§ Mr. Hamlingasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will now make a statement on the enfranchisement of Crown leases.
§ Mr. WilleyThe various Crown authorities will agree to enfranchisement and extension of leases for qualified leaseholders holding from the Crown on the terms provided for in the Leasehold Reform Bill, except that enfranchisement will be refused where the house is of special architectural or historic interest or adjoins such houses and is important in safeguarding them and their surroundings, or where a house is important to the preservation of amenities in such areas as Windsor Great Park. By analogy with local authorities, a Crown authority may refuse enfranchisement or extension of the lease where the property will shortly be needed by them for redevelopment for public purposes, but the Crown Estate Commissioners know of no cases in which they would wish to do this. On enfranchisement, or extension, a Crown authority, like local authorities, may also reserve development rights but the Crown Estate Commissioners would not expect to do so in the case of the majority of houses they sell.