Mr. Chichester-Clarkeasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what advice he is giving to local authorities about the execution of the planning and design stage in the case of deferred schemes with priority.
§ Mr. MacCollIt is for the authority to decide whether it wishes to proceed with design work on a deferred scheme. My right hon. Friend would see no objection to their proceeding with such work where there is a reasonable prospect of the scheme being executed in the foreseeable future. He would, however, discourage them from proceeding with design work on schemes which are so uncertain that the expenditure could well prove abortive. Advice based on these principles is given to authorities who seek it, but general advice would be inappropriate as circumstances vary widely.