83. Mrs. Jegerasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what is the total area of new office building in Central London completed since the war; what is the area now in process of construction; what is the area for which he has given town planning consent for future erection; and what he estimates to be the total working population thus provided for.
§ Mr. H. BrookeThe primary responsibility for granting permission for new office buildings in the County of London rests with the London County Council as planning authority, and not with me. No recent figures are yet available, but at 31st January, 1956, some 8,334,000 sq. ft. of new office space had been provided182W in the central area since the war, and some 9,877,000 sq. ft. were under construction.
I understand that by mid-1957 the permissions granted for new office building in Central London amounted to 40,393,000 sq. ft. If all the outstanding permissions were implemented, accommodation could be provided in total for about 270,000 workers; but since some of the new building involves the replacement or improvement of existing offices, the net increase of employment in Central London would be considerably less than this.