Earl of Dalkeithasked the Minister of Public Building and Works (1) whether he will publish in the Official Report details of the use to which the premises proposed to be erected in the St. James's Square redevelopment area of Edinburgh will be put as Government offices; whether he will give an estimate of the total area that will be so used, the number of personnel to be accommodated, the number of car parking spaces to be 133W provided for them, the anticipated number of cars they are likely to bring to the area in 1980; and if he will give an estimate of the date by which the premises are expected to be fully occupied;
(2) to what extent in the proposals for a major Government office block in the St. James's Square area of Edinburgh consideration was given to the need to conform with the principles of securing tile decongestion of the central part of an area that is a unique national monument of residential town planning of the highest architectural merit; and what investigations have been made into finding alternative sites nearer to the perimeter of the city where site values are lower and the risks of transport congestion will be smaller;
(3) what is the estimated cost to public funds of providing Government offices in the St. James's Square area of Edinburgh.
§ Mr. MellishAccommodation in Edinburgh, now occupied by the four Departments of the Scottish Office, is already overfull and must be expanded. An office block now under construction on the perimeter at Gorgie will accommodate a substantial number of staff. The decision to include Government offices in the comprehensive redevelopment at St. James's Square was taken with the full agreement of Edinburgh Corporation as Local Planning Authority. Despite a search no other area ripe for development was available, within an acceptable distance of St. Andrew's House, to accommodate staffs who must be located close to Ministers.
The St. James's Square office block will house Ministers and some 1,500 staff of the Scottish Office, in about 200,000 sq. ft. It is expected to cost about £2½, million and is unlikely to be competed before 1971. Five hundred car spaces will be provided, of which, about 230 are expected to be required for official and visitors' cars and cars of travelling staff occupying the building; the rest will be available for the public. I cannot make a realistic estimate of the anticipated number of cars likely to be brought into the area in 1980.