§ 46. Sir W. Teelingasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is aware that the recent purchasers of the Bedford Hotel at Brighton, where Dickens wrote Dombey and Son, have announced that they intend to demolish this hotel; and, in view of the facts that they propose to erect on the site a building out of keeping with its surroundings and that the hotel is scheduled as a listed building, what action he is taking to protect it until it has been proved that there is a local demand for such a change and that the facade cannot be preserved even if the interior is reconstructed.
§ Mr. CorfieldMy right hon. Friend has been notified of this proposal and he is in touch with the local authority about it. It is for them to consider in the first instance whether the proposal should be permitted. They have power to submit a preservation order to him.