent roll.