HC Deb 07 July 1961 vol 643 cc172-3W
Sir L. Heald

asked the Minister of Works what arrangements exist in his Department for ensuring, by consultation with the Ministry of Transport or otherwise, that new permanent buildings, which do not require planning permission, will not be so located as to prejudice routes already officially approved for the construction or improvement of important roads; and what steps were taken to this end by his Department before undertaking the extension of the veterinary laboratory at New Haw, Surrey, in 1953 and 1954.

Lord John Hope

Development plans and amendments to such plans are examined in my Department to see whether any road proposals are likely to affect Ministry of Works property; and my Department would expect to be told of any proposals not yet shown on the development plan when consulting a planning authority about a proposed development.

In the case of the Veterinary Laboratory at Weybridge, the revised route of the South Orbital Road was not shown on the development plan. My Department was not required, because of the terms of sub-paragrap 5 (c) of the consultation procedure set out in Ministry of Town and Country Planning Circular 100 of the 7th December, 1950, to consult the planning authority about the new buildings. They were found to be affected by the proposed route when this was brought to our notice late in 1954. It is now, and has been for some time, the practice of my Department to consult the planning authority regarding such buildings.